The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1907-02-07

Paper Read Before the Cha,tauQuG Circle
A CERTAIN London family had
~ long been accustomed to hold
ing weekly devotional service.
At these times the servants
were allowed to select the hymn num-
bers, but on this occasion the one
selected was singularly inappropriate.
The girl was asked why she had made
this selection and seemed very reiuc-
tant to answer. Being pressed for a
reply, said: 81 chose my policeman's
number. It was the only one /, could
think Of"
Perhaps some of you may wonder at
my selection of topic>aDd gently in
~quire: "What does he know about
money!" Several years ago while in |
Washington, D. C.,I was one of party
conducted thru the Bureau of Engrav-
ing and Printing and the Treasury
departments. In this paper have en-
deavored to write about some of the
things saw at that time, also some
things that did not see.
1t might appear preposterous to as
sert that there are fashions in money
as there is in clothing and furniture,
and yet influences have been at work
in this country during the past few
years which, had they been exerted in
a different sphere than the realm of
monetary wealth, would probably have
been productive of what is known as a
"fad." This growth of popular taste
has been in the direction of prefer
ence for paper money. 1t is not sought
to intimate, of course, that any portion
OF the public, including myself, has
looked with scOrn upon money simply
because it was characteriZed~b the
weight and bulk of silver, but merely
that those people who have plenty of
this worlds goods have come to favor
the crisp, new greenbacks in preference
even to glittering gold. The reason for
this is not hard to find. The paper
money may be carried more conven-
iently and is more readily handled. It
is hardly necessary to add that the
writer has neither carried, handled, nor
seen any of this elusive article for a
good round period.
Ali the same this increased demand
for paper money has added very much
to the work on Uncle Sans shoulders.
Doubtless many persons who have
handled old paper dollars that were
hopelessly worn and tattered imagined,
if they thought about it at all, that
these veterans continued in the service
of mankind until they were literally
worn to tatters, and yet, as a matter OF
fact, the national government keeps
constantly busy at Washington ar
army of between three thousand anC
four thousand men and women whose
cole duty is the destruction of tht
worn out currency, which comes bach
to the national capital to die, officially
and the substitution of bright new bill'
to take the place of the dilapidatet
currency which has made it's last jour
ney from pocketbook to pocketbook.
The life of paper note, and especi
ally those of small denomination, sucl
as the one, two and five dollar bills. il
much shorter than the average persOl
would imagine-barely two years, il
fact. "The average life," ssys Ridge
ways Weekly, "of United States not
is approximately three and seventeenth
years; of treasury note, two and one
tenth years; of gold certificate, thre
years; of a silver certificate, year an
q half; and national bank note, thre
and four-ffth years. The note o
greatest longevity is the one hundre
dollar bill: the shortest lived is the to-
thousand dollar bill"
This explains how it is possible fo
four hundred printing presses 9
Washington to remain ever busy th
year around turning out the fresh note
or greenbacks without any danger {
violating the law, which says "that th
United States may not issue more tina
$346, 600 of this kind of money
The manufacture Of currency, as Ca
ried on in that unique institutio
known as the Bureau of Engravin
and Printing, is one of the most int
esting activities to be found aHywhel
in the world.
Not all the work Of making Unc