Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-08-03
TRAITS OF NATIONS.
DISPLAYED BY PEOPLE WHO SEND
REGISTERED LETTERS.

The Chimes, and the Italians the Most
Agreeable of All Writers-Russian stu
neutrality-suspicious. Love
Letters-vaiuables and Money Packages.
The registry department of the Chicago
postoflice is little coop of place, but you
will never know what quaint blending of
nationaities it takes to make up big hamlet
like Chicago unless you visit the coop some I
day. The fun commences about 8 o'clock
Monday morning. AT that hour the pale,
shadowy clerk with the dark, mournful eyes
looks out of his little w,ldow ut a long line
of men, in which there are Chinamen ne
groes, Germans, Frenchmen, and goodness
knows what all This particular morning
the Chinaman happens to be the first Gus
toner He has his letter properly addressed
to some person in Shanghai who wears a
large portion of his anatomy in his name.
The amanuensis has, however, neglected to
properly indorse the letter writer's own name
on the envelope.
"Youll have to put your own name and
address there, john the clerk says.
The Chinaman smiles like one of these
wooden josses and answers: Hip Lung,
Shanghai
"No no, John; youree ownee name, alice
same, the clerk explains.
The Chinaman smiles innocently again,
points his long finger at the envelope, and
says; Clip LING, Shanghai"
The clerk, so, rat Il"
After the Chinaman has gone the clerk
says: "They are usually very easy to deal
with, because they come here with their
letters properly addressed, Endorsed and
stamped Nine out OF ten of them know the
81 "a IN, n l,s O.
may be n tartar, as this one was The ltal-
ians next after the ChIramen nave to be lee
tured least, and that's because they know
they're not smart enough to direct their let
tiers right, and they get somebody who can
write well to do it for them. The Germans
are different They hand in envelopes that
look like dress pattern supplements, and they
think there's nothing iii a cOpNboOk TO equal
their writing But for stupidity Rus
! siann-
| And it SO happened that just as the clerk is
| about to make some startling assertion re-
/ gardng the obtlIsaness of the Russian man
with stakcd and ridered beard comes in
and furnishes a burning example of the sub
! jcct under discussion. He is a Russian with
n low brow, small eyes, and one of those
| funny looking peaked caps that you see in
! the Union depot after an ernigrant train has
come in. His letter is horribly addressed
and not indorscd at all.
whats that nance asks the clerk.
The Russian grins like the Lincoln park
hear when peanut hits him on the nose, and
he bankly replies: Don't know
Il would like to find out Where they got
that trick" says the clerk motoring the
Russian away. "They all have it. They
don't know anything. Must have picked up
/ thr habit in Eue-iy
Nearly everybody who comes to the win
dow has forgotten something-the stamp or
the address or the Endorsements One busy
man darts in, throws out an envelope that
hasn't mark on IT. and hurrieS away before
the clerk can stop him. Several people hand
in the stamps and the letters, and expect the
clerk to put the stamps on the letter. He
declines. because one of the rules of the office
is that letters must be properly stamped be
fore they are handed in at all
There used to he "a Glen here who
wouldn't stand that he says "One day n
big German roughly told him to put on the
stamps This clerk said Put out your
tongue The German stuck ont his tongue
and the clerk mopped it with the stamp till
he was tired We can't always get even
with people that way though. just for the
sake of accommodating the public we used to
buy stamps and keep them for sale here
When we'd ran out of any particular denom-
nation how we would get roasted"
4 bright young man outs a stop to the
clerks remarks by dumping large package
on the desk
"AIvthing valuahleF' asks the clerk
"Valuablei | sh d say not. Sending back
her letters, that's all. Cold shake last week, "
and the young man goes away whistling.
The clerk resumes, - ntS of t,aonle tell ma