The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-04-23
- - -
THE POSTAL CARD.
Its Objectionable Features Plainly and
Fluently Considered.

Its Objectionable Features Plainly ana
Fluently Considered.
The grumbler was a stout, brown.
bearded man, with laughing blue eyes,
and he was known to have an abundent
fund of good nature: but on this par
ticular occasion he certainly was rolled.
lie leaned against the counter Of drug
store in Sixth avenue and held up one
of the Wanamaker postal cards with
contcmptuous gesture. Uncle Sam
ought to be ashamed of himself to issue
so worthless thing as that for postal
card" he said.
"Why, what's the matter?" asked the
grumbler's friend. Isn't it cheap
cnough?"
Mighty cheap in one sense" retorted
the grumbler, land mighty expensive
i'm another. Let us have no misunder-
standing about this matter. want to
say right at the start that the United
States have the cheapest inland postage
of any country in the International
Postal Union. II is less by half, If |
recollect right, than the next lowest
rate. But in the matter of postal cards
it is away behind the times and doesn't
touch other countries in this particular
facility for cheap correspondence.
find fault with the postal card for two
very excellent reasons. First and fore
most, it is made of the poorest and
cheapest material used by any govern
ment. Next, it is much smaller than
the postal cards of other countries It
is issued under restrictions that with
hold from Americans certain privileges
that the government gives to foreigners.
It is an unfair distinction. The United
States government will deliver without
extra charge in this country any foreign
postal card. yet at the same time it in
sists upon extra postage. or letter
postage. If any one sends through
the mails q card identically like
the foreign card in size. 1t will
not carry postal card. at all
that has anything but the address
written upon the face. The government
would not lose anything, am sure, by
making the card as large as those issued
by other countries in the Postal Union,
and it would be boon to the poorer
people to whom the additional cent for
letter postage is really matter Of con-
sideration. The postal cSd in any es ent
should be made of paper that doesn't
possess the tantalizing absorptive
powers of blotting paper.
There is another suggestion" the
grumbler continued. ''that would prove
popular, if l am any judge of what
takes with the public, and it wouldn't
| cost the government penny to take
advantage of the Improvement In for
aign countries it is the custom to carry
for the one-cent postal card postage or
namental cards that are sold in every
city and town that tourists visit by the
shopkeepers and stationers These are
called souvenir cards. They are printed
on the face much the same as the gov
eminent postal card, while the back is
| ornamented with views of interesting
localities. or cartoons or jokes. You can
buy these cards on the tops of the
mountains in Switzerland or in the
shops Of big cities and towns that inter
est the traveller. If you slap a cent
stamp on the face of one of these
cards and write out an address. il
will be carried anywhere just the
same as the government card. But the
funniest thing about it is that the United
States mails will deliver it, too, to any
American address, although it with.
holds the same privilege from it's own
citizens unless they put letter postage
on the card. Now, isn't this an amusing
and likewise an indefensible inconsist-
ency? / have sent lots of these foreign
postal cards home when I have been
travelling, and know what am talking
about It is the general custom abroad
TO use these illustrated postal cards as
little reminders to far-away friends
that the travellers are keeping them in
mind. 1t is an interesting custom, and
why can't Uncle Sam do the same thing
for his own citizens? American store.
keepers could get up a collection OF
handsome souvenir cards. with views
that are picturesque and noteworthy,
Or with any other ornamentation that
is characteristic of American pictorial
art. 1t would give the storekeepers a
chance to make a great many thousands
Of dollars in the course of the year,
and, what's more, it would be cheaper
for the post Office department, because
the department would save the cost OF
the postal card and would make little
something on the sale of the one-cent
stamps. N. Y. Sun.