The National tribune., 1906-06-07
s63,122,3S%

Sbo, o,lZZ.3o q
I tulas; photographs and washboards-s
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 i'm Gray.
!, Letter carriers are the pets of the
public and the aristocracy of the Postal
II Service. Their uniforms identify them
4 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
j 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 "gintlemen 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 ladders-the car
riers are the 'gintlemen" in neat gray
uniforms and bright brass buttons, vino
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 extrayagant salary and their
eigh-hour day by their intelligent or
ganizatfon. To the Civil Service law,
honestly administered, and the Letter
Carriers Association they owe much of
the advancement they have made in
| bettering their condition within the past
| Is years.
Ian MacLaren tells of letter carrier
in Scotland who was called "Posty.D
| 'Posty" was addicted to having nip
now and then, and his is miles of daily
| service was punctuated at least five
| times by glass of "speerits," as this
| confession of his will show:
"A'll no deny that q tax ma mornin'
and maybe forenoon, WI drap doom
at Pitscoolie aidter ma dinner, and juist
mouthful at Lucky Macpherson's COM
in thrO' Nitheraird, and a body needs
something afore he goes tae bed; hut
that's ma ordinair' leemit; but gin am
just a wee overcomf-a've never been
| intoxieat like the puir regardless toon
waufies-a sit doom for half an oor aid
reflect on the dispensations O. Preyi-
| 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
| thcb uuSiutsS, cHteTlul, alert, lGcieSS
and prompt. They have no time 10 sit
down and reflect, for II Is up and at
ii" with them from morning to night
Money Orders for Savings.
Our postal money-order system is be-
ing to 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-I
tress much better to write to a 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 a 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 s2,700. He was asked
for Identification, and said he could not
prove his identity except by Autographs
He enrolled poster, representing him
oring TO look as fierce as possible The
clerk told him that IL he could make
himself look as he did in the lithograph
he could have the money. The perform
er took OFF his hat. mussed up his hair
and made face. The clerk Immediately
counted out the money
Watchful Care Exercised.
As soon as letter is dropped in the
mail box, whether II contains something
of intrinsic worth or simply information
of value to the addressee, the sender
must rely, so far as the certainty of de-
livery is concerned, apon the honesty of
those who handle the mail and on its
security in transit. To guard the inter-
ests of the millions who use its mails ii
is necessary not only that the Depart
ment have the use of railroads aid
steamboats, and other conveylnces and
great force of efficient clerks and car
riers, but II is equally important that
those who handle the mails be kept
under reasonable surveillance and that
the vehicles of transit and the offices of
Fdeposit be protected from the onslauglfts
of thieves. This is the work of Post
Office Inspectors.
Provisions for Safety.
The Post Office Department is con-
stantly bringing the money-order andl
registry business closer to the people,
anu 6tiNiu6 tHiouSH It's dReIlIS IOI
encourage the use of these systems asI
much as possible. This is for the bene-
fit of the public and is also a saving of
labor. There is large force of clerksj
employed at Washington in returningl
money and other valuabes lost in thel
mails. of which it Is difficult to locate
the owners. Many senders forget tol
sign their full names to letters contain
ing vaiuables or address them illegibly.
Often money and other articles fall out
of their wrappings. and are found scat
| tered loose in the mail pouch or on the
| floor
Fraud on the Revenues.
When Queen Victoria began to reign
| II cost ninepence to send letter from
one English city to another. In those
days the postage was paid by the re-
ceIver, and there were many poor peo-
| pie who could not afford to pay nine
pence when their mail arrived. Thus
| 1t often happened that they were OBJ
| liged to forfeit the letters. One day
Rowland Hill was riding on the out
skirts of city, and he saw a postman
bring a letter to a young girl and de-
| mand ninepence for it. The girl took
the letter. scrutinized II carefully and
then handed It back to the man, saying
she could not afford to pay the postage.
Thereupon Mr.. Fill. being a heart
ed man. rode up and insisted upon pay
ing ii himself. Wnen the postrnan had
gone the girl confessed tn her henefae-