Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-03-19

tain's nearest Continental nelgnpor
France took nine years to follow ou
the principles Of Rowland Hill. She
was even beaten in the race by Brazil
which had an admirably executed Sc
ries Of stamps as early as 1S43. Bra
I'll also beat Spain (1S50), Italy QS5D
Russia QS57), and Turkey 1S63). The
first issues Of France are admirable
the design Is striking but severe, the
engraving Is fine, and the color deer
and clean. But both in France ano
England the progress Of time only
produced poorer color and worse de-
signs. England first fell from her pin
nacle in 1880, when the old penny rec
became brick-red and looked worth
farthing: but the lilac and green issue
Of 1884 was perhaps the dullest ane
most monotonous Of all. The culminat-
ing point Of weak design and bad color
has been reached in the current half
penny stamp, which for the sloppiness
of its green and the proverty Of its work
manship is riva'ied, among many mod
ern Continental stamps, perhaps only
by the five-centime French and the
ve-pfennig German. But the tenden-
cy to deteriorate Is the same with al
the other Continental countries. Hol-
land and Belgium began with cameo
like portraits In strong healthy blues
and crimsons and oranges: they have
tyafN or
Spain issued first nobly massive por-
traiture of Isabella, and degenerateo
into light color and dulness with hel
baby. king" issue. The German en-
pire never had a good postage stamp;
but II never had a worse one than the
current green five-pfennig. Here the
design is even weaker than the color;
the drawing Of the right hand Of the
steel-clad warrior, who presumably
shakes the mailed fist, Is less sugges-
tive of Kaisermacht than Of the kinder
garten. Perhaps, however, the most
EIumpty Dumpty like fall Of all is thai
OF the great majority Of our own col
onies. Canada and Newfoundland, II
is true, have never slipped much be-
low the level of their first issue; but
contrast the earliest stamps Of Cey-
lon, st. Helena, the Cape Of GOOD
Hope, Natal, the Bahamas, South Aus
tralia, Queensland, Tasmania and New
Zealand with their later issues, and
notice the difference between the ad-
mirably delicate pictures Of Queen
Victoria in the sos and COS and the
cheap and undlstinctive designs OF the
issues OF today. If selection had to
be made of the ugliest postage stamp
in existence It would probable be the
1873 penny stamp of the Australian
colony of Victoria. To call the por-
trait Of the queen upon 1t ugly would
be fiattering; the coloring is pale
green upon a sickly yellow, and the
combined effect is appalling. 1t Is OF
this stamp that the punning philatelist
made the remark that "the Yankee
may boast that he licks creation, but
It would take man and an Australian
to lick that" 1t Is not very much
worse than some Of its contemporaries
The exception to the general decad'
ence of design and color Is to be found
of course in the postage stamps OF the
United States. A few modern issues
such as those Of the Soudan, Nortf
Borneo, Liberia and one or two OF the
West Indies, have been most elaborate
and beautifully executed but for
generally high level Of artistic care nc
stamps can approach the American
For what reason? In the European
and Colonial issues you are tempted tc
suppose that the gradual Transition
from extreme care in workmanship tc
ugly utility Is due to some reflected
recognition Of the hurry and press Of
modern life, and Of the needlessness OF
devoting time to the designing Of
what Is, after all, only mixture OF
receipt and a passport. You would
perhaps, expect the keen business heac
Of the American to carry him along
similar lines Of thought, and to result
in the production Of equally ugly
stamps. But 1t does not. Is the rea'
son, then, to be found in search az
ter increase of revenue, such as tempt
ed some of the Central and Soutf
American republics to contract for
yearly issue of fresh specimens in the
hope of attracting purchases from
philatelists. That will hardly do
More probably the answer is to b
found in the superabundant vitality Of
nation which, like a busy man, still
has more time than the idle to devote
to apparently unimportant business
Doubtless the whole business of the
designing of postage stamps cannot be
called important; but the progress OF
the designing is not without Interest
as a bypath in the study of nationa
character. The Spectator.