The Delta independent., 1904-01-22
RAILW MAILCLERK
ONE OF THE BEST TYPES OF
AMERICAN CITIZEN.
Upon the Faithful and Proper Per.
formance of His Duties Depends
the Welfare Of Millions-Too Little
Appreciated by the Public.

The railway mail service has been
so excellent the public are prone to
receive it as a matter of course. Lit
tie heed is given to it, and if thought
of at all, it is with limited realiza-
ton of its magnitude or its connection
with the public veal. Too great
prominence is given the hero behind
the gun" and too little is said of the
man wac gives the best years of his
life for the mental, moral and material
development of this kind.
The duties of the railway postal
clerk require high order of dexter.
ity and skill, which not being gifts
God given, are acquired by years of
untiring effort His work is for the
benefit of everyone, and in his views
all are leveled to the same plane.
Through his hands pass the mes
sages of countless millions, and
whether of city or village, counting
house or farm, whether bearing fail
ure or success, sorrow or joy, they
speed to their destination. Upon his
skill, ability and untiring efforts de.
pend, to a great extent, the success
of all social, political and commercial
enterprises. This may seem a broad
assertion, but can you imagine the
condition If the ten thousand postal
clerks of this county were to resign
In body? Means of communication
would then be limited to the telegraph
and telephone. and that they would
prove wholly inadequate is apparent
pol
would reign In the business world.
and the shock would be felt to the
remotest part OF the civilized globe
1t is pleasing, however, to be as
sured that no such evert will take
place, for while realizing his power
he is imbued with the spirit of pa
triotism that is the life of every true
American. The thought of any other
action than devotion to duty never
enters his mind.
The railway mail service has kept
pace with the needs of advancing
times, and it is the proud boast of the
postal clerk that he is the agency
through which this pace is and has
been kept; but the time has come
when, in spite of the most heroic ef-
forts that men can put forth. they are
overwhelmed. And the time is at hand
when more attention must be given
or we will reap the reward of our
neglect. The attention of every busi-
ness man should be called to this
branch of the public service, for they
are directly and intimately concerned.
Upon the railway postal clerk de-
pends the success Of this important
branch of the government, and his re-
moval would destroy in a day what 1t
has taken years to build. 1t is due to
his fidelity that the work of this won
derful business has been carried on to
almost perfection, and when we con.
slider the vast quantity of mail pro-
duced in this country and the rapidity
with which 1t is transported to its
destination with almost mathematical
precision by this remarkable machine
or distribution and delivery it is little
short OF marvellous. II each of the
eighty millions of people of the
United States mail one letter or par
Gel day, the average is eight thous-
and packages to the postal clerk
ord shows that he makes one mistake
-mis-sends one piece for every ten
thousand handled. The business and
professional worlds are challenged to
show a record that even approaches
this.
In this service there is no place for
''the sleepy, the sluggish or the lndif-
ferent" The essential element is
manhood in the absolute. not the out
ward show Of manhood, but the inner
consciousness of physical strength.
mental capabilities and moral worth.
These, coupled with the "unwearied
spirit Of application" make good
citizen and good postal clerk These
are concomitant, for he who is pos
tai clerk is and ought to be a good
citizen. He must practice those vir-
tues which make men better in order
to withstand the strain of unremitting
mental and physical hardship, and
that he does practice them is evil
denced by the record he has made
Upon such as he rests the destiny
of this nation. His Is a life of duty,
life that brings sweet reward, a life
that ennobles, life that requires en-.
ergy, alertEess and fidelity; life
| that molds character, that strength.
ems individuality and marks him a
man separate and distinct from all
other men.-From an address by E. J.
Kern at the annual convention Of the
| Railway Postal Clerks association oi
the Sixth Division.