The morning times., 1895-12-22
LETTERS THAT ARE LOST
Persons Are Careless in Ad-
dressing Mail Matter.
NO MARK OF IDENTIFICATION
Name and Residence of Sender Should
Always he written on Envelope or
Package-Insufficie Postage and
Total Absence OF Stamps Consign
q Great Deal TO the JunkshOp.

These are the days when the children
are dreaming of the glories or Christmas
tide, and their elders are figuring on the
prices of appropriate gifts.
Stroiltiown the Avenue and feast youreyes
on the contents of the shop windows. Read
the columns of The Times and study the act
ual condition OF your bank account, then
make up your mind as to who Will receive
the gifts, and then go out and buy them.
Make il point TO do your Christmas shop
ping early, and then see to it that a IL the
gifts arrive at their proper destination
In city like Washington, which is, from
one point of view the most cosmopolitan
town in the country, the task OF delivering
Christmas presents is both difficult and
important.
Down at the postoffice they will tell you
that fully So per cent or the holiday pur-
ehases made in the local shops are sent out
of town. Every politician and office
holder, from the distinguished Senator down
to the humble department clerk, makes it
point to remember his friends at home at
Christmastide, and SO it is that the gifts
bought in Washing gton ultimately land i'll all
corners ofthe country.
CARELESS AS TO DIRECTIONS.
This is very pleasant condition of af-
fairs for the pr"prirtors OF iocTi suoiis,
however much labur and anxiety ii entails
upon the postal force. To add TO their per-
plexities, the officials of the Washington
post-,ffice state that a large percentage
of the Christmas mail is buth badly pre-
pared and light weighted as regardsstamps.
As a result of this discrepancy many a little
toddler is deprived ur lots of enjoyment.
Inorder that Il letter may net be consigned
to the dead letter uffice, which eventually
means the junk dealer. it is necessary that
a card bearing the writer's name and ad-
dress be printed OF written in the left
hand corner uf the envelope, or even on the
back will do.
The experience of a well-known Sem
ator not long ago will serve 10 Illustrate
the necessity or placing some marks Of
Identification upon letter The Senator
had just drawn a check for PARTON OF
his salary He placed IL in an envelope.
wrote thereon the name of his bankers, and
addressed il TO Them ut Washington, ID. c.
The bankers, however, happened to live in
another city.
firm. 1t was not found and the letter was
advertised. This last means brought No
claimant and il was sent to the dead letter
office, where it was opened and the name
of the writer learned.
The Senator was notified, and he came
after the truaDt mission. He aid that
he was overjoyed AT seeing the letter again,
us It lNtb II ds iteb. Ill
time he had gone TO the Treasury and filed
an indemnity bond securing another pay
ment OF the money that he supposed was
lost.
The peregrinations of the letter and check
consumed exactly two months.
An the trouble could have been saved had
the Senator placed his name or even initials
and address upon the envelope.
NOT SUFFICIENTLY STAMPED.
Another evil which leads to just as much
If not more trouble than negligence in di
rections is that of not paying sufficient
postage. This sin is prevalent among news
paper and magazine readers who send bun
dies of papers and periodicals to friends
or relatives who live in small country to WIS
and villages.
often huge bundle of papers, weighing
three or four pounds, will be received at
the office with only a two-cent stamp
upon 1t. This particular piece OF mail
never reaches its destination. UNLESS of
course 1T I,as the sender's address on the
wrapper. In that case a notification card
is sent saying that the package will be
forwarded If sufficient postage is sent.
Unfortunately, the sender's name and
address are very seldom given. The re-
suit is that the junk-lealer buys any num-
Der of tons of miscellaneous publications
each year and disposes of them as may best
bult HIS
Most persons have an idea that n one-cent
stamp will carry any newspaper ever
printed, no matter if it is Sunday or a
special issue. Could they but see the stacks
of papers that never get further than the
postoffice, they might take the trouble to
have all papers weighed and reckon the
postage at the rate of one cent for every four
ounces or fraction thereof This is what is
known as second-class matter.
n Iatt is mis- iep ppt ,, fo,
of fcarrierifthe conSignee isnot found. Each
of the gray uniformed distributors makes a
thorough canvass OF his district and ma kes
a report of each attempt he ina kes at carry
ing the letter to the proper destination.
DON'T WRITE CITY"
The practice of writing "city" on To-
cal malg should be abolished in every city.
This habit has caused many delay in the
delivery of important letters. writer
who is visiting in another town will often
write letter to q friend or firm in his ma
tive place and write the estereotyped, "city."
This exhibition of carelessness causes the