The National tribune., 1906-06-07

I tulas; photographs and washboards-a
medley which family indicates how in
| timately our superb postal system en-
| ters into the domestic and commercial
| life Of all the people.
The Faithful Men in Gray.
Letter carriers are the pets of the
! public and the aristocracy OF the Postal
Service. Their uniforms identify them
proudly with the dignity and grandeur
| OF our National Government. They alone
come in direct contact with the mass of
| the people, and they, forgetting all the
| clerks and route agents who handle
their letters, give them most of the
credit for the marvellous speed and ac-
| curacy of the Postal Service. They are
| the gentlemen at the top Of the wall'
who do all the work. Patient toilers
make the brick; other patient toilers
| haul them to their destination; still 9TH
ers carry them in hods up to the fourth
| or fifth story on dizzy iadders-the car
riers are the gentlemen" in neat gray
| uniforms and bright brass buttons, who
| get all the credit for building the house.
They earn all they get, both of public
favor and emoluments Of office. They are
entitled to 1t all and more. They have
earned public favor by their character
and conduct, by their industry and
courtesy. They have secured their fair
| but not extravagant salary and their
| ganization. To the Civil Service law.
| honestly administered and the Letter
Carriers Association they owe much of
| the advancement they have made in
| lettering their condition within the past
IL years.
| in Scotland who was called "Posty."
"Posty" was addicted to having nip
now and then, and his Is miles of daily
service was punctuated at least five
times by a glass Of "speerits," as this
confession of his will show:
"A'll no deny that a TAX ma mornin'
and maybe forenoon, WI a drap doom
at Pitscoolie aidter ma dinner, and just
| a mouthful at Lucky Macpherson's COM
in thro' Nitheraird, and a body needs
something afOre he goes tae bed; but
that's ma ordinair' leemit; but gin a m
| JUST a wee overcom'-a've never been
| intoxicat like the puir regardless toon
waufies-a sit doom for half an DOR and
| reflect on the dispensations o Provi-
dence."
Imagine, IL you can, letter carrier
OF this age and country being Gust a
wee overcom'" sitting down and reflect
ing on the dispensations of Providence.
Our letter carriers are not built that
| way" They go swinging along about
their business, cheerful, alert. ti,'ciess
and prompt. They have no time to sit
down and reflect, for 1t Is up and at
1t" with them from morning to night.
Money Orders for Savings.
Our postal money-order system is be-
ing to a considerable extent used as a
savings bank. No interest Is received on
the deposits, but the investment IS safe.
The process Is to purchase an order
payable to ones self and hold until the
money Is wanted. Among those who
use this method OF saving funds are
many theatrical people. The savings
bank does not appeal to those who leave
New York and do not expect to return
for many weeks. Road companies get
stranded, and 1t serves an actor or ac-
tress much better to write to friend
at home, inclosing mOney-order, and
ask the friend to get the money from
the post Office than to write to the same
friends and ask the loan of money
At the New York Office short time
since $1,000 was paid out to Maggie
Cline on orders drawn on herself while
out on the road. Not long ago a Jug
| gler, who had been out with Barnum's
| Circus, presented orders PAYABLE to him.
self aggregating $4,000. He was asked
| for identification, and said he could not
prove his identity except by Autographs.
1 He unrolled poster, representing him.
| self between two bull dogs and endeav-
| oring to look as fierce as possible. The
clerk told him that II he could make
| himself look as he did in the Autograph
| he could have the money. The perform
er took off his hat. mussed up his hair
and made a face. The clerk Immediately
| counted out the money
| Watchful Care Exercised.
| As soon as letter is dropped in the
| mail box, whether 1T contains something
| OF intrinsic worth, or simply information
| of value TO the addressee, the sender
4 must rely, SO far as the certainty of de-
| livery is concerned, upon the honesty of
| those who handle the mail and on it's
security In transit. To guard the inter-
| ests of the millions who use it's mails 1t
| is necessary not only that the Depart
J ment have the use of railroads and
steamboats, and other conveyances and
| a great force Of efficient clerks and car
/ riers, but IL is equally important that
| those who handle the mails be kept
| under reasonable surveillance and that
| the vehicles OF transit and the Offices OF
/ deposit be protected from the onslaughts
of thieves This is the work of Post
/ Office Inspectors.
i Provisions for Safety.
i The Post Office Department is con-
stantly bringing the money order and
+, registry business closer to the people,
and is striving through its agents to
encourage the use of these systems as
/ much as possible. This is for the bene-
ut OF the puDllc and Is also saving OF
labor. There Is a large force of clerks
i employed at Washington I'm returning
1 money and other vaiuables lost in the
mails. of which 1T Is difficult to locate
the owners. Many senders forget to
sign their full names to letters contain
ing valuables or address them illegibly
Often money and other articles fall on,
OF their wrappings. and are found scat
tered loose in the mail pouch or on the
floor.
A Fraud ON the Revenues.
\ When Queen Victoria began to reign
IL cost ninepence to send a letter from
one English city to another. In those
days the postage vas paid by the re-
: ceiver, and there were many poor peo-
pie who could not afford 10 pay nine.
pence when their mail arrived. Thus
II often happened that they were OBJ
liged to forfeit the letters. One day
Rowland Hill was riding on the out.
skirts of a city. and he saw a postmar
bring a letter To young girl and de.
mand ninepence for u. The girl took
the letter, scrutinixed II carefully and
then handed u back TO the man, sayins
she could not afford 90 pay the postage
Thereupon Mr.. Hiii. being a kind heart.
ed man. rode up and insisted upon pay.
tuM IL httaG~lf When A. .xo~t - 4