The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-10-17
POSTAL pEcUL1AR1TIEs.
From tbe Doston Post.


Blue books are seldom light and pleas
ant reading. People do not usually go
to official reports for amusement; and
there is an idea generally prevalent that
statistics are dry. But now and then the
reports of public business have really
some Juice in them. There is, after all,
a romance hidden under masses of Off
cial figures, if one would take the troub-
lie to dig il out; and perhaps no reports
contain more interesting curiosities than
those of the post Office. Since Sir Row
land Hill induced England to set an ex-
ample of cheap postage to all the world,
nearly forty years ago, the post Office has
become great medium of intercourse,
a notable instrument in tho tragedies and
comedies of life. What histories of do
mestic romance has it silently conveyed
from place to placel What news of
death and marriage, of prosperity and
ruin it has quietly passed from mind to
mindi a recent report of the English
postmaster general betrays, too, how linn
itIess is the popular idea OF the functions
TO be performed by her majesty's mails
Letters, papers, circulars, sundFy goods
and parlor ornaments are not, it appears,
the only articles forwarded by their
medium. During the past year the post
Office has found itself carrying live rab-
bits and rats, moles and tOrtoises, crabs
and bees. 1t has been burdened with
Devonshire cream and eggs, fruit, mince
and pork pies, sausageS and hose, shoe
nails, artificial teeth and china orna-
ments, geranium cuttings, tobacco and
cigars, GLACIERS diamonds and notions.
| One parcel was found to contain a live
snake of unwontedly large stomach.
On inquiry it was found that a lizard
had been "posted" with the snake, and
that during transmission through the
mails the snake had waxed hungry and
swallowed his reptile brother.
Human carelessness is somewhat start
| lingly exemplified by years history OF
the post Office. Over q, 600 letters were
posted in England in atwelvemonth with
out any address; and of these nearly a
thousand contained money, to the aggre-
gate value of $40, 600 in cash and checks.
| Thousands of postal cards were sent to
| invisible recipients, and thousands more
were addressed, indeed, but presented a
blank on the 1messagen side. Letters
with money In them were sent unsealed /;
packages of golden sovereigns lay I'M
claimed In the office, either by sender or
| intended receiver. A letter arrived from
/ the United States, addressed Little Alice.
serio-comic singer, England" perhaps
with message from home which Little
Alice would have given a weeks salary
to receive Another came, TONY Negvy
/ in London, y possibly from some rich and
| irascible country uncle who, receivingno
reply. forthwith cut 'Neyvy'' OH with a
shilling. a letter from Versailles MAS
sent to England, with Please pun this
-oung man in the right tram for Penge. y
As the letter never fulfilled the object, il
will forever remain mystery whether
the ssyoung man" ever reached Penge OF
not. AIisdirections or no directions on
letters have their serious as well as LheiI
comic side. What hopes may have been
! forever hIIghted by the failure to receive
some aIliInportant message, carelessly
sent: what friendships may have been
broken, what lovers quarrels unhealed