The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-08-19
POSTAL EVOLUTION.
STORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT or
THE MAIL SERVICE.


References TO the Post Beginning of
What Has Become an Almost Perfect
and n Cheap system.
1t seems almost incredible, in view of
the wonderful labyrinth of postal routes
all over the world today, that there ever
sould have been time when there were
no postoffices, no letter carrier. no mail
facilities at all.
But, Of course, there had TO be some
means of communication even in the
earliest ages, though these were confined
for centuries to emperors and kings and
other great rulers. The emperors of
Egypt of Persia, Of Assyria and of
Rome held many lesser kings and satraps
as their vassals. With these it was nec-
essary to communicate with certainty
and regularity, and therefore couriers
were employed to carry dispatches and
reports to and from the more distant
provinces
OF course no one man or one horse
could traverse the whole route. so sta
tions were established along the roads
at certain intervals, where couriers were
always in readiness to relieve weary
brothers, and carry on the dispatches
with uniform speed. These stations
were called posts, from the Latin
word positum--fxed or placed-whence
comes the name of our modern postal
system.
In tho Old Testament are frequent
references to the posts. In III Chronicles
you will find, $50 the posts went with
the letters" and $50 the posts passed
from city to city" In Esther also and
in Job and Jeremiah you will find other
illusions to the posts. But they were
never for the use of the common people.
The Roman Emperor Augustus was
the first to establish system Of posts
suggestive of the present system. You
have heard the saying. "All roads lead
to Rome" This was the origin Of it:
From Rome as center post roads were
built, called "royai highways, extend
ing all over Europe. After the decline
Of the Roman empire these post roads
were abandoned by degrees, and during
the dark ages they almost entirely dis
appeared.
In the thirteenth and fourteenth GEN.
turies, however, their need began to be
30 strongly felt that posts between diff
ferent parts of the same country were
established, and soon these were extend
ed into other countries. These posts
were carried first by foot runners and
then little later by men on horseback.
1t was not long, though, before the
post privilege was extended, and it was
found impossible for horseback riders to
carry the increasing mail, SO wheeled
conveyances were provided, and the
next step was for these conveyances to
carry passengers as well as the mail.
And thus from the post was evolved
the mail coach. What this meant to our
hitherto shut in ancestors it is hard for
us Of the present day to realize even
family. But it is safe to say that the
evolution Of the public post and tho
mail coach did more than any other one
thing to hasten civilization.
In the reign of the Emperor Freder-
ick III, Francis Won Laxis. whose grand
father is said to have established post
al service across the Tyrol and Styria,
entered the service Of tho house Of Haps-
burg and became the founder of the
modern postal system. Through Won
Laxis the emperor established regular
posts throughout his kingdom between
the years f440 and 1498, and at the be-
ginning Of the sixteenth century the
Austrian post became the international
post Of the Hapsburg dynasty.
In France the University Of Paris or
ganized postal service in the thirteenth
century which fourished until 1910. In
some parts of Europe there were brother
hoods and mercantile guilds which es.
tablished posts and postoffices subject
to the government
In England, in 1858, Rowland Hill
started q private post. but Cromwell's
heavy hand came down ON the enter
prise. and the men who carried the let
ters were trampled down and killed by
his soldiers. Later ON Mr.: Hill came to
the front again. instituted many re-
forms In tho service, and at last gave TO