The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-03-05

ssns ~ ths Trials so Trisulssieas =
che Retail ssa@p Clsrk-
The average ingenuity Of the human
family" said retail stamp clerk q
the post-ofIice. .'must BE- very small.
Why. there Is not one person in five
hundred who has gumption enough %
put . stamp on letter. I see the pro
cess gone through with about . thou
sand times day. and l ought 70 know.
All the people at my window begin BY
putting the stamps into their mouths.
closing their mouths. rolling their eyes
like q man trying to swallow : pill
and moving the stamps around in their
mouths until they are perfectly sat
urafed with saliva. Then they lay
them on the corner Of their envelopes
and bring their clenched fists down on
them like a pile-driver. Then comes
the profanity. See here. clerk. they
say. this stamp Is no account. Won't
you please put little mucilage on l.
So strange that they can't put enough
mucilage On the stamps to make them
stick Now. the trouble Is that these
people lick and chew all the gum on
the stamp before they try 70 afIix il;
and II the gum were an inch thick. II
would meet with the same fate The
way to put q stamp on is to moisten
the gum very slightly. and then
Law il on the envelope. and with the
end of the forefnger slip il back and
forwards once or twice until the saliva
and the gum are mixed. have been
| licking stamps for forty years, but l
have never vet met with one which
would not adhere. IL il was treated in
| this way. Another thing people like
| 70 kick about i the refusal Of the clerks
| to take torn notes and great piles Of
nickels and pennies in payment for
| stamps"
Are they not bound to take themT
\ Not much The Government has .
treasury for the redemption Of mutt
lated currency. and there Is no more
sense in expecting the post-ofiice TO re-
| deem il than in expecting the paym
ter Of the navy in doing So II il was
once understood that We would take
torn bills. We should have no other
money to handle and nothing else 70
|; do. We would embark in the banking
business. and somebody else would
have to be hired to attend 70 the post
Office. Then. as to nickels- three-cent
pieces and pennies. the post-ofiice reg
ulations expressly provide that we are
not bound TO take over twenty five
cents worth from one person. But
they keep bringing them TO use in
large quantities. sometimes rolled up
in paper and sometimes siung in An old
handkerchief. 1t is all in vain, how
ever Then. how they do kick against
telling what is in their package and
against directing them before they arr
weighed"
Whats the use Of that2''
WHY. all the use in the world i
We didn tcxercise any supervision oyel
what was put into the mails. every bag
full Of mail that left here would b
soiled with nasty ointment or hair oil
even il the post-ofice were not blow
up with some explosive. Now. We d
not require people TO tell rs exactl
what they have got in their parcel.
but only it, general character. such a
dry goods. leather. wearing appars
and 20 on. but they stick like blaze
even against that Then. as TO I'd
dressing their letters and parcels Be
fore they bring them TO us 70 b
weighed. that also i indispensable. II
order to avoid GIVING misleading infor
nation We sometimes weigh some
thing in an unsealed envelope. AM
tell the postage. on the theory that
i unsealcd. Then the man goes Of
puts that amount Of postage on IL an
seals il thereby doubling the rate Tn
consequence IS that his letter is n
turned 10 him for want Of sufficien
postage Then he goes to the posfmasi
er and bowls: and swears that he pu
exactly the amount Of postage on tn
letter that we told him TO put on il
Again. we weigh a parcel of merchan
T, disc that Is not directed. and sell IN
I man the stamps forit- We ask whereof
| going. but the man IS sullen and make
some answer that we do not CATCH W
take il for granted il is going to som
place in the United States. But h
goes of and directs il 10 Belgium
gets stopped and returned to him q
course. As no merchandise can be sen
by mail to any place outside Of III
United States Then the man goes
the postmaster and hovls. and say
that we expressly told him that ID
parcel could 60 to Belgium Sees
Have you seen the Annual Posts
Guide for 1856. Just out? IL announce
some rather interesting changes in pos'
Al rates"
s.What are theys~
Zone relates 10 photographs 10
would be surprised Il ron knew what
large percentage Of the mail matte
weighed BY us i Photographic Herr
toforc : strange anomaly has existe
( in the postage on them. We have bee
charging = cent an ounce for ther
! when sent to any place in this country
and only cent for every two ounce
, when sent abroad: that h to say,
cost two cents 70 send two ounces (
photographs. unscaled 10 the West sid
Of the city. and one cent TO send ii
same package to Turkey. India an
Arabia. Now. however. photograph
are ruled BY the department %
printed matter. and they 20. when N
scaled. all over the civilized world