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

as bear the addresses OF the senders on the
envelopes. These returned letters contain
more valuable Enclosures than are found In
any others investigated at the Post Ofice
Department, taking an average Many Of
them mays be intended as g1ft 10 holm
relatives In the old country to come across
the water. or for investment abroad.
Few Italians or French people invest their
money In the United States. Their ides
Is 10 accumulate certain amount and 90
BACK to their native land, where they will
De able to live without work on the incomS
or their savings. The thrifty French walter
creams or the time 70 come when ne will
pe the great man of his village enjoying
elegant leisure on 1000 francs or SO pc
annum. The banana peddler entertains q
Ike ambition, too often helping himself to-
ward 1t by disposing of counierfeit small
change, manufactured I'm his bed room with
such primitive appliances as a Dot ana ladle
sSne metal composition, and two or three
piaster-of-paris molcs.
Odd Parcels.
Some OF the articles found inclosed I'm
parcels from abroad, which, unlike letters,
may be opened, are very odd. They will
of'en contain such things as one sock, one
shoe, or one glove. the customs regulations
Iorhidding the sending OF pairs of such
things Pieces Of lace and valuable en-
broidery are discovered wrapped up in the
newspapers which are devoted 10 deetruc-
uon when not delivered. These are dis
posed OF at the annual auction sale held at
the Post ONCE Department Kosaries and
cruclnxes are sent in a similar fashion In
great numbers. At every yearly sale hum
dreds OF these are disposed Of They have
been blessed by priests and are forwa rded
py people In Catholic countries for use by
relatives an1 friends in the United States
Fetid mushrooms from abroad sometimes
reach the foreign branch Of the dead letter
ONCE. Another interesting article discoy-
ered In a package was human ear on
"A a ho nd 10 Ar,
send to Europe snakes toads. tsrantulss
centipedes and gigantic beetles, presume bly,
10 Illustrate the -peculiarities of the fauna
or THIS country. A relic carefully preser red
py Miss Richter is large square piece Of
yellow silk that came wrapped in a news
paper all the way from the land Of magic
Egypt When IL is exposed 10 the light
spots of blue begin to appear upon IL and
hue
Stamp-collecting fiends bother the foreign
division OF the Post Office Department
dreadfully The average person afflicted
with that mania thinks that IL is the place
where he can get all he wants In a recent
letter, one such individual writes: viii you
not assist me In getting a collection of
stempsT You must have thousands OF old
letters which wiz never be delivered, and
which no harm would come from removal
OF stamps" Miss Richter's invariable reply
10 such requests is made by referring to the
law which makes the removal of stamps
from letters subject to a fine OF 800, with or
without imprisonment Snail bows are es-
pecially persistent. They come in and In
sist upon going through the waste basket.
At the time of the cholera scare Miss
Richter got rid of them TO some extent by
telling them that all the letters were from
cholera-infected districts and that they had
better wait till frost
People often write to the dead lette- Office
TO ask about letters months, or even years
old, which were written from abroad and
failed to reach them In this country. They
Imagine that the Post Once Department
must have them on file somewhere OF
course all such pieces of mail are sent back
almost Immediately to the countries Of their
origin. IL It is doubtful whether they have
yet gone. searches for them are made and
this LIS very difficult work. However Il is q
principle In the postal business that no abor
shall be spared In trying TO deliver a letter
sometimes the straying OF a single worth
less and INSTRUCTED mfssive will involve a
long ana elaborate correspondence between
the department and postmasters
The central Office OF the international pos
tai union is at Berne. Switzerla nd. There all
the accounts are kept and all payments set
tied The government of the United States
receives compensation for carrying mail
matter across this continent by rail Pay
ain for postal transportation in he- terri
tory. All the allowances made 70 the varf-
Gus nations concerned, including balances
due on international money orders, are paid
up at stated Intervals. The official language
or the postal union If French. Thus in any
country, letter of foreign origin that does
not find the ad17essee is marked in French
with such words as 'paru."-meaaing gone
away-or "inconnu." etc.