New-York tribune., 1901-01-20
LOCAL ri SSIiN POSTS.
a CURIOUS ADJUNCT To THE GENERAL. sY=..
AND ITS STAMPS
From The Picture Postcard.

From The Picture Postcard.
In Russia everything large is loud and tr.
stamp collector who possesses some Of the cu-i-
Gus Russian local post labels will be inclined
L" thlhk So too. We are told also that "col rs
S:rleh ans namc,' and our stamp albums on the
pages allotted To- Russian stamps bear out that
statement Kus>ia's postal system is worked on
different lines from ours. owing 10 the vastu. s.
al the land - he covered. IL is easy to und Pr
stand that in country of Isussia's dimensions
II would not pay 10 run the postofIice mail
INTO every little nook and corner. The manner
ln which this difficulty is surm0unted is both in
tor' sting and novel The Imperial Post deter
mines a fixed route for its mails. All districts
"hlch are not ON that route are permitted to
tahISh miniature posts which carry letters to
the nearest station on the route Of the Imperial
l"St- These posts are organized and worked
hy the local municipal governments. which issue.
stamps for the purpose. These posts were au-
th"rized hy an edict Cdated September 3. lS1m
Ia carry local letters from point in the dis
trct to another. and also To take letters 10 AMI
from the nearest office If the Government postal
service ON account of the great number of
| thes" posts there is a big and varied task be
fore the collector who amasses album Of
these stamps. With their characteristic fond
ness for vivid Colurs the designers OF these rural
stamps have made them of many hues and il
they are not particularly artistic they are de-
cidedly highly colored Some of the results are
In consequence, often absurd i'm the eyes of a
Britnn hut ii must also he admitted that
OF them are admirable specimens OF the
graVCr'S art.
The stamp of Tiraspol would. says the writer
vie with "A matchbox label in point of size. Two
penny English stamps could be laid side by side
on the top of this phIatec giant and still not
cover IL completely Tiraspol y a district i'm th,.
province Of ChcrsOn. The stamp is a marvel of
the designers art. and is printed in fewer
than iive Colors. namely. gold. red black green
and yellow. In IL the Russian eagle is surmoIInt-
I'd with cross printed in gold. the arms of the
municipality Of Tiraspol shown below the
Russian standard and the Inscriptions indicate
that ii is '''rraspol Rural stamp Any
one learning the Russian language would do well
To collect these rural stamps. In few weeks
he would become so Interested in Russia and its
postal system that the language, with its gram
mar, would be the only outlet for his enthuSi-
asm. Another educational advantage to bc
gained from Russian rural stamps is the knowI-
edge of the geography of the interior of the coun-
try, and the stamps pave the way for a very
good knowledge Of kuSSia's numerous provinces
municipalities and small towns A curiousy
mystic looking stamp comes from Tikhvin, in
the province of NOvEOrod The design shows IL
sun. printed in gold and n band of silver "a
shield of red and blue. The cutter frame is in
black. This handsome stamp is printed in five
coIOrs Another illustration is OF a stamp from
Oustsysosk, in the province of VoloEda. Ii
shows typical local landscape. in the fore
ground Of which stands n shaggy bear. whose
gaze is fixed upon some unseen prey. The stamp
is pretty one. being printed in three colors,
red blue ana brown the last named color being
reserved for Bruin the typical animal Of Russia.