Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-03-31


progress not generally appre-
ciated. the average man en-
lows the benefits derived from modern
postal facilities without thought OF
what they imply, perhaps imagining IL
he thinks of the matter at all, that
they have existed for centuries among
all peoples who have lived under Wen
organized governments.
In truth they are of very recent orr
gin.
Prior to the year 1889, postal facili-
ties in the American colonies were
such as personal accommodation
among the colonists might supply. We
get a glimpse of the situation from the
following passage in Parton's Lie
of Benjamin Franklin"
Letters arriving from beyond the
sea were usually delivered on board
the ship into the hands of the persons
to whom they were addressed, every
family sending a member on board Tor
the purpose of receiving letters. Let
tiers not called for were taken by the
captain to a coffee house near the
wharf, where they lay spread out on
the table waiting the coming of their
owners. Persons from the adjacent set
Elements called at the coffee house and
carried away not only their own let
ters but all the letters belonging ito
people in the neighborhood, which they
either delivered in person or deposited
at the house of the minister or magis-
trate, or some relative of the individ-
ual to whom the letter was addressed.
Hence the custom grew of depositing
at the coffee house letters written in
the town and destined to a place in the
interior, as we'll as letters brought
from the country and directed to an
inhabitant of a town. AS the settle
ments grew in number and magnitude,
it became usual to leave letters direct
ed to one of them at the inn most
frequented by the inhabitants of that
settlement Thus several years before
there was postoffice or a post rider in
the colonies, a rude, slow, unsafe, but
neighborly system of letter delivery
had sprung up; and long after the es-
adjustment of a postoffice this neigh
borly method continued to be the main
dependence of the people for the trans
portation of letters for short dis
tances."
The first proper postal commUnica-
ton for private letters in England, the
mother country, was not until the six
teenth century. and 1t was a clumsy
arrangement indeed. How crude it was
may be judged by a statute passed I'M
der the protectorate in 1866, which was
then accounted a vast Improvement of
the postal system. That statute pro-
vided that there should be one general
postoffice and one postmaster general
for England, who cas to have the
horsing of all through posts and post
riders. tariff was established for let
tiers, English, Scotch, Irish and foreign
and all private postal schemes were
forbidden except those of the universe
ties and the cinque ports, that is the
five maritime ports lying opposite to
the coast of France-Sapdwich
Dover, Hythe, Romney and Hastings
which ports had enjoyed special fran
chises from the time Of Edward the
Confessor.
The rates of postage were very high,
and were for a long time graduated by
the number of miles from the point
of mailing to the point of delivery.
These difficulties were not removed in
England until the postal reforms of
Mr.. Rowland Hill, who for his services
was eventually knighted in 1860. He
invented the postage stamp. Before its
use the receiver of a letter paid the
postage, and the letter was not deliv-
cred until the postage was paid.
There is a tradition to the effect that
there came under the eye of Mr. Hill a
pathetic proceeding which suggested
the prepayment of postage by stamp.
1t is said there were employed in two
English towns, some distance apart, a
brother and sister, unfortunate orph-
ans working for small wages. Each
desired to know of the others welfare;
but neither could pay the postage
rates. They fell upon the device Of
folding and sealing a sheet Of paper
as a letter and directing it in such
manner as to Indicate If they were
we'll and to reveal other items of infor-
nation. When applying for their let
tiers they would take the folded paper,
I'm hand, read the signs known only to
themselves. and pass it back to the
postman, saying: Il am not able to pay
the postage"
This petty but pathetic fraud fall
ing under the notice of Mr.. Hill sug-
gested to him, it is said, the penny
postage stamp.
Since the adoption Of the reforms
which he inaugurated there has been
most remarkable progress in postal
matters throughout the world.
Postage has been cheapened. The
mOney-order system has been devised.
Postoffice insurance and postal saw
ings banks have been introduced in
Europe. An international system of
postage has been established whereby
for maximum rate of cents one can
send letter round the world. 1t costs
but 5 cents to send letter to the in
terror of China or Japan-only half as
much as a messenger boy in Atlanta
would charge to carry this article from
my library to the Office of the Editor
of The Journal.
We are now coming to postal de-
velopment in the United States that
will affect all the people more infiu-
entially than all that has gone before
it.. Reference is meant to the rural
free delivery system"
Despite the strong urban impulse, so
marked in the history of our people,
above two-thirds of them still live in
the country. and it is TO be hoped the
proposition of rural inhabitants to city
jewellers will never be less.
Heretofore these country people were
served for the mast part by the
'fourth-class postofice' and 1.-THE star
route mail rider. They received their
mail once a week if(they were able to
get to the postoffice, or at best tri-
weekly.
Now it is proposed to give them free
daily mail delivery at their doors.
Such a proposal marks an era in our
history as a people.
The conception when first put forth
was accounted chimerical and imprac-
ticable: but 1t has grown rapidly In
favor and has now passed the exper-
mental stage.
In 1894 congress appropriated $4,000
for experimental free rural delivery.
and the postmaster general declined
to use il. In the years 1895 and 1896 the
second and third appropriations were
not used. In 1897 a feeble beginning
was made. In 1898 $4,000 was appro-
priated. In 1899 the figure was raised
- e1En oon l., 1C00 there was apurODri-