The National tribune., 1906-12-20

way now. Here Is Uncle Mack's box.
He is a good old Methodist preacher
and a good farmer. too. See his fine
fields of short staple Sea Island cotton
and corn. We have three boxes to serve
here. Now, we will drive down to the
| old Keel post office. There are nine
boxes here. Now We go southeast six
| miles. by beautiful farms. thru pines
| which are dripping and odorous with
turpentine and musical with the songs
OF the negro turpentine hands. Now
we pass a turpentinc still. cross the
creek and come in sight of Brooklet;
cross the railroad and go up thru the
beautiful oak-shaded streets of this lit
tie hamlet: stop at the post office, ex-
change mail, and off we go northeast to
old Black post Office"
He Is Dissatisfied.
One incumbent is sorely tempted not
to be respectful to his superior" an
Inspector who told n carrier if he didn't
want to carry it there was lots of bare
footed boys in town that would take
the job
The writer says: 81 always try to be
pleasant and courteous to Inspectors,
but l think l would have told him that
was so, and they would always be bare
footed, too, as long as they carried mail
at present salary. 1t is immaterial with
me whether they lengthen or shorten
my route. Unless 1 get more for il
before Winter again some barefooted
boy can surely have my job. And to
show my sympathies for him I will get
him the first pair of shoes to start with,
for l am sure he will never have an
other"
A Wife s'Gets On"
The rural carriers stumble on picnics
sometimes and fare sumptuously. Their
wives seldom participate, but OCCASION
ally are invited. Then there is likely
to be trouble. One wife narrates her
experience from Colorado. Isl asked
the guide if he hadn't a knack of turn
ing the creek water into grape juice.
No, / haven't says the guide; but
when We get up in the canyon I'll show
you feller who has
Hes our meat, Mack
II heard 81 whisper to little old fat
man in our party.
Bet your life he whispered back,
neither of 'em thinkin' l heard 'em.
So 1 says to myself, I'll be there when
the miracles begin workin' in the can
yon,' but / never let on. We finally
struck the mouth of the canyon and
tied up the boats and explored it on
foot. 1t was a red-hot July day, and
when we'd gone up half a mile we sud-
denly came to the Devils jug, another
formation of nature. and ST lowed it'd
of jugs, and maybe the feller this jug
was named for. We soon got busy
spreadin' lunch, and pretty soon l sees
Mr. Mack and ST wink at the guide and
mosey up to the stand. l never said
word, but i slipt up real close and heard
Mack say, with a wink, Gimme a Bel
fast ginger ale Make it two says ST.
Make il three heard Bert say, who'd
also overheard the whisperin' Bert
had married one of Mack's daughters
Make it three Bert says. and they
daren't kick. Make it unanimous,
says /, and / slept right out as i seen
the feller tryin' to hide three quart bot
ties of Blue Ribbon beer. so this is
the miracle worker, is it?' says i. TT
was a measly trick in you, 81, and you
ought to be ashamed to sneak around
and act lie for bottle of beer /
didn't say anything to Mack's folks, for
he sneaked away, and all afternoon
whenever l spoke about ginger ale they
tried to turn the conversation"
Help TO Good Roads.
Rural delivery is a great help in
building good roads 1t is also a great
educational force, in that it permits Il
wider and freer dissemination of lit
erature and works of science and art
1t offers the farmer the advantage of
daily knowledge of the markets, and
tlIlli ~ liht duNdii-
tage of the mail promptly. More letters
are written; more papers are taken;
the registry and money-order business
is enlarged, and in scores of ways ii, in
blessing, brings blessings in return.
The authority to establish post offices
and post roads. exercised by the Federal
Government under the Constitution, is
one legitimate function capable of bcne-
fitting all the people of the country. 1t
q c.
tablishment in which the citizens have
constitutionally agreed that a sufficient
amount of the public revenues shall be
devoted to supplying business and social
communication.
Free Delivery Medicine.
Up in the hills of New England and
| in other isolated sections of the country
eminent physicians are recommending
| the establishment of rural free-delivery
| mail service as a cure of melancholia
and a preventive against suicide. Be
| fore the establishment of rural delivery
dwellers in sparsely settled and desolatc
| localities were slowly becoming unciv-
ilized because of infrequent contact with
| the outside world. Loneliness was fol-
| lowed by distress. distress followed by
distraction and distraction induced self
destruction. To-day the rural carrier
| is more welcome visitor to the homes
| OI IHeSe peOplc liidI the Country par
son or any other State or municipal
| functionary 1t Is this condition thru
out the rural districts which justifies
liberal allo wances for this comparative
| ly new branch of the Postal Service.
Does 1t count for nothing that this
service dispels in large measure that
isolation which makes life in the coun-
try less desirable than in populous GEN.
| ters?
| The Service Dispels Isolation.
| If there is one evil greater than all
others that threatens the social fabric
| of this Nation 1t is the constant trend
toward and the congestion in our cities
and towns The farmer is the actual
wealth creator; all other wealth is but
so much profit on his original creation
The Government, then, in using its
! means in building up an intelligent
contented and prosperous rural popula-
j ton is planting the seed of industry
where the harvest will be IAN hundred
! fold"
4 The trolley line and the telephone
have done much for the rural resident
but the rural service has done more
Not every man is within reach of &
!. trolley line, not every man can afford
a telephone, but the humblest either
may have his mali delivered at hi:
door.