The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-02-29
Tlu New postal.Card System in Canada.

Hill, member of, Congress of the United
States, had introduced bill authorizing
the issue of cheap postal or correspon-
dence cards, it would surely have puz-
zlod the general reader to know how or
i'll what manner such seemingly unim-
portant information could in any way
interest or affect the Canadians.
Yet the news was electrical and put
life into the veins of these thoroughly
phlogmatic, partly British and alto
gether blue-nosed Canadians, which was
wonderful. Friend met friend on the
street and congratulations were passed.
II always told you, said Jones to Brown,
that those Yankees were not as cute as
represented "Ah" said Brown, "we'n
teach them, my boy; we'll show them
how to advance with the age" All this,
no doubt, will puzzle your readers as
much as the actions and words them
selves puzzled your correspondent but
when 1 explain that postal cards have
now been in use in these provinces for
many months, and that it is the opinion
of the Canadians that the Hon. John
Hill borrowed his idea from them, o
cleaning may be had of the reason for
the congratulations.
AS q matter of present interest to the
United States, propose to give few
particulars as to the system here.
CANADA POST CARDS.
The card issued by the Canadian
government is four and half inches
long by three inches wide, and in thick
ness is but little more substantial than
heavy letter paper. On its face are the
words, Canada Post Card y q facsimile
of one-cent stamp, and, "The address
only to be written on this side" Below
are three lines upon which to write the
direction and that is all. The reverse
of the card is perfectly blank, and upon
this may easily be written legibly from
twelve to eighteen lines of correspon-
dcnce. The card indeed is an exact
copy of those issued by the English gov
ernment, and now so extensively in use
in Great Britain, and therefore, if the
praise for originating is to be rendered
in any country, it is farther off than
Canada to where the United States must
remit it.
Although not many months in opera
ton the cards arc general favoritcs here.
Merchants buy them by the thousands,
and having had their cards, circulars or
prospectuses printed on the back, scatter
them broadcast. Hitherto they had to
buy envelopes, stamps and paper, and
pay besides for folding the circular and
placing the stamps on the envelopes, at
u total cost per circular of fully three
cents. Now it is but one cent. AS con-
sequence it is safe to estimate that the
transmission of circulars by the mails
has increased over five hundred per
cent. such, at least, is the estimate of
the Post-office Department, and believe
these figures to be below the mark. Be-
sides merchants, every conceivable sort
of business is benefited by these cards.
Schools send out their circulars thereon,
newspapers their prospectuses for COM
ing volumes; book publishers also do
the same railroad companies send their
time tables; and in almost innumerable
numbers is the printed circular ON the
pozhal card sent forth by business firms.
AS such there can be no manner of doubt
oExheir being an immense success.
AS LETTER MEDIUM.
In the ordinary run of correspondence
only about one letter in ten is necessar-
lily private, or such that it may not be
seen by strangers, and perhaps in cases
ninety-nine times out of hundred even
that letter may be so worded as to cause
it to be ambiguous to all save the sender
and receiver. L speak of ordinary cor
respondenco and not such secret affairs
u, love-letters, tradcsmens bills, refusals
Of discounts from banks, and others of
that sort. For such, even with the adj
vent of open letters will yet remain the
old three-cent private and closed envcl-
opes. The opposition generally made
to tho cards on the grounds that trades
men will send dunning demands there
on, banks will make known your lack
OF credit, and that threats will be for
warded couched in language particular
ly intended so that your servants, or
others through whom the cards may
pass, may be informed of certain of 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 their
customer refuses to treat with them in
any reputable way; banks, for their own
sakes, are civil to tho extent of three
cents to every one, as habit of selling
open letters would injuro their business
and to the blackguard and blackmailel
the card offers no better facilities for his
insults than did an open letter before
or the exposed back of an envelope.
These oppositions overruled, the card
proves itself an invaluable aid to cor
respondence. A pencil has been intro
duoed, the writing of which is almost
indeliblo. With a dozen cards in his
cost pocket, the bulk of which is not
equal to two letters, the traveller by
rail is enabled to report his doings as
he goes along, and at each station post
offici box awaits his missive besides the
mail messengers on many of the trains
With these conveniences of the cor
respondence the mail matter of the Can
adas has increased nearly five hundred
fold. AS regards secresy in large cities,
the reading of the postal cards by the
postoffice clerks is an impossibility, and
even in the smaller offices the postmaster
is not willing to wade through fifty OF
sixty documents, all of them ambig-
uously couched, to CLEAN literally moth
ing.
Punch takes off the cards by making @
post-mistress answer an inquirer who
wanted to know "why the mail was de-
layed so much of late? 7" "Indeed
ma'am, there so many of these postcard:
now for me to read off that it take'
my whole time, so that can't attend tc
the Office" But Punch treats, generally
ths utmost extreme.