The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-15
REVENUES OF TIE mail
Origin and Progress of the Univer
sal Postage Stamp.
First Appeared in France When
Louis XIV wns Sovereign Ruler
The Reform Work of PedagOEue
Rowland HiII-Its Establishment in
This Country-The Various Issues.

I be OF SIX stamps each. making DOCK OF
convenient size.
| Three different styles of stamp books
will be furnished: one of twelve 2-cent
stamps. one of twenty-four 2-cent stamps.
and one of forty-eight 2-cent stamps.
valued at "a. As. and 96 cents, respective
ly. Each book will be sold at an advance
of one cent on the stamp value, to cover
the cost of binding. No reduction will be
made for orders in large quantities. On
the cover of each book will be printed 4
concise statement Of the postal rates in
the United States and foreign countries
OF the millions who daily use the familiar
commodity known as the postage stamp.
few ever pause to consider the time and
place of its origin
The first post -pad or stamped paper was
used in France. in the reign of Louis XIV
Its originator NJ De Velayer established
in 16J3 a private penny post, placing at
street corners boxes for the reception OF
letters. which were placed in envelopes
ranked vita slips of paper. bearing the
words Post paid and the day. month and
year. These slips were sold at the turn
tables of converts, by the porters of col
leges, and even by the minor functionaries
of royal palaces, but they soon fell into
disuse. In 1853 another Frenchman. NJ. De
Chamouset. established post in Paris,
charging two sous each for letters weigh
ing less than an ounce. The stamps used
were somewhat similar to those OF the
present day The French Government. anx-
ious to profit by the new enterprise. took
it from its originator and settled upon him
an annual pension of 10000 francs. The
Government failed to provide adequate ar
rangemeuts for furthering the use OF the
stamps. and they were soon forgotten.
The second country to issue postage
stamps was Spain. which in a royal de-
cree in 1716 granted to the secretaries OF
the Crown the privilege of using seal
impressed in ink bearing the arms of Cas-
tile and Leon. In 1894 the use of these
stamps was restricted to letters relating
to public business. and at the beginning
OF this century they were abandoned.
Trouble at the Outset.
From 1919 to 1886 semi official stamped
envelopes We're used in Sardinia The
next attempt at issuing stamped paper to
be used as envelopes was made at Stock
holm by a Swedish noble named Treffen-
berg. The utility of the plan was recog
nized by few of the mobiles then in as
sembiy, but il was rejected by large ma
jority.
! Ia 1897 Mr.. Rowland Hill. an English
Schpolmaster, printed pamphlet on posi-
office reform. in which he endeavored to
demonstrate that the expense of carrying
the mails even the greatest distances was
nothing compared with that of collecting
the postage. Through his efforts a bill,
which. acIong other reforms. proposed that
letters should be prepaid by means of
stamped envelopes. was introduced in the
British Parliament. The bill met with
the most strenuous opposition from states
men and postal officials. The Postmaster
General of that day declared in the House
of Lords that this was the most extra
ordinary OF all the wild and visionary
schemes ever conceived" However, thou
sands of petitions for the furtherance of
the project poured in. and Parliament, in
recognition of the general manifestation,
appointed a commission to consider the
plan. After many strong debates it was
adopted and went into operation May 6,
1870
A prospectus was circulated widely, Of
ferng reward of $500 for the lest design
and plan for stamp. The prospectus
stated that the features chiefly desired
were simplicity and facility in working
combined with such precautions as should
prove effectual against forgery" Almost
a thousand different designs and plans
were sent in, among them the famous Null
ready envelope which bore allegorical rep
reservations of England attracting the
commerce of the world. These envelopes,
which embodied Mr.. Hills idea of
stamped covers had for few months
phenomenal sale. They then fell into dis
use.
None of the competitors in the contest
offered anything so simple as the stamp
h iph xt-ac oh cd
and later manufactured by a London citi-
zen named Heath.
The second country to adopt postage
stamps was Switzerland, IN 1913. Its ex-
ample was followed the same year by Bra
zil.
Original Use in America.
In 1912 a postal service had been estab-
lished in the city of New York This SER
vice, however. was merely local. and did
not meet the requirements of the country
at large. In 1874 the matter was brought
to the attention of Congress, and an at
tempt was made to pass a law requiring
the prepayment of postage with stamps
issued by the Government, but it proved
Intellectual. In 1915 postage stamps we're
used in the United States for the first time
They were issued by the postmasters in
the large cities, each city having it's own
special design. In 1S47 this custom was
prohibited. Congress authorized the Post
master General thereafter to furnish all
Offices with stamps provided by the Gov
eminent, and the use OF any and all others
was declared unlawful.
In 1913 the use OF postage stamps was
adopted by Russia, and in the same year
France made her third attempt to intro
duce them. A year later their use was
permanently established in that country. |
as well as in Tuscany Belgium, and Ba-
varia. Austria, the German municipalities. |
SaXony. Spain, and Italy issued them IN
1850. In 1853 $4,000 was paid to Henry |
Archer the inventor of the machine used |
for puncturing interstices between stamps |
This machine makes complete circles. from |
which the discs of paper are clearly and |
sharply cut. 1t Immediately sprang into !
general use wherever postage stamps were |
used. In 1863 they had been adopted by |
1870 countries and about 40 varieties OF |
stamps fraT ks, aud postal labels were |
known to esist.
The Government of Great Britain, which |
at first doubted the efficacy OF the postal
attempted by Mr.. Rowland Hill.
later weighed him down with hnnors He
was Enighted in 1860. and in 1864 was
made D. c. L. by oxford. His pecuniary
rewards from the Government had already
made him prosperous. He was presented
with the freedom of the city Of London in
June, 1879. and died a few weeks later. at
the age OF eighty-fOur years. He was
buried in Westminster Abbey.
Great Britain receives from its postof-
fees $60, 900 600 annually, and spends aout
$40 600. 900 giving a net profit of $50 00O.-
200. France, from this source of public |
revenue. gains $l00O0,OO0, and Germany
IS, coo 900 every year. Spain clears annual
" about 81. 500 600 from its Postoffice De-
ha ordinary latfar rate in hot |