The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-08-22

| no pOstOftces, 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 nee
essary to communicate with certainty
and regularity, and therefore couriers
were employed to carry dispatches and
reports to and from the more distant
provinces.
or course no one man or one horse
| could traverse the whole route. so sta
tons 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 the 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 We're
never for the use of the common people.
The Roman Emperor Augustus was
the first to establish "A 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 n center post roads were
built, called royal 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 CEN
turtles, however, their need began to be
| so 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 q 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 tic public post and the
mail coach did more than amy 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 the 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 l440 and l493, 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 a postal service in the thirteenth
century which flourished until 1919. 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 1868, Rowland Hill
started private post, but Cromwell's
heavy hand came down on the enter
prise, and the men who carried the let
tiers were trampled down and killed by
| his soldiers. Later Oh Mr.. Hill came to
the front again, instituted many re.
forms in the service, and at last gave to
England real and effective postal serv-
ice. Louis XI of France founded postal
system in 1864, which was greatly inn
proved by Charles TX in 1865
But it was not alone the Christian
nations that felt the need Of a postal
service. When the Spaniards invaded
South America, they found regular
system of posts in operation, so that the
news of their landing was carried to the
| inca with incredible swiftness, the post
men being runners, who carried around
their waists knotted cords, a code of sig
mails or sign writing
Coming down to our own country,
suppose we take peep at the mail
methods in vogue in its earlier days.
Let us take as type the postal service
between Boston and New York, where,
in 1762, post was established Ito goe
monthly" Post riders, starting at the
same hour from each end of the route
al on a6ny
morning, they met and exchanged bags
at Saybrook, Conn, on the following
Saturday. Then each man returned to
his starting point, which, Of course,
took nearly another week.
1t was Benjamin Franklin that, in
1875, suggested the plan for postal
service ON which our present system is
founded. In the early days of this sys.
tenn rates were charged that seem out
rageous to us of the present day-be-
tween Boston and New York, 1S4
cents, and 20 cents for points beyond.
OF course this led to swindling the gov
eminent and the smuggling of letters
Private parties carried mail secretly at
lower rates, anG i'm 1889 Harnden's ex-
press entered the field, carrying letters
concealed In bundles and other packages
ct less than legal rates.
But as scon as the government low
cred its charges all these smugglers
drop, / out of the race. There was no
mon in it then. philadelphia Times
The Largest Described Snake.
Sueke in his narrative Of the tourney
to the source Of the Nile, describes the