The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-08-21
QUEER THINGS BY MAIL.
Odd Articles Sent by Post Bearing
Messages-Ping-POn Balls,
BanknOtes, Etc.

The use of ping-pong balls as post
cards is the latest freak of seekers
for novelty.
1t started in Liverpool quite recent
ly, and despite its obvious disadvan-
tages, is spreading in England. The
principal result is much unhappiness
to the postman and recent new req
ulatiOn in some places forbidding all
such unhandy missives.
The balls were stamped, an address
written under the stamp, and the mes
sage scrawled on the rest of the sur
face. These clumsy and bulky post
cards were posted in Liverpool by the
thousands and gave the post Office au-
thorities an immense amount of extra
work, says Hearst's Chicago American.
Among those idle people who from
time to time have wasted their super
f1uOus energies in testing the forbear-
ance of the postal officials, is man in
Southampton, England, whose favor
lite form of missive used to be postage
stamp. But as he wrote the address.
on the face of the stamps, the author
tiles decided that they were not bound
to deliver them. 1t was probably the
same person who afterward posted
complete pack of playing cards, each
neatly addressed on the back. but with
no message whatever on the colored
side.
Another very peculiar letter found
in London pillar-boX last autumn
was green apple on one side of which
was cut an address, and on the other
the simple, but expressive message:
"Sour-like you"
Bank notes have been employed as
writing paper more than once by
eXtravagant or foolish persons. Among
the effects of an English miser who
died about Is years ago was found C 5
note on which the deceased had writ
ten directions as to the disposal of his
property. At Hampstead there lived
until recently a wealthy bachelor of
whom it was said that he once wrote
a proposal of marriage to lady on
the back of a $50 note, and because it
was sent back without word of COM
ment by the recipient, refused ever
afterward to have anything to do with
the fair sex.
Whiting paper or, indeed, paper of
any kind, is usually at premium
among soldiers on active service. Many
very curious substitutes came from
the British soldiers in South Africa.
One of the commonest has been
mealie leaves. "Mealie' is the South
African name for maize. Round the
maize cob grow a number of strong
enveloping sheaths, which, when dry,
turn to pale yellow color and can
then be written upon.
After Colenso there was found
grasped in the stiffened hands of dead
soldier piece of leather with a dying
message scrawled upon it with a stump
of pencil. 1t was layer of the sole
of the dead mans boot, which had
probably been loosened with much
to rip off. 1t safely reached the poor
fellows family in England.
From the Philippines, too, some GU
rious letters have been received by
| the friends of American soldiers fight
ing in those islands. One of the most
ingenious was piece of native bam-
boo, about foot long, on which an adj
dress had been carved with pen
knife. The letter was inside this hol-
low tube, and held there by wooden
pins at each end. The writer ex-
planned that he had found it impossible
to get an envelope or to find any gum
to make one, so had had recourse to
this eXpedient.
The ceiling of a room is, as a rule,
so far out of ordinary reach that the
idea of using it for writing on seems
strange. But in a case tried last year
in England it transpired that land
lady had been in the habit of using her
ceiling in lieu of rent-book. Upon it
were inscribed the various amounts
received from her dodgers. AS it was,
of course, impossible to bring this
strange rent book into court, a certi-
fed copy had to be made for the use
of the judge.