The National tribune., 1896-02-27
CONVERSATION CLUE.
Free Exchange of Thoughts and Sentiments
by the &C. All

free Exchange OF Thoughts and Sentiments
by the &C. All
Rtttcs oftte Club. Write briefly . Write only
side al ihe pape-. 3. Write 10 tho point. 4.
Write on one subject 5. Write yomr best c. Each
week the Of those writing tic best letters
style conn oslilan. spelling eTi.ihilsiip and gem
eral merit considered-u'iil be named ut the head
of this column the Honor Roll First honor
will include al az these requirements. Second
honor viii incluoc deficiency ia ore point.
UNCLE sAM's YoUSGEsT DAUGHTER.
This time the new woman is on Uncle Sans
mail route. way down in Tennessee. She has
just turned JIG. is short, slight. with jet-hlack
hair aud sparkling eyes to match, and sits her
pony like a mountain queen.
Anna Gordon. for this is her NAME descend.
ant of dashing Scottish clan, rs her name
ind icates. carries tho mail from Columbus to
Gintonville. a distance of FIVE miles, and at
tends school between times, for she has yet a
year before she graduates
She is not afEaid of the rain or he snow, and
every turn Of her 10-mile round is known 20
her. She swings first her mail pouch and then
herself 20 the back of her pony, aud is of with
dash, much 10 the admiration of all the new
men aud old 8; thar or tharabouis."
FATHER OF CHEAP POSTAGE.
Few there are Of the young generation vino
ever stop 10 think that there was time when
81 cost from 10 IS certs according TO distance.
20 reach friend ~ this country by letter
Those were the days before envelopes. when
letter was folded, sealed with red wax, aud
addressed the letter-the days OF stage
coaches. canal-boats and carriers on horse
back or foot.
The death Of Judge Emery ID. Potter. Of Ohio,
who died Feb. u. 1896, on Limcoln's Birthday,
at the advanced are Of 81, recalls these facts
Judge Potter entered Congress from the To-
ledo District in 1851, and led the fight for
cheap postage al a uniform rate Of 3 cents. He
WAS not man 10 surrender 10 obstacles, and
when objection WAS urged against the 3-cent
stamp. upon the ground that there would he
difficulty Ia making change, be inserted in the
bill section authorizing the coinage OF the
handy little 3-ccnt silver pieces. which have
quite disappeared since the repeal Of this sec
tien by the enactment Of the coinage law Of
1879
Judge Potter was in the truest sense a bene.
fsctor to his country, through the impulse
given 20 correspondeuce by the enactment of
the cheap. postage law. Education aud com.
merce were alike stimulated. ard schools aud
colleges multiplied rapidly. His portrait
should have gone OIL the 3-cent stamp long ago.
HOW XMAS STANDS FOR cHRIsTMAs.
For the benefit Of Southern Cir. +" aud many
others, WHO have wondered how Xmas" hap
pens 20 mean " Christmas" | send the explana-
zion, which ! have gathered in my Sunday
school reading.
Our FIRST two letters OF the word Christ are
represented in Greek by the single character
eht *. This. in combination with the next
letter rho lP) made what is known as the
monogram OF Christ; sometimes called the
oif-TiIo monogram, sometimes the cLrissOa
These initial letters, equivalent 20 our chr,
have been used as a sacred sign for many CEN
furies. They stand for the name Of Christ in
the early manuscript OF the New Testament.
They are found. in varying forms. inscribed on
tombs and in the Roman catacombs
ibis monogram is also said 20 have been the
sign which appeared in the heavens to the
Emperor Constantine. and was afierward
adopted rs his symbol. But there 10 no good
reason to suppose that he invented it. since ex-
Rmples OF it foaad which considerably ante
date him. IL became a leading Christian en-
blem, however. after his adoption Of IT,
While, therefore, the ordinary use Of X y
abbreyiatIon ia writing the words
Christ" Christmas" Christian" etc, does
not employ the full clrisnoi il does make use
virtually, Of the Greek character which for all
these centuries has cen standing as part oil
tue sacred symbol for the name Of Christ.
Strictly VIC do not nse the Greek chi lX) as
SUCH but our Latin x, which, SO far as form ID
concerned, is the same thing This employ.
ment Of it differs from the ordinary modern
abbreviaiion. having, as il does. the sanction 0.
more than 10 centuries OF usage.
Belle Smith. Winooski, Wis.