Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-04-01

letters or papers by the thousand, and al.
most discouraged, wonders if he can ever
attain such marvellous proficiency and ra.
pidity.
The whistle blows the speed on the train
is slackening; he tries to get the sack Of
papers out of the rack, but runs one of the
hooks in his hand; it is too full, it won't
come out; he lifts and tugs; at last its done
he tries to pull the mail out of the large
box; his arm isn't long enough; he grasps
the hoe and rakes it out he stoops to pick
up mail pouch, but the brakes cause sud-
den jerk to the train and he is thrown against
the rack, and severe bruse advises him to
be more careful hereafter; he tries to get
the letters out of the pigeon-hole and tie
them up; they slip out of his hand he can
hardly tie knot; where is his knife to cut
the string; he closes the pouch; the iron
rings fit imperfectly and the strap don't 60
good he snaps the lock; runs to the door
with the pouch. The transfer man growls
because he don't throw it off, but strict reg.
ulations forbid his doing so while the train
is in motion, for mail bags have fallen under
the cars and been cut TO pieces or persons
have been hurt on the platform.
He grasps the leather pouch and finds his
finger nails hardly strong enough to cope
with bullshide; half dozen letters are
handed him by as many different persons
he closes the door as the car is getting
very cold and the wind is blowing his slips
all around the room, but someone is ham,
mering on the door and shouting, who has
letter and is too stupid to see the hole in
the door made purposely for the accommo-
dation of tardy ones; a timid girl stands
back with letter; little boy has one bor-
dered in black; the travelling agent hands
a score of postal cards and the hotel keeper
has couple which he won't drop in the
village Office, "just to spite the new incum-
bent"
The clerk hastens to postmark these let
ters-work which ought to have been done
at the office; unlocks the pouch-perhaps
the key sticks in the lock, or the lock won't
open, or the strap catches in the rings;
every moment is precious; he dumps out
the mail, cuts the string on the package
and commences to distribute, but every
other letter is bottom side up or turned
around, as the country postmaster can't
find time or take the trouble, as is his duty,
to arrange them.
Here are letters for all over the world.
Quick as a flash he throws one into the
Canada box, one foreign, dozen for De-
troit; one for small Office just passed he
puts into "return" box, for by and by he
will meet the accommodation train going
back and he will put this return" mail
into "return" pouch and send it back in
charge of the baggageman, to be delivered
to the postal clerk on the next mail train
following, to be distributed by him.
Here is letter for ''roilokes," (an actual
occurrence); he studies moment, then
throws it to Detroit & Grand Haven Rail-
road postoftice for the first station out of De-
troit. Here is letter with no State; about
one-fourth have counties on; here is one
with no address at all; here is one with no
stamp here one not postmarked; now one
forwarded from one to another place until
the face of the envelope is entirely defaced {;
here is one which has been to Stockbridge,
n. Y, thence to office of same name in Yer
mont, thence to another in Massachusetts,
for any of these places the stray letter goes
on to Wisconsin or some other State. How
he hates the poetical address. Here is let
ter for Straits Lake and has been marked
''no such office in the State named )" it then
went to the Dead Letter Office and was
warked "Defcency in address supplied" I"
and it is once more on its way from Detroit
to Orchard Lake, having been travelling for
couple of weeks when it would have reach
ed it's destination in the same number Of
hoursifithad not been addressed wrongly to
'local" name instead of the pOstoffice. 1t
is also stamped "Please inform your CORES
pondent of your correct address," People
make mistakes in heading their letters with
local names instead Of their postoftice. 1t
cannot be supposed that postal clerks can
learn the million local situations in addition
to thousands of regular postoffices. Here is
letter marked "missent." Whose fault?
Was it "checked?" ." 1t is erroneous to
charge these missent letters to new clerks,
for but small per centage Of the postal
clerks have been changed, and although a
new man make few errors on the start, he
is generally so anxious to have a clear record
that he is very carefula and nervous, looking
over his mail several times if he has time,
and thereby is not apt to make as many err
rors as the old hand, who is more confident
and careless. s.-DetrOH Free Press.
How MANY HOURS FOR SLEEP?-There
is an old saying that has frightened great
many people from taking the rest that ma
ture demanded for them, "Nine hours are
enough for a fool" They may be; and not
too many for wise man who feels that he
needs them. Goethe, when performing his
most prodigious literary feats, felt that he
needed nine hours; what is better he took
them. We presume it is conceded by all
thoughtful persons that the brain in very
young children, say three or four years of
age, requires all of twelve hours in rest, or
sleep. This period is shortened gradually
until, at fourteen years of age, the boy is
found to need only ten hours. When full
grown and in healthy condition, the man
may find night of eight hours sufficient to
repair the exhaustion of the day and new
create him for the morrow. But if he dis
cover that he needs more sleep he should
take it. There is surely something wrong
about him; perhaps Il forgotten waste must
be repaired. His sleep, evidently has not
been made up; and until it has and he can
spring to his work with an exhilaration for
it, he should sensibly conclude to let his in
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