The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1894-12-14
ANOyERPAID LETTER.
DESCRIPTION OF a POSSIBLE
SOCIAL FOLLY.


inc stamp SPOTS w. ene SAID
"lt's the prcttiest paper ever had.
and look there! The lump OF washed
out violet m the corner makes Il look
horridw
why not two halipcnny stamps?n
said the prince. pink
NO. said the princess; otis green
stamps are wanted a kind Of feeble
green
"lts simple" said the prince;
"three-halipenny stamps are green"
SO for aesthetic reasons the princess
put three -halipenny stamps upon all
her correspondence. and started the
great year OF the postal authorities.
The ladies' papers promulgated H.
said the Woman Of Good Family;
"Tho pretty fancy has been started
In very high quarter Of putting "a
irino over the proper postage upon
letter packets. Tho idea Is simple
enough and Il Is astonishing Il has not
been thought Of before. II Is really
remarkable how people with a claim
to good style have hitherto been con-
tent with the minimum payment for
the carriage Of their letters. In all
| other matters certain rcdundance
has been an essential Of polite atton-
ton, but In the matter Of postage the
most exquisite have missed or delibor-
atcly ignored an easy distinction from
the grimy pcnnyworths Of tho vulgar
herd. We do not pay we should be
ashamed 10 pay-tho necessary cab
man meagre shilling when he takes
rs 10 the door Of our friend and on
occasions Of ceremony the cab at any
price Is taboo. Who would dream OF
rafting into court ceremonial IN n
four-whcelor and yet who would not
presume 20 approach oven the throne
beneath penny stamp IT'S incon-
slsicni. But now the inconsistency Il
20 bc nbatcd. Tho mere penny stamp
Is 10 be- RELOCATED to bare business re-
quiremonts. For the rest. three-half-
pence will mean nero clyility, two.
pence compliment. twopcnce-half-
penny friendly touch and fourponco
warm regard
Tho innovation was not received
| without u struggle. Many OF the very
best families held out for some time,
but the awful word ''shabbinessn was
too much for ihcm. Besides. the ro-
clplents Of penny stamps became SEN
sitlvc. As soon send half sheet OF
note paper, or dock the Esq from n
mans name, rs post to him with a
penny stamp. Tho refined people
who would not have coniormed 20 tho
new fashion for display for tho world,
did 10 for the sake OF their corrcspond-
cn,s. Men bit their lips with humili-
alton when the servant entered with u
penny letter. And a decent person
would ~ soon have thought Of asking
for farthing change In u diapers
shop Us for a penny stamp In u post
OXIDE.
The tenpenny limlt the Woman OF
Good Family had fixed was soon ex-
ccedod, Gays the Pall Mall Budget
The little story Of Lady footing and
Lady Shadwell Is typical Of what hap
poned. As the reader Il aware, these
ladies' were ,ooial competitors. Now.
Lady Shadwell had issued invitations
10 her garden party with shilling
stamps "a rather magnificent innova.
ton. Lady footing accepted with
half n crown, and followed up with
her own garden party at no less than
five shillings por invitation. There.
anon Lady Shadwell showed what a
really clever woman sho Is; she
jumped the ton-shllllng stamp and, So
curing the pound one. robbed Lady
footing Of the possibility OF rotort.
Until the bankruptcy Of tho marquis,
Lady Shadwell stuck 20 the pound,
and really smart people AT the utmost
could only live at her. level, though
Lady footing tried the very obvious
and vulgar eNpedient Of couple Of
pounds.
Al one time for funeral condolenc,
, there was scale something like IN,
following; Slight mourning. on,
shilling; half mourning. half crown
deep mourning, five shillings; but Il
, iluctuatcd considerably. IL was
, source Of infinite family feuds And ,
willy chancellor Of the eXchequor issue,
, a very stylish mourning set Of stamps
!. with black corners and a slightly bit
4 ter gum. lie also issued series o
= stamps up to fl0; but this was too
f. late to catch the fashion, and In orde
10 secure a market among collector
the greater portion Of this last lssu'
had TO be burnt
IL The postal surplus rose 10 E27 900.
, 900 In the first hali-year, and went OF
II rising They reformed the postotiic
IN every possible way. they bull
o fleets with the money, they reduces
g the income tax TO threepcnco In tn
r. pound. They even got 10 a universe
j. penny postage because, rs nobody eX
ccpt paupers sent penny letters,
really did not seem to matter, An
then like Jonah's gourd, like the be
Lacquer of Prague, like the mists q
9 the morning, the fashion passed. 70
u the sovereign, stamping an onyelop
In the dusk. by some strange accideu
u sent penny letter. The Born Lad
u secured the envelope for tho oiic
window, and was undenlahly ahea
with tho news A day before, IN
chancellor Of tho eNchequer ha
y snapped his fngers-a loud, resount
'' ing snap In the face Of helple,
house OF commons. A day after IA
postoaice surplus had shrlveled ike a