Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-05-09
SMALL BOYS AND STAMPS.
The Collecting Fever n Madness Not
without Method.

Scientists and their imitators hav,
suggested that the young ofmany specie.
betray during their process of develop
ment the instincts and habits of theiI
prehistoric progenters. Apply this
theory to the small boy, and it become.
plain that one of mans earlier states
was that of the bower bird. Restless
inquisitive, and acquisitive, the bower
bird collects every bright colored OF
oddly shaped object it can find, and, with
this plunder, docorates its bower. So
the small boy at the bower bird period
wanders up and down the face of the
earth after birds eggs, stamps, coins,
postmarks, newspaper headings, auto
graphs, monograms, buttons, advertising
cards and seals.
OF these various collections those of
advertising cards buttons and mOnograms
are simply useless. They have not only
no limit, but no purpose. Postmarks
and newspaper headings are little better.
Coins are too costly and too bulky.
Autographs have no limit in number,
but are instructive. Seals are not COM
mon enough to be popular, birds eggs
are only within reach of the country,
boy, but stamps are the ideal object of
collection.
Their number has a limit, so that in
terest increases as the collection grows
complete. They come from all parts of
the world, and ale of varied grades of
"rareness." They are bright in color
attractive in design, and by their in
scriptions and devices seduce the small
boy into an attentive study on many
elementary branches nf learning. His
eve is trained to detect colors and deli
cate shades. His fingers are schOoled to
quickness and gentlsness of toucn. He
is forced to master words in many differ
ent languages, TO know at least the
names of the nations of the earth, to get
a smattering of knowledge about their
coins and to recognize their flags,
embleIns, and rulers faces. Finally he
comes to educate his eye TO the detection
of bad workmanship in engraving and
to the analysis Of delicate lines in the
groundwork of the stamps, as in the case
of those of fAlsace-Lorraine, where in one
issue the tracery in the groundwork has
angles pointing upwards and in another
angles pointing downwards.
1t is less than half a century since
postage stamps have come into use, but
already no collection of thousand or
fifteen hundred stamps can be made
without thereby obtaining an outline
history of Europe since 1850. Tue Eng
lish and colonial stamps show Victoria
at every age. The French, beginning
with the republic, pass through the
various stages of the third Napoleon's
career, and return to the republic. The
stamps of Naples, Parma, Tuscany, Sicily
Modena ard the Papal states reveal by
their dates the rise of Italy. Those of
this country imprint upon the mind the
faces Of our most eminent soldiers and
statesmen, while our official stamps tell
in outline the story of our fame and
exclusive administration. For the past
lev years the small boy has not m9ni-
tested the same eaoerness tor stamps
that he once did. Floods Of countereiis
have chilled his zeal and quenched his
confidence in mankind. But there will
come day when he will return to his
frst love, spurn the dealers in uncancel-
ed stamps, and, by his in nlustfv lay the
foundation of new generation of stamp
educated men. 9ostOn Advertiser.