Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-02-15
Postal Cards IN Canada.


when a few weeks ago. the telegraph
flashed the news 10 this province that the
Hon. John Hll. member OF Congress OF the
United States. had introduced bin ag-
thorizing the issue of cheap postal or cor
respondcnce cards. IL would surely have
puzzled the general reader TO know how or
IN what manner such seemingly unimpor-
tant information could ia any way interest
OF affect the Canadians
lctihe new, was electrical. and put life
into the veins OF these thoroughly phlcg-
matte. partly British and altogether blue
nosed CanasIans. which was WONDERFUL
Friend met friend on the stree; and con
gratulatlons were passed Il always told
YOU" said Jones 10 Brown, "that those
Yankees were not n. cute a. represented -
"Ah," said Brown wen teach them my
boy; we'll show them how to advance with
the age" All this. no doubt. WI "uzglc
YOUR readers a. much a the actions and
words themselves. puzzled your CORES
pondeut: but when explain that postal
cards have now been in use N these PROV
inc,> for many months. and that il j. the
opinion OF the Canadians that the Hon
John Hi borrowed his idea FROM hem. A
gleamin. NAV be had Of the reason for the
congratulations.
As matter OF present interest - the
United States. propose TO give few par
iicular- as TO the working OF the system
here
The cars issued by the Canadian govern
men; j. four and half inches long p, three
Inches wide. and In thickness j. but little
more substantial than heavy paper. on IL,
face are the words Canada Post Gard n a
fac s.milc Of a one cent stamp. and. The
address only 10 be written on this side f.
Below are three lines upon which to write
the direction, that i all. The reverse Of
the card j. perfectly blank. ami upon This
may easily be written legihly from twelve
20 eighteen lines Of correspondence. The
card indeed j. an exact copy ofihosc issued
uy tn English government, aud now 20
extensively in Use in Grea; Britain. aud
Therefore. il the praise FOR or gin.iins j. TO
be rendered 10 any country, IL j. farther Of
than Canada TO where the United states
must remit IL.
Although not many months N operation
the cards arc general favorite> here Mer-
cha.t> buy them by the thousands. and
having had their cards, circulars .nd pro
spcctUscs printed on the back. scatter them
broadcast. Hitherto they had - buy en-
veloPes. stamps and paper. and pay besides
for folding the circular and placing the
stamps on the envelopes, al a total cost per
circular Of fully three cents. Now il Il.
but one cent. A. consequence IL is safe
TO estimate that the transmission Of circu-
lars by the malls has increased over five
hundred per cent. such. at least, j. the es-
innate OF the post Office department. and
believe these figures TO be below the mark
Besides merchants, every conceivable sort
Of business j. benefited by these cards
schools send out their circulars thereon.
p.stV Thafr
volumes book publishers also do the same ;
railroad companies send their time tables /:
and in almost innumerable numbers i the
printed circular on the postal card sent
forth by business firms. A. such there can
be no manner OF dous; Of their being an
immense success.
In the ordinary run OF correspondence
only about one letter in ten is necessarily
private. or such that il may not be seen by
strangers, and perhaps in ninety-ninc times
out OF hundred even that letter NAV be so
worded as to cause il 10 be ambiguou, 10
all save the sender and receiver. speak
OF ordinary correspondence and not such
secret affairs as love-letters, tradesmen'-
| bills, retusals Of discounts from banks.
and others Of that sort. For such. even
with the advent OF open letters, will vet re-
main the old three cent private and closed
envelopes. The opposition generally made
TO the cards on the grounds that tradesmeu
IS ili send dunning demands thereon, bank,
| WI make known your lack Of credit, and
| Tia threats will be forwarded couched in
! language particularly intended so that YOU,
servants. or others through whom the card.
may pass, may be informed of certain o.
your actions, or possibly be informed OF
what you never did or said, is not verified
BY the working OF the system here Trades
men never send such notices unless theI,
customer refuses TO treat with them in any
/ reputable way; banks, for their own sakes
are civil 10 the extent of three cents "a
every one, as habit OF sending open let
tiers would injure their business: and Il
the BLACKBOARD and blackmailer the cart
offers no better facilities for his insult.
than did an open letter before, or the ex
posed back OF an envelope.
These oppositions overruled, the car,
proves itself An invaluable aid to CORES
pondence. A pencil has been introduced
the writing of which is almost indelible.-
With dozen cards in his coat pocket, tn,
bulk Of which is not equal TO two letters
the traveller by rail is able to report his do
ings As he goes along, and at each static,
post Office box awaits his missive, be
sides the mail messengers on many of tn
trains. With these conveniences OF cor
respondencs the mail matter OF the Cana
das has increased nearly five hundred fold
A little village post Office lately visite,
received before the time Of postcards
some thirty letters per day; now /, aver
ages nearly one hundred and ffty cards
As regards secrecy in large cities, the read
ing Of the postal cards by the post offic
clerks is Al impossibility, and even in tn
smaller Offices the postmaster is not will
ing to wade through fifty or sixty docu
ments, all OF them ambiguously couched
10 CLEAN literally nothing
Punch takes OF the cards BY making
post-mistreSs answer an inquirer VIII
wanted 70 know why the mail was delaye
SO much Of late" Indeed, ma am, there
so many OF these postcards now for m
to read Of that it takes my whole time, S
that l can't attend to the Office Bu
, Punch treats, generally, the utmost e,
. IRENE.