Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-07-30
THE FIRST POST OFFICES.

ascribed to Cyrus, King of Persia, who
lived about 500 B. G. Cyrus required
all of his governors of provinces to
write to him exact accounts of every
thing that occurred in their several
districts and armies. The Persian
Empire was of vast extent, and some
means had to be provided to render
that correspondence sure and expedi-
tious. Cyrus, therefore, caused post
Offices to be built and messengers APP
pointed in every province. He found
how far a good horse, with an expe-
rienced rider, could travel in a day
without being hurt, and then had
stables built in proportion, at equal
distances from each other At each
OF these places he also appointed post
masters, whose duty it was to receive
the letters from the couriers, as they
arrived, and give them to others, and
to give them fresh horses in exchange
for those that had performed their
part of their journey. Thus the post
went continually, night and day, rain
or snow, heat or cold; and Cyrus
received speedy news Of all occur
rences, and sent back whatever or
ders he considered necessary. Darius,
the last King of the ancient Persians,
was superintendent of them before he
came to the throne.
In flag" sermon yesterday Rev.
George Fairlee Of the Westminster
Presbyterian church related an Incl
dent which we have never seen in
p rint.
An American in Cuba had been TAX
en- as spy and condemned to death.
He appealed to the American and
British consuls, whom he succeeded
in convincing of his innocence. They
laid his case before the governor gen
eral and demanded his release, but
that official was memorable. The
prisoner had been found guilty under
law and must die. The con-
suls retired and the next day the con-
demned man was led out to execution,
blindfolded and manacled, and pla-
tOon of soldiers was drawn up ready
to receive the fatal command to fire.
Then the American consul took the
flag of his country and wrapped it
around the body of the prisoner, and
the British consul did the same. "Now
fire upon those flags if you dare!"
was the warning given to the COM
mandant of the platoon. The order
to fire was not given, and the prisoner
was soon afterward released.
All the military power of the two
greatest nations of the earth was rep
resented in those flags. A million
armed friends could not have made
the condemned mans life more Sc
cure.
''In that country once known as the
Great American DESERT embracing
4 portion Of Texas and Arizona, there
are no odors," said r. P. Senter of
Dallas. 'There luscious grapes and
many other fruits grow, especially
near the cross timber country, but
here is no perfume; wild flowers
nave no smell, and carcasses of dead
animals, which in dry seasons are
very plentiful, emit no odors. 1t was
always supposed to be treeless plain,
lpon which no plant could grow or
breathing thing could live, but large
part of it is now successfully Guilt
7ated, and but for the rarity of the
causing the popularity l
nave named, and the mirages, which
ire even more perfect than in the
Desert of Sahara, no one would look
Upon it as barren country now. An
other singular feature common to the
DESERT land is that objects at dis
;ance appear greatly magnified. A
ew scraggy mosquito bushes will look
ike a noble forest; stakes driven into
he ground will seem like telegraph
ooles."
--szsg1 90 sEEzz---
Charles Lamb said he never could |
impress a Scotchman with any new
ruth; that they all required to be