The Washington herald., 1907-10-16

Every souvenir post card mailed in the
United States is helping to wipe out the
deficit in the Post-ofice Department. The
average cost to the government of ham
ding and transporting mail is about eight
cents pound. II requires 10 post cards
10 weigh a pound. As each card requires
one cent postage, the government receives
$lO a pound for carrying the cards. a
profit of 1.l2 pound. On letter mail the
government makes proft of about sew
enty cents pound, while on books It loses
four cents a pound and on newspapers
and magazines it loses seven cents a
pound. The book and newspaper mail
causes the deficit The post cards are
pulling the department out of the hole.
No count of the souvenir cards mailed
in the United States in one day has ever
been made. but tie total is estimated to
be about two million a day, which means
$4,000 day for one-cent stamps added to
the receipts of the pOst-offices. Techni-
cally, there is a difference between postal
cards and post cards. The former postal
the cards prepared by the government,
with the stamp engraved on the card.
The post cards are the cards prepared by
private persons. and to which an oTdi-
nary stamp must be affixed. While the
post card is of much later origin. it has
become fad and has driven the postal
card almost into oblivion.
The Dead Letter Office In Washington
receives every day 10000 postcards which
have failed to reach their destination be-
cause of imperfect address, or because
delivery has been made impossible for
some other reason. In addition 10 these
dead post cards. the same Office daily
receives 10000 to 1900 "unmaiable' post
cards. So it is that every day $1,000 post
cards are gone over in the POSt-OtiCe De-
paTtment. declared dead, and dumped into
the NAV of a blazing furnace
The souvenir postcard fad is the most
far-reachfng and all-pervading fad that
the world has known It affects every
spot on the globe, and it is the fad of
rich and poor alike. It is one Of the
few twentieth century time-savers that
did not originate in America. The
souvenir feature was Undoubtedly the
cause Of the first popularity of the
picture post card in Europe. But. after
awhile people began to discover in the
picture post card great saver of time,
labor and trouble. The veXing question
OF occasional correspondence was solved.
On post card a half dozen words Is
enough. If a message of like import
should be couched in such abrupt Eng
lish in a letter it would be an affront
But post card is different. and every
body likes TO get a post card, and every
body understands.
Uncle Sans Post-office is not the only
concern that is making good money out
of the fad. The postcard business has
reached the dignity of an industry. A
very few years ago the travellers return
ing from Europe would look upon the
little sidewalk stands where post cards
were sold in New York and tell tale Of
the beautiful postcard shops Of Paris
where they sold nothing but post cards.
Now the United States has caught step
New York has its postcard shops. and
all the summer resorts last season sup
ported such establishments. Washing
ton has seven shops which devote them
selves exclusively to post cards. One Of
these sells an average Of $50 worth each
day. The postcard concession at Mt
Vernon, the home and tomb OF Washing
Atlls II WI III 0UlllClLAllS- lUI llle uail4
average OF postcard sales this past sum-
mer was 800.
One Washington postcard dealer who
has two large shops, and makes a bust
ness Of catering TO the tastes of collec-
tors, has more than 1900 different va
rieties IN stock. He can supply souvenir
cards from almost any city on the globe,
and Will then give you several thousand
fanny cards n el1Arf a
several hundred different views of the
Capitol, and more than fifty Of the White
House. New York multiplies views Of
her skyline, and. gives a total of nearly
a thousand varieties from which to select
Thus with all the greater cities. and SO
on down 10 the tiniest villages in the
country. No place is so small or so re-
mote that il cannot have its own souve-
mir post cards for the chance visitor to
mail away or to keep for his own col
lection.
The ubiquitous camera is responsible
for ths spread of the postcard fad into
the Businesses Of the backwoods. The
sale Of the photo post cards in blank is
enormous. These are cut to the required
size and have the necessary printing on
the face to insure their admission to the
mail at the 1-cent rate. The other side is
sensitized and ready TO receive any photo
graph. The local photographer in every
village has a stock of pictures Of the
churches, the courthouse. the local sol
diers' monument and such things He
sells them at his gallery and leaves a
supply on sale at the drug store or post
Office
Maybe the town boasts a boy OF girl
who is a camera fiend. What town does
not? Then there Is sure 10 be "a post
card review Of all the fine bits Of scenery
in the neighborhood, of mountain brooks
and ruminating herds and the harvest
home. II there is a historic legend at
taching to some old home then that old
house Is as sure to get on a postcard as
postcards are sure TO be sent through the
mails. There is no escaping the fad
The thirteen-year-old boys armed
with cameras, went about the streets Of
a Southwestern town. When they spied
baby playing in a yard they would get a
snapshot. The picture would be printed
on a post card. The boys would again
seek the house, ring the bell. and inquire
for the mother of the baby. What mother
could resist buying a few Of the cards for
10 cents apiece? AS the imprinted cards
may be bought for N.35 a gross, and as
films are not expensive. the two boy
camera fiends made their fun quite
profitable.
While the souvenir feature still COM
mands the greater portion OF the post
card business, and while most people still
send cards to show where they have been
and what they have seen. it is a fact that
tn eraat many of tie faaaiatr q -.