Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-10-21

POSTAGE STAMPS.

POSTAGE STAMPS.
IT." introduc lon o: the postal system as it
At present exists IN all countries on the globe,
ha, been credited to England, when, iu 1910,
covers and envelopes were devised TO carry le,-
;lrs all over the kingdom at one pcnny the
single rate. This plan was adopted through
the excriions of Sir Rowland Hill who has
teen ap;y termed the father of postage.
stamps. 1t now appears, however, that there
is another aspirant Tor the introduction OF the
stamp system. In Italy, as far back as 1918,
letter sheets were prepared, duly stamped in
the left lower corner, while letters were dcliv-
cred by specially appointed carriers, on the
prepayment Of the money which the stamp rep
resented. The early stamp represented cou-
rler ou horseback. aud was Of three values. 1t
vas Discontinued in 1886 Whether Italy or
Great Britain first Introduced postage stamps
other countries afterward began to avail them
selves of this method for the prepaym ent of
letters, although they did not move very
promptly 10 the matter.
Great Britain enjoyed the monopoly of
stamps for three Years, and, though the first
stamps We're issued in 1910, she has made fewer
changes in her stamps than any other country,
ana has suffered no change at all 10 the main
t">'gu-thc portrait of Queen Victoria. Iu
other countries, notably ln our own, the
Sandwich Islands, and the Argentine Repub-
lie, the honor Of portraiture on the stamps
is usually distributed amoug various high pub
i: officers; but n Great Britain the Qleen
alone figures 90 her stamps, and not even the
changes that thirty-ive years have made in
her face are showu on the national and coloni.
i! hostage stamps.
The next country to follow the example Of
England was Brazil, 10 lS42 a series of three
stamps was Issued, consisting simply O! large
numerals deuoing the value, and all printed
Ii nlack. Then came the cantons in Swilzer-
land, and Finland, with envelopes which to-
day are very rare, and soon after, Bavaria,
Belgium, France, Hanover, New South Wales,
tuscany, Austria, British Guiana, Prussia,
SaX0ny. Schleswlg, HolsteIn, Spain, Denmark,
lia.y. Odenburg, Trinidad, Wurtemburg, and
tn United States. Other countries followed in
IL" train, until, at the present moment, there
Is scarcely any portion OF the globe, iuhabited
by civilized people, which has not postage
stamps. st. Nicholas for Nor.
INJURIES OF THE BRAIN. Delicate as the
oIt"bizauon oi the brain must be, it IS surpris-
los TO read OF the hard knocks it can bear, not
only without injury, but even to its advantage.
One man who lost half his brain through sup
Duration of the skull, preserved his Intellectual
faculties to the day OF bis death; and the brains
OF soldiers have been Known to carry bullets
without apparent Inconvenience, and to under
20 operations for the extraction of the foreign
bodies without loss Of power A physician
who was afflicted with an abnormal cerebral
growth which pressed upon the cavities of the
brain, 80 as to paralyze one side of his BODY
aud render him spcechless, retained possession
ot his reasoning and calculating powers until
II: died. Oue of three brothers, all idiots, after
rtcelvnga Il severe injury on the head, gained
hiS senses, and lived - be clever barrister.
\ stable boy OF dull capacity, aud subject to
lIt', had Ills wits sharpeued by the kick of a
hoIsc, which necesSltated the abstraction Of a
portion oil his brain; and no less parsonage
than Pope Clement vi. owed the improve
!Aent OF his memory 10 a slight concusson of
the braln. Go the other hand. it is a fact that
tie bralD of persons with thoroughly disorder
cd minds, as a rule present no abnormal ap-
pchrancc after death, which is not TO be wonder
ed at, Dr. Winter declares, when it is found that
symptoms Of a di>ordercd brain are often pro-
dnccd by very slight alteration 10 the con-
stItutloo Of the blood. : ChamLers JommaI
WHERE IT CAME FRoM.-A Detroit girl
picked up new beau the other evening at
church and when they reached her father 5
gate he accepted her invitation to 90 in Hc
Was pcrIumed to kill, and it wasn't long be-
lore his musk reached the back room in
which the old folks sat. The old man was
heard stubbing around, muttoring and growI-
passed out and walked around the house. He
came back after suufilog around for few
minutes, aud pounding on the parlor door he
Inquired:
Egangclinc, where's that piece of can
dlc?'
l don't know, father; why" she inquired in
return.
There S skunk or something or other uu-
der the addition, and I've got to hunt him out
or We eau { live here over eight
The yonog man didn't stay long after that. =
Detroit Free Press
The ears ola Milwaukee audience stood right
up the other night when the eloquent Prof.
"nnulng ruug out the following: Time was
whcu Sloths OF eephantine bulk browsed the
trees OF South America, and troops Of mas
todonS aud mammohs Of more than eephap-
tine bulk roamed over North America, and
nammoths aud mammoth cks and tigers and
bears were 10 Europe. At once, everywhere
on the globe. these great dynasties began 10
wanc. The blood in the veins of nature seem
cd To be dryiog up. The megathe herium OF South
America died out, and its family lapSed into
Tue little ant-catcrs and armadilocs aud sloths.
The great cave bear faded out of Europe
aud shruuk into the grizzly of the Rocky
Mountains. MastodoDs and mammoths perish
ed IN Europe aud America, and their destiny
dwindlcd uto the smaller elephants which live
to-day 10 Asia and Africa"
SoMNAMEULI~M EXTRAORDINARY. A curl
ou, case OF sumnambusm, saws the London
Echo, Is reported by correspondent at Cal
cutta, Of which khitmutgar iu the employ Of
MS 'rlends is the subject little after mid
night TIL nearly > clock in the morning thi.
Man, he says. begins chanting verse after
verse OF his Koran and of sacred hymns;
't:peats the Divine precepts; criticises the
sN9rtneSS Of time In this world and the lanntb