Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-14
Uncle Sam and His Youngsters,

yes" said Uncle Sam. continuing his
talk with the girls and boys, the way
our country has grown is traly wonder
ful Did you ever stop to think how China
and some of the oriental countries have
been in the growing business for thousands
of years without making any visible
progress? China may boast a population
of four hundred millions or more, but as
the Chinese lived I'VE thousand years ago.
SO most of them live today. Some time
you will wish to find out the causes that
make Americans leave many other races
50 far behind In the march of progress.
Please tell u.s. Uncle Sam, what we
have improved in most?''
That Is not an easy question, but II
you like figures you will find some inter-
esting ones that show you how the post
office service has grown. In 1I6O Benjamin
Franklin was CARRYING mail from Boston
to Philadelphia In one week. Now, that
is less than 150 years ago."
Did you think that was fast travelling.
Uncle Sam?'
"Ah now I have caught you mapping. If
you recall your dates you win see that
176O was about fifteen years before my
time. But the Bostonians did $stsssk they
were doing wonders to write to Fhfladel-
phia and get answer in f;so weeks.
After our independence was finally set
tled-that is, after our second war with
Great Britain, the postal improvement be-
gan. The rate per quarter ounce for let
tiers was like this:
Under 40 miles cents
Under 30 miles. ..........-..........1 10 cents
nnaer i 10y miles. -iza cents
Un9er 5Oo mIes-.-...- .......I1 cents
o ~ 2Wo cents
I'm Isle letter postage was reduced reduced from
8 cents to Ga cents for thirty miles In
1S45 the rate came down to cents for 300
miles or less. In 1868 1t became cents
anywhere in the Union for each half ounce.
BY 1885 it had become 2 cents for each
ounce. Before long ii is certain to come
down to l cent an ounce, for we have be-
come the greatest letter-writing people on
the globe. The average per year for our
S0,000.0o0 people is 10 letters each.
THE railway postal cars alone now form
great system by which the mail is as
sorted as 1t travels, thus saving time The
money-order department is an enormous
banking system for the convenience of all
the nation. Newspapers within their own
countries are carried free, and magazines
are carried for less than Ii costs, because
our Uncle Sam believes they help to edu-
cate the people, and you know Uncle Sam
does believe In education. Then there is q
free delivery. They have had that in cities
ever since 1882 and within the last few
years 1t has come to many country places"
rs that where the@frauds have been late
ly, Uncle Sam?"
Yes. l am sorry to say that while I was
trying to extend free delivery to our good
friends in the country and had intrusted
the work to men in whom 1 had confidence
some of them were so selfish and SO very
ungrateful as to put all the money they
could get into their own pockets. I tell
you. my dear boys and girls. dishonesty in
people I trust pains me more than almost
anything else. That is why 1 like the little
clubs you have formed at some places for
the practice of good citizenship.
That reminds me, too, of something
read the other day about girl who was
found scrubbing the back fence. The con-
versation ran:
What are you doing, dear?
Keeping the city clean
Who told you to do it?
Nobody told me. 1 found out in our
civics class that ought to help, and they
say home is the place to begin Civics
teaches US to be good citizens, you know
How old are you?
Eight and half
Eight and a half? And you study
civics?'
'Cfvics? Why yes! They have that in
the baby room at our school.
Right around the corner. Oh, civics Is
the most fun of anything! You just ought
to visit orr Schop1