The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-06-19
BILL APPS WEEKLY LETTER.
Philosopher Talks Of the Old Tine Postal
Charges.
he IS BEsIEsEu WITH QUESTIONS.
Correspondence With Old Friends q
Great Pleasure to tho Sage Of Bar
tow-The First Nuptials Of His Re-
collection Named.

There is perhaps no invention or
continuance that has brought more
comfort to mankind than that of let
tiers and their easy transmission by
modern postal service. How wonder
fully cheap they are and how swiftly
they come and go! Only 2 cents to
the utmost limit of the United States,
say 1900 miles,, and only 5 cents to be
carried across the ocean. It takes only
2 cents to carry letter to the City of
Mexico, but it takes cents to bring
one back.
My wife says that it is hard on Carl,
for besides his weekly letter to us, he
has many friends, and the girl he left
behind him, and his postage is quite
tax. She thinks I ought to write to
President Diaz and Mr.. Mckinley and
demand reciprocity, just for Carl's
sake, but L compromised with her by
promising to inclose dime in every
letter 1 wrote to the boy. In almost
every mail that comes she is on the
lookout for a letter from some of the
absent ones, and when she gets one
she reads it two or three times and
files it away on her side of the room.
The morning and the evening mail has
become as important an event in the
routine of our daily life as our daily
meals. 1t is an event that has grown
on US and become indispensable. Time
was when neither she nor received q
letter q month, for she lad no lover
but me, and l had none but her and
our postal system was o darkey boy.
1t was like that of Zeb Vance, who
received a note from some fashionable
woman in Washington with the mystic
rious letters, ''R S. V. p" endorsed on
it, and when he answered it he put on
one corner rs. B. A. NJ" just to keep
up with society, he said. When she
afterwards asked for an, explanation he
smiled and said: ooh, they stood for
Sent by niger"
remember when the postage had to
be paid at the last end of the line by
the person who received it, and it was
% cents if it came 500 miles. If less
than that, but from out the state, it
was 49, cents, and if within the state,
it was 124 cents. We had no decimal
currency then, but we had the seven
pence Q2A cents) and the thrip (64
cents) and they were worn to the quick
from constant use. Nothing told their
value except their size. We received
the great United States mail twice q
week and the footing of the stage dri-
ver's horn as he rose to the brow of
the distant hill aroused all the people
of the little village, and most of them
gathered at the postoffice to hear the
news. Perhaps there were as many as
twenty weekly papers taken in the
town, but none of them made mention
of murders or suicides or lynchings or
opponents or baseball or football or
bicycle races or the fashions or re-
wards for guessing or advertisements
of celery compound or photographs of
men or women or babies or the arrival
of anybody less than president or q
governor. But in our state papers
there were some little pictures or cuts
of hasty ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ell were uniformly advertised: "Ran
away from the subscriber, my boy
Dick, etc., and I will give $40 reward
for his apprehension"
But now the letters ah, the letters
that come every dayl Besides the
family letters from kith and kin, there
are scores from good people who are
working for church or charity, or want
information about Florida or Mexico.
Very often am comforted with COM
pliments which love to receive, and
very often I get good, long letter
from some old-time Georgian who for
half a century has been living in
Texas or Arkansas, or somewhere in
the great west. 1t pIeases me to re-.
ply to all and make the best answer
that I can. But perhaps had better
say just here that I have long since
ceased to write compositions for the
school girls or to assist the boys in
their debating societies. I wish sim
cereIy that 1 had time to help them,
out have not. I know how it is, for
1 used to get help myself.
But some of these letters are anus
ing. One received q few days ago Is
very urgent to have my opinion upon
the propriety or improperly of chris
tan man digging storm pit and get
ting in it when the cyclone gives its
warming. Is it sinful or not to show
such lack of faith in God? He says
they are making church question Of
it in his community. / have had sew.
erai letters asking for assistance in
guessing the missing word that The
Constitution offers thousand dollars
for. These letters, of course, are con
idential, and some beg me nos Il
mention it even to Mrs. Arp. But til.
delicious humor in one of them is FIJI
offer to give me half the reward if
will disclose to her the word. Tha
is very like the generous fellow wht
told the boy that if he would furnish
his own hooks and lines and bait b,
would give him half the fish he caught
Since my last letter about how t.
raise children was published l hav'
had several very comforting epistle
from friends and some from strangers
Rev. William n. Strickland make
mention of several families from oil
Gwinnett whose children are all grow
and are esteemed by all who know
them as good people-honest, law
a Il. l:,,~ cr1 %ar,,.arofo He name