The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-11
THE MAIL SERVICE EVOLUTION.
The Interesting story OF the DeveI-
"pment of the Present system.

"pment of the Present system
From the Philadelphia Times.
IL seems almost incredible. IN view OF
the wonderful labyrinth of postal routes
an over the world to-day. that there ever
could have been a time when there were
nc postofices. no letter carriers, no mail
facilities at all.
but' OF course. there had to be some
means or communication, even in tho
earliest ages, though these were c1unuei
Tor centuries 10 emperors and kings aui
other great rulers. The Emperors or
l-sypt, or Persia, or Assyria. aud II Rome
Ie.4 many lesser kings and saraps a.
tuelE Nassals. With these if was necas-
sar4 10 communicate with certainty ana
reg ulaFliy, and therefore couriers were
employed 70 carry dispatches and reports
10 anu from the more distant provinces.
VI course no one man or one horse
could traverse the whole route so sta
4ons were established along the roads
az certain intervals, where a courier was
always IN readiness TO relieve weary
plukneF ana carry on the dispatches with
uniform speed. These stations We're
called posts" from the Latin word posi-
: tuhl' HNed or placed-whence comes the
name OF our modern postal system.
IN the Old Testament are frequent ref
erences to the posts. In the SeconI
Chronicles you will find: $50 the pos.s
Went with the letters. and so the posts
passed from city 70 city" In Esther
also. and In Job and jeremiah, you will
ma other illusions to the posts. But they
We're never for the use CT the common
people.
The Roman Emperor Augustus was the
hrst TO establish a system of posts sug-
gestive Of the present system. You have
helNd the saying An roads lead to
Rome This was the origin OF it: from
Rome as center post roads were built
called royal highways" extending all
. nf ~
Roman empire these post roads We're
qDdndoned 10y degrees, and during the
dark ages they almost entirely disap-
peared.
In the thirteenth and fourteenth centu-
rles. however, their need began to be SO
strongly felt that posts between different
parts of the same country We're establish
ed, and soon these were extended into 9TH
er countries. These posts were carried first
by foUt-runners, ana then little later by
men on horseback.
II was not long. though before the post
privilege was extended, and 1t was found
impossible for horseback riders TO carry
the increasing mail. so wheeled conveyan-
ces 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 hith-
ertONshut i'm ancestors IL is hard for US of
the present day to realize even family.
But IL Is safe to say that the evolution of
more than any other one thing to hasten
the march of civilization.
In the reign of the Emperor Frederick
III. Francis Won TaXis. whose grandfather
is said to have established a postal service
across the Tyrol and Syria. entered the
service Of the house OF Hapsburg, and be-
came the founder Of the modern postal
system. Through Won Taxis the emperor
established regular posts throughout his
kingdom, between the years $40 and 1893,
and at the beginning of the sixteenth cen
fury the Austrian post became the inter
national post of the Hapsburg dynasty.
In France the University of Paris or
ganized a postal service IN the thirteenth
century, which fiourished until 1913. In
some parts OF Europe there were brother
hoods and mercantile guilds, which estab-
lished posts and postotfiees subject to the
government.
In England, in 1853. a private post was
started, but Cromwell's heavy hand came
down on the enterprise, and the man who
carried the letters were trampled down
and killed by his soldiers. In this century
Rowland Hin came to the front. instituted
many reforms IN the service. and at last
gave to England real and effective pos
tai service. Louis XI. Of France founded
u postal system In 1864, which was greatly
improved by Charles TX. In 1860
But II was not alone the Christian ma
tons that felt the need Of a postal SER
vice. When the Spaniards invaded South
America they found a regular system Of
posts In operation, so that the news Of
their landing was carried to the Inca with
incredible swiftness, the postmen being
runners who carried around their waists
knotted cords code Of signals or sign
writing.
Coming down to our own country, sup
pose we take peep at the mail methods
in vogue In its earlier days. Let us take
as a type the postal service between Bos-
ton and New York, where, in l762 a post
was established Ito go monthly" Post
riders, starting at the same hour from
each end of the route, carried the mails
Leaving on Monday 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 ITS
suggested the plan for a postal service
On which our present system is founded
In the early days of this system rates
were charged that seem outrageous to
us of the present day-between Boston
and New York 1874 cents and 25 cents for
points beyond. OF course this led to
swindling the government and the SNUG
Cling of letters. Private parties carried
mail secretly at lower rates, and in ls4g
Harnden's express entered the field, car
rying letters concealed in bundles and
other packages at less than legal rates
But as soon as the government lowered
its charges all these smugglers dropped
out of the race; there was no money Ia 1t
then.