Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1873-01-10
Postal Cards.

"A fac smile of one-ceut stamp and "ThC
address only 10 be written on this side" Be
low are three lines upon which 10 write the
direction, and that is all. The reverse of the
card is perfectly blank, and upon this may
easily be written lcgiby from twelve to eigh-
teen lines of correspondence. The card, in
deed, is an exact copy Of those issued by the
|. English Government and so extensively in use
in Great Britain, and therefore if the praise
for originating is to be rendered to any coun-
try, it is further off than Canada, to where
the United States must remit it.
During the time the system has been on
trial in Canada the cards have proved general
favorites. Merchants buy them by the thou
sand, and, having had their cards, circulars,
or prospectuses printed on the back, scatter
them broadcast. Before, they had 10 buy en-
velopes, stamps, and paper, and pay besides
for.folding the circulars and placing the stamp
on the envelopes, at total cost per circular
of fully three cents. Now it is but one cent.
As a consequence, 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 De-
partment, and believe these figures to be be-
low the mark. Besides merchants, every con-
ceivable sort OF business is benefited by these
cards. Schools send out their circulars there
on, new spapers their prospectuses for coming
volumes; book publishers also do the same
railroad companies send their time tables; and
in almost innumerabe numbers is the printed
circular on the postal card sent forth by bust
ness firms.
The only objection 10 the present system
would appear to be the publicity of whatever
is transmitted in this way. But this difficulty
is not by any means as great as might at first
/ be supposed. The clerks in the post Office,
had they the disposition, certainly have not
Tie time to crafty the idle curiosity that
would prompt them to peruse the cards, while
the letter carriers, in the quarters where the
system is most in vogue, have all they can do
TO attend to their regular business, without
INDUCING in such amusemeuts.
Per contra. The Ledger has given one side
of the picture. The following from the London
Era shows the iniquious and mischevous
workings of the system
When the Postmaster General informed us
of the new privilege by which we could com
half-penny instead of q penny, VIC were not
indisposed to rejoice that we could get any
thing at half price The rejoicings were con-
sidcrably moderated when we were told that
our communications must be written on an
open card, the observed of all observers. 1t
did not require a cohjurer to tell US that half
penny post cards would be liable TO scandalous
abuse, and that the new method Of conveying
messages would be a new way Of disseminat-
ing abominablc libels We venturcd to point
this out at the very commencement, and our
words have been more than verified.
From that day TO this VIC have heard OF
nothing but libels. Impertincnt shop girls in
The Burlington Arcade have gratuitously in
suited ladies OF title; and irritable gentlemen,
like John Hampden, with g fadn concerning
the rotundity of the earth, have used post
cards for the worst purposes. Every misera-
bic little tradesman who owes grudge, and
every scoundre who dare not say openly
| what he thinks, flies to the halfpenny post
card to crafty mean feeling of paltfy re-
venge. Post cards have been tried, therefore,
for some considerable time, and having been
proved to be extremely dangerous weapons,
it becomes question for the Postmaster Gen
eral to decide how long he will retain them as
an authorized means of communication, For
private purposes they are useles. Courtesy
and deeency alike prohibit their use by all
well versed in the ordinary decencies ofsociety
For what purpose, therefore, are post cards
retained? Thrifty housekeepers use them for
ordering Goals and candless Secretaries Of
charitable societies are not above employing
them for the purposes of importantly. For
summoning meeting and collecting councils
they may be handy enough, but they are a
perpetual annoyance 10 editors of newspapers,
who would cheer the hour when they were
abolished. Their condemnation is pronounc-
ed in the recent libels on Lady Constance Fitz-
gerald and Professor Wallace.
THE FINANCES OF MARYLAND Comptroller
| Woolford has made his annual report to the