The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-08-27

Florida State League of Postmasters
/ of the third and fourth class was held
in the city of Ocala on August 18th
and 18th.
/ There was a good attendance.
Postmaster George C. Crom, in an
exceedingly appropriate address, well
coined the postmasteTs to the city of
Ocala. His address was very much
enjoyed.
! In the absence of j. w. Lundy, pres
! ident of the league, who was prevent
ed from attending by unavoidable cir
cumstances, Mr.. c. c. Peck of Brooks
vile was made temporary president,
and presided during the sessions of
! the league.
Many important topics were dis
cussed and important papers read.
! Mrs. Anna E. Allen, assistant post
master of Orange Park, and treasurer
of the league, made an address on
Recent Department Orders, and
Their Benefit to the Service"
She spoke as follows:
Recent Department Orders and Their
Benefit to the Service
| There have been a number OF de-
partment orders, from which undoubt-
eddy the service has accrued consider
able benefit, but as l am a new be-
ginner in the service, will only take
up those that have recently been or
dered, in fact, the ones within the
past year and half, the time have
: Deen in office, and of which l can
speak of my own knowledge.
, First. The establishment of the 2
cent letter rate to Great Britain in
October, 1908, followed by the order
tor the same rate to Germany in Feb
ruary, 1909, will without doubt prove
of the greatest benefit. not only to the
postoffice department from the rev.
enues which will be derived from the
increased postage, but to the nation
at large, for, looking. backward
through countless ages to a time
when human life was nothing but a
struggle for existence, we find that in
dividuals survived who were best
adapted TO meet the emergency. At
first physical strength won the battle,
but after long years he who was cum
ming as we'll as strong was the victor.
Thus we come to a physical change,
often at the expense of the physical.
With this variation came the
lengthening of childhood and conse
quently the family tie. When several
children were born in family it was
at once necessary to recognize rela-
tionship and share equally, thus Gre
ating a complete recognized family,
which is the unit of our modern civil
ization. From the recognition of fam
lilies followed that of Llood relation.
ship, which developed into clans hav-
| ing their stockaded dwellings. There
was still separation between clans,
and as a natural result warfare was
continuous, and it became obvious to
the mere skillful leaders that unison
with the clans nearest them not only
fortified them against attacks, but
made them more formidable against
more foreign foes; hence the fOrma-
ton of large tribes or nations. AS
more territory was in this way united,
it became necessary for the various
clans to have runners" for the pur-
pose of communication between the
several chiefs, that they might work
together.
ALI this was a slow process of evo-
luton, and grew constantly with the
vantages became apparent of large
nations and treaties of peace we're
made between them the runners" or
''couriers," still carried the news from
one nation to another. 1t would be
useless to dwell on the evolution from
here on of the mail system, since it
is already of such gigantic proportions
that the smallest children know the
meaning of letter or a postofice.
Yet, familiar as it is to so many,
there are few who think of it outside
of their own country, and would doubt
the statement that our large ocean
liners of today carry tons of mail on
each voyage.
Such is the growth of communica-
ton between nations and the indica-
ton of increasing friendliness, that
we at once revert to our ancestral
form of family unions, clans, tribes,
ETC., and draw from it a glimpse of
our future. We can plainly see the
enrichment Of the different nations
by coming in close communication
with another by the exchange of mer-
chandise, business ideas, ETC., and
that personal correspondence is rapid-