The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-01-08
AUTHOR OF PENNY POSTAGE.
Sir Rowland HilI-The Old Age Of Great Be-
former.

former
There is sometimes a disadvantage in
a name, especially when it has been
borne by two famous men. The Con-
greVe whose monument 10 In w Westlnln-
ster Abbey has in these latter days been
confined with the inventor whose name
is indissolubly united with rockets and
lucter matches. A city man once
laughed at the notion that the tomb Of
Congreve was to be found in WesLmln-
ster Abbey, as it was to be seen in
Charleston churchy ard, "with the match
box on the top"
What the wriier OF elegant complies
would have thought Of this fallacy OF
confusion must forever remain un-
known; but Sir Rowland Hill has been
subjected to like blunder. 1t is not
very long since his spirit was evoked at
spiritualistic meeting The question
was asked what the spirit OF Sir klW-
land Hill, the inventor Of the penny
postage, thought Of hatpenny post
cards; the answer was that he approved
of them perfectly.
Now, against this manifestation there
are two objections: one, that Sir ROW.
land Hill is alive and well; another,
that he dislikes postcards as "a viola
ton of his idea of uniformity of post
age;" the conception which led to the
postal reform Of which the men OF the
present generation are 80 completely un-
conscious that any reyersion to the
older system would probably bring
about a revolution. Retired
now from active work, he lives among
surroundings pleasantly reminding MIN
Of the successive stages of his work and
OF the feeling entertained towards him
by the great Dody OF his countrymen.
In huge otfice-desk, closed at once
by Sopwith's monOcleide, he keeps
stored in various drawers, all correctly
labeled, many curious specimens OF the
early history of the new postal regime,
stamps Tor which the collectors OF those
articles would pay many times their
weight in gold-to-wit, proof-sheets OF
the early black stamps, obAterated with
red, until a clever man of business
pointed out that stamps OF a faint red
color, sensitive TO acids and 0bliterated
fraud.
There are also specimens of the
famous Mulready envelope, proposed to
Sir Rowland Hill by his vigorous CO.
adjutor, Sir Henry Cole, who, anxious to
import art into the post t-otfice, melted
Mulready to produce design for a
stamped envelope, on which Britannia
is depicted as poSimistresS of the uni
verse, with winged messengers deliver
ing letters to eXpectant beings in every
quarter Of the globe. Skirmishing round
the blank space left for the address , re
camels and elephants, presr-.nably car
rying the mails of the Iuturp. and m
tee extreme edge may be deserted
shaun the rost, Deertoot and a Lar.
lahoesr IN a car drawn by reindeer, all
I iengaged in postal operations.
10 the despair of the artist mind, this
| design never became current. There
were difficulties as to oblileI alton, and
| in the heat OF the post-oftice struggle the
| artistic element vanished. To one relic
Of The past the possessor attaches pecu.
liar value. 1t is one Of the causes OF the
Uaited States Revolution, found among
| II collection of old stamps in The vaults
of the Stamp office. IL is for sniliing5
6 pence, ana was intended to be STUCK
upon something colonial had not the late
Colonel Washington interVened.
There is also at hampstead kind OF
Pandora's box filled with the placards
with which London was covered in
1S47. AT the moment when The Secre-
tary of the post-oftice was working hard
to reduce Sunday work, the fury OF the
Sabbatarians WAS aroused and a savage
onslaught was made upon him. Ii is
curious to read these old exploded
squIbs, and find Sir Rowland Hill held
up by the subordinates as species of
anti Christ because he did not abolish
Sunday work altogether. There are
caricatures of him, to, in which the
pleasant methodicAl old gentleman is
represented as demon postman, the
very father OF evil himself delivering
letters on Sunday morning. Otler rec
ofds Of useful and successful career
are slowed away in tiny drawers, all
properly marked and arranged in due
ORDER London World.