Wichita eagle., 1888-04-19
-ESSMlilAaW
Daily Eagle
POSTAGE PREPAID. I T
THE PROGRESS MADE LESS THAN
HALF A CENTURY.


HALF A CENTURY.
Origin of tho Idea in Observation-Disclosures
of the System in England in 1910.
What the First Stamp Looked Like.
Collecting.
How many letter writers, when they lick
The back of the portrait of the Father Of his
Country before ornamenting a corner of the
envelope with it, realize that they are taking
the initial step in the enjoyment of a privi-
lege which their grandfathers did not pos
sess? So thick and fast come the advancing
steps of civilization, the march of progress is
such company 'front.' movement, that the
labor saving, time annihilating, ease and
comfort bringing innovation of yesterday is
the suaid, accepted, commonplace fact of to-
day.
Thus 1t is with the prepaid postal system.
The children who wondered at the first post
age stamp are nearly all in the land of the
living yet, TO tell the wonderful story. But
they don't tell it. They have forgotten all
about It. To the Rev. Roland Hill, of Lon
don, who was a statesman as well IS a great
divine, should be given the credit for the
introduction of an idea which was equal in its
day and generation to the most startling
invention of Edison.
1t was ia 1S40-not long ago, to be sure
that the old system Of leaving the postage
on your missives to be paid by the receiver
was abolished in England, and the prepay
ing postage stamp made its first bow to the
public. 1t bore about as much resemblance
or affinity to the beautiful and artistic Jubi-
lee series issued last summer by the British
government as George Stephenson's first 10
connective bears to the iron steeds of the rail-
roads Of today.
ORIGIN OF THE IDEA.
The idea of prepaid or stamped paper orig
mated in the brain Of II. de Vslayer, who in
1858, in the reign of Louis XIV, established
private penny post, placing boxes at the
corners of the streets of Paris for the recep-
ton of letters which were franked by past
ing bands about them. These slips were sold
for a sou tape, and ''could be bought says
NJ. Piron in a pamphlet published in 1888,
sat the palace, at the turn tables of the con-
vents and from the porters Of colleges" But
the idea died apparently with its originator,
not TO be revivified till in 1887 Rowland Hill
obtained the passage by parliament Of q bill
which proposed the prepayment of postage
by means of stamped envelopes.
William Mulready obtained the contract
for engraving the envelope in 1910, and his
design was unique and perhaps prettier and
more tasteful than any following issue of
Great Britain. 1t had the merit of symbol
ism, too. 1t covered the whole upper half
and ends of the envelope, leaving only space
enough for the address, like postal cards of
%oIo - O-;
tannia sending out angelic messengers to the
nations of the earth, while female figures
were seen reading letters. Within a year
this unwieldy device was discarded for a
simpler conceit, which could be pasted or
gummed to an ordinary envelope. These
stamps were printed in sheets and were sepa-
rated by cutting. Then some one lost to
fame thought of a way to gum them in the
sheets ready for use and afterward another
unsung benefactor Of the race invented the
perforating machine, which is still used, so
that no scissors were needed to separate the
stamps.
Since 1910 the British government haA
issued a dozen series of stamps, renowned
among philatelists as the least attractive in
the whole 1900 varieties of postage stamps
that have been printed in these forty eight
years An the British stamps bear the dia-
DENIED head of Queen Victoria, and it may
be said in passing that there are f1fty-five
colonies and provinces of the dominion on
which the sun never sets which have issued
postage stamps bearing the portrait of
Queen Victoria.
IN THE UNITED STATES.
But this boosted land of progress did not
take up the new tangled notion of our British
cousins till 1S47-after Switzerland, and
even Brazil had adopted it. J. Walter Scott,
who has made small fortune in the bust
ness of collecting the postage stamps of all
nations and selling them to collectors, and
who has lately retired from business, has in
his possession a bill made out by J. Lorimer
Graham, who was postmaster of New York
city prior 10 the introduction of postage
stamps against merchant for postage due
on mail addressed by him to his customers,
and which he had contracted to pay in adj
vance There are now some 800 stamp issuing
countries, and the prepaid postal service is
universal
There is no amusement SO instructive for a
youthful mind as that of stamp collecting.
The. stamps form splendid kindergarten.
The collectors curiosity is stimulated to in
quire into the reasons of the various designs
and changes, and be is led to investigate the
history, manner and customs of the stamp
issuing countries, so that educators have
largely accepted the pastime of collecting
stamps as hep in these branches. The late
Mrs Whiting, of this city, adopted this
''fadn as part Of her curriculum, and Mr..
Scott says that in the past twenty five years
he has numbered among his customers many
Of the great of this country and Europe who
have bought literally of the letter ranking
adhesions for their children, grandchildren,
uephews and nieces, while not few of them
have derived much personal enjoyment from
the study of philately.-New York Evening
World
Memory Canes.
One Of the latest fads affected by Albany
Young ladies is a craze for memory" canes.
l.