Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-11

innocent stamps, some years ago. The
| dropping of many denominations and the
| substitution of new ones has seemed neces-
| sary ever since 1885, when seconl-class
| rates were reduced from two cents to one
| cent, but Uncle Sam has always hesitated
| to make an expensive change until now
| when he is his own stamp-maker. The time
| and worry saved the post office authorities
| in the large cities will, however repay the
| government for this expense
| The present issue of these stamps in
| cludes twenty -four denominations, twenty
one of which are to be abolished. Ten new
| numbers are to be added, making the total
| number, after the change, only thirteen.
The third assistant postmaster general has
| decided to retain the old popular designs
| for the new series. as it happens that there
will be just enough TO go around The
| present arrangement includes, in the black
series, all of the lower denominations. VIZ:
| the l, 2, g. 4, G. 8, and 1O-cent stamps. the
| l, and 10 of which only TO remain.
! This black series is adorned with the Wig
nette of Crawfords statue of hmerca
which is on top of the dome of the Capitol
| The pink stamp, engraved with the figure
of Justice which is now used for the other
denominations under 81, beginning with II
cents and running in multples of twelve
up to ninety-siX, will probably include or ly
one number, that for cents. Each of the
other nine old stamps repealed has but one
denomination, and the new 25-cent, JI'-cent
ST. 3, s., so, so, $50 and 500 issues will
Just tit in their places on the new plates.
1t has not been definitely decided what
particular values will accompany the old
figures, but it is generally conceded that
the same order of Importance used row
Will be observed. This order. beginning
after the two low denominations described,
is as follows: One-dolar-and- lnety-two-
cent-Nignette of Ceres, Goddess of Agri-
culture, deep brown; three -dollar-G oddess
OF Victory. holding a IN, vermilion;
six -dollar-Clio, the Muse of History, with
stylus and tablet, light blue nine-dolar--
Minerva orange: twelve-dollar--Vesta the
Goddess of the Fireside. rich green; twenty
four -dollar-GoddesS of Peace, leaning
against a broken column and holding an
olive branch, purplish slate; thirty six dol
lar-Commerce, holding in one hand the
winged rod of Mercury and a small ship i'm
the other, dull red; forty eight -dollar-Hebe
Goddess of Youth. light brown, and sixty
collar considered the most beautiful stamp
ever engraved in the world)-shows the Wig
nette or an Indian maiden. robed from her
waist downward, against a landscape back
ground, with wigwams in the distance the
whole in rich purple. Thus 1t may he no.
uced by the inspector of these beautiful
stamps that the most exquisite figures
grace the higher denominations in order Of
the artistic qualities of the work.
The Newspaper series.
The newspaper and periodical series al
though recognized by the department Off
Gals as the most artistic enyravings de-
signed by the government. are the only
stamps which the public is forbidden to
handle. The office of the chief of the
stamp division in the Post Office Dcoart-
ment is the only place in the country where
one may gaze upon them, and even here
special permission must be obtained to in
spect the large government stamp albums.
which contain the only sample copies The
man who regularly receives his newspapers
and magazines through the mails notices
that no stamps are used upon the wrappers
and perchance may know that special re-
duced rates are offered to publishers but
MS knowledge Is scant in rega ri to the in
terestirg method which the Post Office
Department uses in the stamping Of sec
ond-class matter. Those who mail hun
dreds of publications, day after day are
ignorant of the manner in which the pos
tai clerk desiSnates. on the bulk of mat
ter sent, the amount paid to Uncle sam
After he has given the sender a receipt
for so many pounds OF papers the man be
hind the window retires to the privacy of
his office, and affiXeS TO slip of paper
number of huge stamps, representing the
amount of money received The stamps
must be Cancelled as soon as the glue has
adhered, ard must be sent direct to the
Post Office Department, where they are
Immediately cremated by a committee ap-
pointed especially to dispatch them into OBJ
livion.
1t will be noticed that the old issues of
these stamps had face values, which were
invariably mutiples of either two or three
and generally both. The reason for this is
that at first the rate was fixed at cents
a pound upon weekly or more frequent
publications. and 3 cents a pound on those
issued less frequently. In this way the
stamps running by twos and threes could
be utilized for any weights. Under the law
of 1879 the 3-cents-a-pound rate was re-
pealed, and with it the 3 and 9-cent stamps
IN -ha, thA
was reduced to the present charge of
cent, the 1-cent stamp was inaugural ted and
the 3-cent one brought out again. The .
cent stamp however, has never been con-
tinued. The new series, beginning with
l and cents, and running in multiples of
five to 500, leaves out all unnecessary val
ues. According to the old series the post
office clerks have such broad field of Sc
lection, when they desire to attach stamps
to their memoranda, that they waste much
time deciding upon the most artistic COM
binations, while the postmaster who ham
dies the stamps for the first time always
gets in a mix. The sl.92 stamp is a good
example Of the unnecessary denomina tons
which have only been repealed at this late
day.
Entered rs SecOnd-Clnss Matter.
The method of mailing newspapers and
periodicals IS interesting from this very fact
that few people outside the post Offices and
publishing houses know anything at all
about it. In the first place. the publisher
must have a legitimate list Of subscribers
before he has the privilege of sending his
matter under secCnd-class rates. The first
step Is to enter their publication on a special
form, which must be sent to the Post Office
Department and filed before any reduced
rates are allowed. This accounts for the
familiar words Entered at the post Office
at so-and-so as second-class matter" which
is to be seen en- every paper and periodical
In the country. II the character of the pub
LEGATION is doubtful the postmaster has the
authority to demand the deposit of third
class rates until he has thoroughly investi-
gated the character Of the matter In the
Weighing of second-class matter Uncle Sam
gives very poor measure, charging full
pound any fraction over-for Instance
four pounds and half ounce would be
counted as five pounds. One who attempts
to evade the regulations will find second
class matter to be the poorest field in which
he works, since all postmasters and their
assistants have the authority to investigate
any publications which seem suspicious
After this investigation the matter is. sealed
again without the knowledge or consent Of
the sender.
Now, In regard to the stamps. The papers
or magazines are each wrapped and ad-
dressed and go through the mails without
even a cancellation. According to the act of
1878 the Postmaster General has the privi-
lege Of either attaching the stamps to the