Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-10-22
MODEL GERMAN POST
RECALL SOME HISTORY
Postal Service Dates Back to
Ancient History-Weu Or
gained Under Caesar.

Washington, Osr. In connection
with the oyhib4t turned eve to the
National museum by the post office
department there are three mail wagon
models from Germany. which prove OF
considerable interest on account OF the
present disturbances in that country.
These three models were fashioned
by an expert metal worker named
Robert Liebscher. Of Dresden. Ger
many, In the latter part Of the 18th
typical German post carriers Of the
18th and 18th centuries. The largest is
a four horse coach built to
date about IL passengers n carry
several sacks of mail. 1t is complete
to the minutest detail. and painted q
bright yellow with black trimmings
and the German arms emblasoned on
the doors. The other models are
smaller. n being a single horse mail
cart, labelled "Kaiserl. Deutsche
Post" and the sther a two-wheeled
chatse. Both the latter were used for
any passenger travel along b post
routes.
1t may not be generally realized that
the origin Of the post system, which
has developed Into one Of the most
effective instruments OF civilization,
old testament. In those early times
the fore runner OF the postal service
wa maintained by monarchs and in
dividuals in authority, whose slaves
and ervants acted as couriers, deliver
ing messages n relaying each other
when the distances were great. The
first system Of this sort Is credited to
the Persian empire In 800 B. c.: Cyrus
the Elder posted a number of mounted
cour1ers at different stations within his
CONAN situated about a days journey
apart. that he might receive his pro
Vinpfl ronnrtr 1r;{f,~,,% lS1-.
From the Latin word "positus,"
stationed. this method of COM
munlcat1on by means of relays placed
at different points along the roads,
came to be known as a post system,
and eventually as the postal system of
today.
In the time of Caesar, about SIS B. c..
the courier service was well organized.
and 1T Is said that letters sent by him
from Britain. to Cicero at Rome
reached their destination in 20 or %
Gays. scarcely any private messages
were el1Ver under this early or
Der. but gradually the messengers of
the oIIlc1als came to carry letters for
lnd1V1duals addressed to the same town
OF city toward which they journeyed.
AT the end Of Third centruy. how
ever. emperor Diocletian appears to
nave been the first who installed a
public postal system, and later Theo-
dof1c h Great. Charlemagne. and
others built Up such services for COM
munlcation with all parts of their en-
pres. A report on a 18th century or
ganlzatlon OF China, which Included
some 10000 stations, Is made by Marco
Polo, and 1t is also known that the
ancient Aztecs of Mexico had a foot
messenger system which was remark
AMY complete n efficient.
Near the end of the 18th century the
University of Paris established routes
IN HI2nca nr1p1rG11xy fr~ ~. lz.-.c.L -
Its students. but eventually for out
slders as we'll. Louis XII maintained
1lrst a private mounted messenger ser.
wee. and later. in 1864, installed post
stations on all the main roads Of
France.
The first actual letter post of Ger
many seems to have been established
In the Hanse towns in the latter nart
OF the 18th or the early part Of the 18th
centuries. A line Of letter posts fol-
owed. connecting Austria with Lom-
hardy, in the reign OF Maximilltan
d459-1519l. which is said TO have been
n by Franz OF Thurn and
Iax1s. who established another most
route In 1915 from Vienna to Brussels
connecting the more distant parts Of
the domain OF Charles ". The fanny
or the Prince Of Thurn and Taxis con.
tinued to hold certain rights with re-
gard 70 the German postal system until
1876, their posts being entirely distinct
from those Of the crown.
IN l522 g route was laid out between
Vienna and Nuremburg. while Charles
V established a permanent riding post
from the Netherlands through Liege
Treves, spire. and Rnetphausen'
through Wurtemberg. AurteInbare'
Augsburg, and Tyrol to, Italy.
With the increase of correspondence
the courier system became inefficient
and wagons were introduced. Cores.
pondence itself induced travel. 40 be-
fore long. post wagons with seats for
several people appeared on the high
ways; and a combination Of post and
travel stages resulted. In some places
the mail and passengers were kept sep
arate, post chaises, driven by postbovs
or Positions, being rented from sta
ton to station. the mail still going By
on long trips, as was the case in Ger.
many especially the post and passen-
gers went together In great stage and
mall coaches, similar to the large model
In the National museum collection.