The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1886-01-07
n Primitive Postal serrsce.

tt" 1ommoness type OF Indian post
runEe:, or 'Tappal wallah." wears a
long white coat, very tight trousers in
close his lean logs, ard his healdress is
. huge light blue turhan- His ktter-
bag Is slung on his side, and it is neces-
Sary that be should be q good linguist.
and be able to read a great variety OF
strange, Grabbed characters, for sever
al of the multitudn nous languages Of
Aindostau are written in quite distinct
characters, eli of which are nike in
comprehensive 10 our untutored eyes.
Tho rural letter-carrier of Hindostan
carries long stick with sharp iron
point, which can leo used as s weapon
IN case Of need. The stick ;s adorned
with six little 5rasa bells, which serve
TO frighten away reptiles and dangerous
animals. and also 10 giYo notice OK tine
eppfoach of tho post. Tho danger
from wild beasts is, in soms districts, q
very real one, the '"appar' runners
through the forest districts in the south
Of Ceylon having occasionally had Te-y
narrow escapos from fhe attacks Q.
.rogre" elephants and other Wild
boasts.
OF all varieties Of Indian le:ter-car.
riers, clothed or unciothcd, mono are 80
picturesque as the camel express mes-
bengers. The men wear q serviccable
red uniform, and large green turban
embroidered With gold thread. From
their girdie hangs cured saber in d
red sheath. The canels are adorned
with trappings of gay cloth and tassels,
ornamentcd with blue bcads and cowrie
shells, and small brass bells round the
neck to give notice Of their swift ap-
proach. 1t is said that their rough and
rapid trotting, sometimes at the rate Of
eighty miles day, is SO trying to the
IiderS as to shorten their days. Two
heavy maii-bags hang to right and left
die is 30 arranged that passenger can
take seat behind the postman.
In no country OF the world is the
postal organization more wonderful
than in japan; the chief marvel being
that, till aboc. dozen years ago, there
was no recai3r govern MINT Institutions
Of posts in the Country. In 1871, when
Japan awakened like gisnt from her
long sleep OF sxc.usiYtness, and set to
work to accomplish changes of every
sort she resolved 10 establish the Eu-
fopean postal system; and with such
astonishing zeal has she done her work
that within ten years the British,
American, and French postoflices, which
had been established st all the open
ports, were closed. foreign nations be-
Ing satisfied with the thorcughness Of
The Japanese postal service. In that
short period mail routes had been o.-
Eanized over So, 600 miles; mail trains
and steamers. post-yans, and runners
were all enlisted; 1927 postoffices and
a. 439 letter-boxes had been established;
money-order offices and postofEce saw
ings banks were in full operation; T.
500 persons were employed on the rog-
nlar staff; stamps, stamped envelopes,
postcards, and newspaper wrappers
we're issued at the same rate as our
own; letter postage to any part of the
empire being at the rate of pence,
Ind post cards / pence; while within
the limits of the city of Toxic these
postages are respectively only half
price.
Where tho possoffice had thus been
started at full swing it is needless to
bay that the telegraph was not forgot
ten; and by 1880 it was in full working
order over a distance of about 10000 |
miles, and giving employment to about
Is, 600 Opcrsons.-Msss Gordon Cumming
.in Ccs,eUs FiaD:tty Iaga=ise for .Ass.
gust