Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-16
MAILING a LETTER
Simple, but Many. Complications May
Result.
LARGE INCREASE In ChRELESSNESS
Curious Instances, Side Lights and
Postal Pecuiarlties.
THE PtBLIC' END OF 1T

THE PoBLIC' END OF 1T
THE mailing of an ordinary letter or
newspaper is a simple matter, yet the fact
that, from basis of figures, one person in
ten in this country does not know how or
fails properly to do so shows room for
improvement" said post office official
THE total population of the country is
approximately 76,500,OO0, and the Post Of
flee Department received last year $780,
600 pieces of undelivered mail matter Still
proceeding on the basis of figures and as
Stunning that one-half of the total popula-
ton Is over sixteen years of age. one per-
son out of every five mailed a piece of
mail matter which failed of delivery. And
of this mail $1,000 pieces bore no address
at all, indicating extreme carelessness, or
that lots of Us are in love, and consequent
ly absent-minded.
Not the Governments Fault
1.-The main reason why mail matter mis-
carries and otherwise causes grief pecu-
mary loss and certainly loss of temper is
that the people who use the mails do not
bear in mind certain rules, or do not have
them in mind if they ever knew them II
you wish the government to deliver your
chuck the letter or newspaper into the
mail box or post office window That the
people are becoming more and more care
less is shown by the fact that there was
an increase of 10 per cent last year in this
class of mail matter.
THE further fact that half million addi-
tlonal pieces were 1naccurately addressed
shows both ignorance and carelessness Give
your wrong address to your mother-in-iaw
If she contemplates visit if you wish,
but otherwise always write it at the top
or bottom of your letter. Make it an in
variable rule to do SO, and if the person
addressed does not receive your letter you
will get it back, with any Enclosure it may
contain. Otherwise it goes to the waste
paper basket of Uncle Sam.
Carelessness as to Money.
"It is astonishing how thousands Of peo-
pie will inclose money in letter like this:
Dear Father: send you $40. Yours.
Jack
mo date, name or sender or ADDRESSED
or the place of mailing mentioned. Six
weeks later. when papa and son meet, Jack
says: Why, Pop, didn't you get my let
ter? I sent you $40 and addressed it plain
ly, I'll take my oath to it. The Post Of
flee Department is careless
Jack makes an inquiry and may secure
the money back if it reached the depart
ment and identification thereof can be
made. AS a matter of fact, Jacks letter
was one of a quarter of a million letters
which are annually held for postage-just
forgot to place stamp on the envelope.
and his own name and address, card
not being written printed on the en-
velope, it found it's way to the opening
table in the dead letter office Lovers
should be especially cautious about this
error. 1t may cause an estrangement and
she Weeps and pines away like a broken
lily, not because he never answered my
last letter sob here, but because she
postage stamp and atfix it to the epistIe
which contained her hearts love and half
Quire of note paper.
Poets Should Beware
1.-THE poet sends his first accepted poem
on budding spring to his darling girl, wraps
the precious paper securely and pastes the
stamp so it will stick to both wrapper and
paper. He's afraid some of the verses
might get loose and do damage to the mail
This joins the two together. makes it seal
ed matter. and therefore unavailable at
newspaper rates. The darling girl may get
the poem, but it is doubtful.
mo one has any accurate conception as
10 the amount of money sent through the
mails in unregistered letters, but some idea
may be obtained from one or two sources
or information Letter carriers caught
stealing have confessed to purloining sums
winch prove that a great quantity circu-
lateS In this channel, though money orders
are each year taking the place of currency
by reason of the establishment of over
$1,000 money order offices.
AT the department, out of so 600 money
letters from $4,000 to $50 900 may be taken,
an average of about 81 letter. Thousands
or letters, however. contain small COIN
Whlle so, $40 and $50 bills are often found
slngly or in number in one letter. In some
instances the bills will be inclosed in blank
sneets OF paper without line of writing
Live Dogs and Other Things.
mo, you can't send your sweetheart a
live pug through the mails. Nothing alive
Is permitted to go through except live
IDEAS. These are scarce. Kill your dog
dry and stuff it. and If the remains weigh
under four pounds it goes. whether it he
dog or alligator, at 1 cent per ounce l,er
pup. In fact. there Is no limit to the size
or shape OF any article you wish to send
Send feather bed or your mother-in-law's
dying wishes engrossed on parchment and
framed in vellum. So long as you keep the
weight under four pounds it cannot be re-
ra .ehic II 81 1T Is otherwise mailable.
they address the firm like this: Hurry
fiaste & Hatrsprings, Chi, III Sometimes
they leaVe Off the Ill., they are so speedy
A nn make a letter unavailable.
They may reach their destination or thew
may go to the dead letter Office Do moi
write Mime. for Minneapolis, NJ Y. tor
NeW york. San Fran. or Frisco for san
francesca. or st. 10. for St. Joseph. Write
tne ADDRESS correctly and in full II you
wish the letter delivered
IL you thlnk you can inclose letter or
some written matter inside of a newspaper
ana merely save cent or two, as well as
deceive your accommodating Uncle Sam,
Try IL and see how quickly the postal clerk
senas II nying into the waste paper heap.
;II rs ana newspapers are closely exam
lneo Tor such evasions, much practiced by
our country cousins regret to say. They
.nink NOBODY will know It's pipe dream
70 tnem, however. The government sells
sneir papers to contractors by the pound
ana earns an honest penny.
Suggestions of Value.
In fact. don't think you know it all. II
you wish to send live bees revolvers, scis-
sors' needles. knives, bugs who have passed
70 Dug heaven. cocoons, drugs, fish hooks.
fluids, oils and ointments, vegetables, your
mothers yeast cakes OF anything else you
nave any doubt about, go to the post Office
nrst and ask questions. The man who is
pose. T=Gl
People down in Arizona and visitors to