The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-03-06

h20aQer, ID. o., crest nav SIlnd-
Hill Rural Hill
Al Bania. Albany. 90
Jole Co. Cerro GOrdO, Jewell Co.
faura- aurora
Waiega. vallejo.
Gtcaty, Hamdon Co. Arcadia, Hamilton Co.
ct Crossen. Great Crossings.
Lawrenceburg.
GHiifort Guilford.
pie:crcak Pine Creek. -
Lanrbrach. Long Branch.
Houlgel Houtzdale.
Mustwiggon. MuskegOn.
biway. Fairfield, Iowa
Farefeil Texas. Fairfield, IeXaS-
Knew Birge, i. y. d. Newburg. Ind
Ind dit oples. Indianapolis.
Ciyako. III Chicago.
AYestro. ~ 4. HaverStraw.
Pftchie Bck Cansess Pittsburg, Kansas.
Bryfell, AIibimor Brienticld. Ala
THE FOREIGN DEPARTMENT.
Thanking the LADY for her kindness
in so agreeably entertaining us, we pass
for few minutes into the department
of foreign letters. We are pleasantly
received by lady Of German birth.
who is in charge of this ROOM We
learn that two classes OF letters are re-
ceived here - misdirected and dead.
Mails from foreign countries are sent
to the United States chiefly sin bulk, y
and distributed to our numerous post
offices at the various seaport cities.
From these large packages of illegloie
and misdirectcd letters are sent here
for the experts TO work upon. 1t Is
essential that those employed In this
department be versed in foreign Ian
guages as well as in the post-otfice no.
menclature of our own country. very
many letters from Germany, France,
Spain, Italy and other countries IN
which the English language is not
spoken are utterly beyond the power
of human skill to decipher. These.
with all dead letters mailed in foreign
countries. are returned unopened TO
those countries. Letters from Italy are
said to be more difficult to correct than
any others, owing To the illiteracy OF
the people, and greater portion have
to be returned as illegi5le.
Here are also received the pouches
of letters mailed in the United States
to foreign countries, undelivered. and
returned here as dead. These are
treated the same way as other dead
letters opened and returned, as far as
possible, TO the writer's. 1t is a fact
which might at first excite surprise that
more than three times as many dead
letters are returned from the United
States To other countries as are received
from them. This is due to the moving
ofemigrants from place to place before
they get finally settled. The same dis
parity exists in the number misdlrected
and illeribly addressed. The superior
intelligence of our people will, in q
great measure explain this. Dead let
tiers are returned to and received from
seventy six different countries. With
the fifteen principal countries these eX
| changes are made weekly, and with
| the others once month.
Upon the floor of the room are large
number of pouches that have arrived
by recent mails, and many of them have
made long Journeys. We notice sack,
from Chill, Persia, China, Java ant
New Zealand, There is grim humoI
in the fact that the pouches used fol
dead letters in all countries under th'
| British Government are black-the colo
that is always associated with death
Each month about 1000 letters are re
ceived from and $4,000 returned TO for
| elgu COuuIAlCH.
We will pause just for moment a
the lady clips the string around pack
are of INSTRUCTED foreign letters jus
arrived from New York. The first on
is addressed only ''925 Charlotte Street
America The next one is but littl
less vague, 'Conn. Box 10, u. ). 4.
Another, marked urgent" is addreSse
..Trumbull County, o. AID nothin
more. Here is one with heavy mourn
ing border. mailed at Bristol, Eng, I'd
dressed. ..Mr. Luke Tucker, bctwec
Burwcll Street and King. on York
! 3i4." After consulting the director
the lady thinks this should be Clevt
land. and SO marks it.
The experts here employed work i
the same manner Is heretofore d'
ribed. with the added perplexity of tn
mixing Of languages equal to the ''col
fusion of tongues nj Babel. As ma
be imagined, their skill is more ofte
ba.fleS.
THE "RETURNING BOARD
| One other department will entertal
and amusc. us, but our stay must
brief. Ascending to a sort of CALLER
that extends entirely around the maj
office, we see sixty ladies' at their desk
Their part in this wonderful machlr
is to examine the opened letters and
RENAL them to the writers, as far
possible. Nineteentwentleths OF the
are so returned. The remaining twel
, tieth- amounting to about 100000 p'
l year-are destroyed. The openers
make no examination of letters. exec
TO see at a glance whether they contal
= ANYTHING OF value. This is all done
these lady clerks, who dispose of fro
two TO three hundred letters each Pr
day.
q In the great majority of cases Il
date and Signature of the letter give j
necessary information, and the lette
! with its original envelop, is soon reaC
! for its return trip. There are many
which the post-office is not given in II
heading. In business as well as soci
! letters the writer often uses perhaps
: name by which the neighborhood
commonly called, or some romant
! name which he chooses to apply to n
! farm or residence. In such cases Il
; lack is frequently supplied by the pos
, mark on the envelop. In thousands
!, cases when the letters are between rel
: tives and friends the signatures are
. the familiar and atfecionate sort, sur
! as '.Dick, n''Sallie," Mother, "''Sister,
: OF '.Ducky' proper enough in the
q way but quite too indefinite to be OF al
: service to the examiner.
r Such letters are generally OF no Re
q value, and are Of necessity consigned
I the flames. When the heading and 81
nature are sufficient the letter is n
. read, but the class mentioned are c
= amined. as the body OF the letter som
= | 49,, tho rnniSSinr link