Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-31
M AKING A DIRECTORY
CITY POSTMASTER MERRITT ASKS
THE ASSISTANCE OF REsIDENTs.
Blanks Being Distributed to BE Filled
Out and Returned-The Sys-
tenn Described.

Each householder in the District will re-
ceive today tomorrow a blank from the
diligent man in gray who carries the heavy
bags of letters all about which contains q
request for its proper filling out from City
Postmaster John A. Merritt. prompt
and correct compliance with this will assist
the city postmaster in securing complete
and correct directory Of the permanent res
idents of the District. Every three or four
years the local post Office directory Is
amended and enlarged and improved by the
means now set in motion. The idea was
originally suggested many years ago by Mr..
James E. Bell, superintendent of the free
delivery branch of the city post Office, and
SO highly was the plan regarded by Post
master General Wanamaker while he was
in office that he recommended to all city
postmasters throughout the country the adj
visibility of adopting similar course.
Requests to BE Complied With.
The blank in question is addressed to the
occupant Of each house onseach street in
each section of the District. and contains
the following request over the signature of
the postmaster: 80
please ill out on blank spaces below,
writing one name only on each line, giving
the names of all persons who receive, or
are likely to receive, mail at this number,
city directory, and those who are transient
and not likely to be at this number on Feb
ruary 1. 1901. Do not use initials. Write
name in full - may stand for John,
James or Jackson. In case of a married
woman, do not use husbands given name.
Write Mrs. Julia Brown not Mrs. John
Brown
This Information will assist in promptly
disposing of mail improperly addressed.
Please return promptly to carrier drop
in street letter box"
Below are eight spaces, each one being in
tended for the name of the person to be
recorded the name of the street, the num-
Der of the house and the section in which
located, either northeast northwest, south
east or southwest.
Talk With Superintendent Bell.
1.-The regularly published city directory
does not contain all the residents of the Dis
trict." said Superintendent Bell, land what
we are after is to make up as complete a
roster as possible. You cannot imagine how
much trouble we have sometimes in locating
married ladies whose friends direct letters
to them by their given Names like Mrs.
Julia Brown, for instance. Now, Mrs. Julia
Brown may be Mrs Thomas or Mrs. Joseph
or Mrs. James or Mrs. Henry or Mrs. Geo.
Brown, and so on. but there is nothing to
show which, so the letter necessarily must
make the round of Mrs. Browns until 1t
reaches the one intended. You can readily
perceive Tue Importance OIL Inc request Tor
the given names Of the ladies instead of
those of their husbands
There is another thing wish The
Star would impress upon its good readers"
continued Superintendent Bell, land that is
to write out the word Washington and the
initials d. c. in directing letters for local
delivery, instead of writing town or city
or local Some town letters go way out
to Iowa and then come back for delivery
The present local post office directory con-
la a. cd
the one to be prepared from the blanks now
being distributed will pass the 100000 mark