Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-03-05
Canada on Postal Cards.
The New systsm Of Letter Writing

When, n few weeks ago, the telegraph 7
flashed the news 70 this province that the
Hon. John Hill, member Of Congress OF the
United States, had introduced bill author
izi,g the issue Of cheap postal or CORE
spondsncs cards, Il would surely bsve puZ
1led the general reader 10 know how or IN
What mauuer such seemingly unimportant
information could in any way interest or az
feet the Canadians.
Yet the news was electrical, and pot
life into the veins OF those thoroughly
phlegmstic, partly British, and altogether
blus-nossd Canadians, which was wonder
ful. Friend met friend on the street, ADD
cuugrAtulstious were passed. 81 always
told you" said Jonas TO Brown, that these
Yankees we're not rs cute As represented
"Ah ~ said Brown. "Wsll teach them. my
boy Won show them how to advance with
the age All this, no doubt, will puzzle
your readers as much az the actions aud
words themselves puzzlsd your correspon.
dent, bat when | explain that postal cards
have nov been in use ia these provinces for
many months, aud that il is the opinion Of
the Canadians that the Hon. John Hill Dor
rowsd his idea from them, q cleaning may
be had of the reason for the congra,ulA.
tious.
Asa matter Of present interest to the
United States, propose 70 give few par
uoulars rs to the workings OF the system
here.
The card issued BY the Canadian gov
eminent Is four aud half inches long BY
three inches vide, aud in thicku is but
little more substantial than heavy letter pa
papsr. On its face are the words, Cana
d. Post Card y n fac SiRitie Of one cent
stamp, aud The address ouly to bs written
on this side" Below are three lines, upon
which 10 write the direction, aud that is all
The reverse Of the card is perfectly blank,
and on this may EASILY BE- written, legibly,
from twelve TO eighteen lines Of correspon-
dsnes. The card, indeed, ia an exAct copy
Of those issued BY the English governmens,
and now 90 extensively in use iE Great
Britain, and, therefore, II tho praise for
originating 10 to be rendered to any coun.
try, IL ia farther Off than Canada TO where
the United States must remit il.
Although not many months in operation,
the cards are general fAvorites here. Mer-
chants buy them by the thousands, aud bav-
ing had their cards, circulars, or prospectu-
sss printed on the back, scatter them broad
cast. Hitherto they had TO buy envelopes,
At&WPa euN RApfAg ahN PAY uRhAuN TOT notu"
ing the circular aud placing the stamps on
the envelopes, at total cost per circular
Of fully three cents. Now It is bot one
cent Asa Consequence, il s safe ~ es:i-
mate that the trausmis,on Of circulars by
the mails has increased over 500 per cent
such, a. least, 10 the estimate Of the post
otico department., aud / believe these zig.
urea TO DO below the mark. Besides mer.
aannatya II
Is benefited by these cards. Schools send
oHt their circulars thereon, newspapers
their proEpsotusss tor coming volumes
book Publishers slso do the same railroad
companies send th,ir tins tables and 10 al
most ianumsrHbls numbers is the printed
circular on the postal card sent forth b.
business arms. As such there can be n,
manner Of doub. Of their being an i'm msn,'
success.
10 the ordinary ruu Of correspondence,
only about one letter 10 ten is necessarily
private. or such shA, i. maT not be seen BY
strangers, aud, perhaps, in ninsty nine
times out Of . hundred, even that letter
may be 80 vorded as to cause il 20 be Am
biguous to all save the sender aud re
oeivsr speak ofordinAry correspondence
and not such secret affairs ~ love letters
trAdemsns bills, rsfusAls OF discounts frou
banks, and others Of that sort. For such
even with the advent Of open letters, viii
yet remain the old three cent private Ant
closed envelopes The opposition geuer
ally made TO the cards on the grounds tina
tradssmsn will send dunning dsmand
thereon, banks will make kno-n you
lack Of credit, and that threats vii
be forwarded, coached in language partieu
larry intended 80 that your servants, o
Others through whom the SardI may pass
may be informed OF certain OF your actions
or possibly be informed of what you neve
did or said, 10 not verified by the wo-kinI
Of the system here. TrNdssmen never sen,
such notices unless their customer refuse
TO trsa. them in any reputable way
banks, for their own sAkes, are civil to IA
extent Of ihres GENTS to every one, as ID
habit Of sending open letters would injur
their business, and 10 the blackguard an
blAokmailsr, the card offers no better faci
lilies for insults than did an open letIs
before, or the exposed back Of an er
velope.
These opposiiions ovsrruled, the car
proves itself 40 Invaluable aid to CORES
pondsncs. A pencil has been introduced
the writing Of which Is almost indeibl'
WIN dozen cArua IN MS NVht PSSAosf :"
bulk OF which u not equal to two lesiers.th
traveller by rail is enabled To report HI
dOings ~ he goes along, and a. each static
AposI Office box awaits his missive, beside
the mail messengers on many Of the train
With thsse oonveuisnces Of orrsspond enc'
the mail matter Of the OanadAs has ncrsasa
nearly Eve hundred fold. A little viIlAg
post office | lat, ly visited received, befor
the time Of pos. cards, some thirty letters
day; nov II averages nearly one hundre
and City cards. AS regards secrecy in larv
cities, the reading Of the postal cards by ii
post Office clerks ia an iupossibility. an
even in the smaller sfisss the pos,m .s.sr
not willing 70 wade through City or ,ix,
documsnis,a all ofthsm subig ueh.
70 CLEAN literally nothing.
Punch takes of the cards by making
poa,mistrsss answer IN inquirsr who want.
20 know "why tho mail was delayed 80 mu
Of later" Indeed, man, there's so mat
OF these pos, cards now for me to read
that u takes my whole tim, 80 that cal
attend 70 the Office" Bot Paaeh trea
generally, the utmost extreme.