Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-13
The Christmas Mails.


Last week the Dead Letter office in
Washington held a sale of unclaimed
mall At that time all the articles sent
through the mail without addresses, or
which for any reason failed to reach
the persons for whom they were in
tended, We're sold at public auction.
The articles number thousands, and
embrace every conceivable thing that
may be sent through the mail. Scores
of stories might be written of disap-
pointment, broken hopes and possibly
tragedies on account of undelivered
mail. 1t is safe to say that hardly
piece of mail that was offered for sale
that day but might have been dellVereo
mad the sender exercised que care.
The sale gives the Washington cor
resnondents an opportunity, probably
being prompted by the postofflce de-
partment officials, to preach sermons
on the need Of greater care. or at least
on the need of common care and COM
mon sense, i'm sending articles through
the mails. particularly at the Christ
mas season. The postoffice is a careful
agent and will do it's share of the work
if the person sending the packages and
letters will do his duty. Some persons
expect too much of the postal service,
seemingly thinking that it possesses
the gift Of clarvoyance, mind reading,
object reading and the like mysterious
powers.
The postoffice would be more than
grateful if the people would be more
careful of the mail they commit to it.
office or corner box with no address
on it, it must go to the Dead Letter
office. Here experts open the letter or
package and see if there is any name
or address inside, by which it may be
forwarded tC its destination or returned
to the sender. Perhaps there is card
ITO Mamie from Mamma" or ITO
George from his own honey love-" or
something equally definite between
giver and recipient, but indefinite to the
clerk Such a package goes into the
unclaimed collection at the Dead Let
ter office and when the time arrives, is
sold to the highest bidder
Christmas is a particularly trying
IL oil
sorts of incredible things with their
gifts that go out of town, and they
seem to have a blind faith in the mail
service. They put articles in paper
that is not heavy enough to hold them,
often using wrapping paper that has
come to them from the shops, that is
wrinkled and marked and soiled. The
strings are weak and the knots half
tied. AS for the addresses, they are
something awful. The people that
W rite the addresses probably know
what is written. but it will take a
reader of hieroglyphics to decipher
them at the postoffice. The girl that
priles herself on penmanship that no
one can read without infinite pains,
scratches names on packages, and the
ignorant person puts other kinds of
scratches on his packages, while
others that write fairly well. are not
sure of their spelling or addresses. In
the hurry of handling thousands of
pieces of extra mail, the poStoffice
clerks have little time to spend in
deciphering addresses, expert though
they be. A neat package in firm paper,
tied with strong Irvine and plainly
addressed will go through the mails
promptly and in good condition, but
a sloppy bundle, carelessly addressed.
if it arrives at all will disgrace the
sender, and if it does not arrive will
find its way to the Dead Letter office.
and in the course of few months it
will be sold ut auction.