Evening star., 1914-09-26
GERMAN POST Wagons /
AT NATIONAL MUSEUM
l 4
Models Of Typical Carriers AWakslE
Much Interest Due to the :
Present War. n
Origin Of Present System Dates
Back to Ancient History Credited
to the Perxian Empire. 4

In connection with the exhibit reos
emily turned over to the National NuA
scum by the Post Once Department.
there are three mail wagon models
from Germany. which prove Of considl
cradle interest on account Of the presA
ent disturbances In that country.
These three models were fashlened
by an expect metal worker named
Robert Liebzscher Of Dresden. osF1
many. in the latter part Of the nins-s
teenth century. and represent threa
types OF typical German post cafrter4
OF the eighteenth and nineteenth oena
turtles. Tho largest IL Q feur-hors4
coach built to accommodate abouo
twelve passengers and carry several
sacks OF mail. It 10 complete to thi
minutest detail, and painted q bslgh4
yellow with black trimmings and thS
German arms emblasoned on the
doors. The other models are smalloES
one being a single horse mail cart
labeled "Kafserl Deutsche Post" aud
the other a two-wheeled chatse. Both
the latter were used for mail alone
where there was little IL any passengo4
travel along the post routes.
II may not be generally realised
that the origin of the post system
which has developed into one Of thX
most effective instruments of civiliEas
ton, dates back to ancient hietory.
times OF the Old Testament. In those
early days the forerunner Of the postal
service was maintained by monarcho
ana Individuals In authority. whose
slaves and servants acted as couriers~
delivering messages and relaying eanl
otner wnen the distances were great,
Origin Of Post System.
The first system OF this sort n
credited to the Persian empire In 6sA
B. c. Cyrus the elder posted 4 nums
Der OF mounted courters at difserene
stations within his domain, situafed
about q days journey apart, that he
might receive his provincial reporta
without delay.
From the Latin word '.positua.s
meaning stationed, this methoS cp
- Hmmuhication by means of relays
placed at different points along the
roaos came to be known as . poet
system and eventually as the postsi
system OF today.
In the time of Caesar, about IS n C.
the courier service was we'll orRanizsA
ana 1t Is said that letters sent by him
from Britain to Cicero at Rome
six or twenty-eight days. scarcsiy
any private messages were delivered
under this early order, but gradually
the messengers Of the officiale came "a
carry letters for individuals addrosssd
to the same town or city toward when
they Journeyed. At the end OF the
third century. however. Emperor Diov
clettan appears to have been The ara&
who installed a public postal systenns
and later Theodoric the Great, ChAflo1
magne and others built up such sesvS
ices for communication with al psxti
OF their empires.
A report on a thirteenth-century 3el
ganization of China, which ineluds1
some 10000 stations, Is made BY MAsUl
Polo. and 1t Ii also known that he 81
messenger system which was femaSb1
ably complete and efficient. :.
Near the end OF the thirteenth oaDj
tury the University Of Paris estAbj
1ssss tss SshsS sSSs, & R r. 81
ally for outsiders an we'll Lou1e u
maintained frst q private mounted
messenger servfce, and latoEs In 1854
installed post stations on all the naklo
roads Of France.
First Actual Letter Pest !.
The first actual letter post o9 0eeJ
many seems to have been estnhlSGAo0
in the Hanse towns In the laktas post
Of the twelfth or the early part o2 I'D
thirteenth centuries. A line Of leeAsH
posts followed. connecting AusexiS
with Lombardy. In the reign OF NaxAs
millian (1459-15l9), which 10 said %
have been organised By Trans e
Thurn and Taxis. who established an
other post route in 1916 from Vienna
to Brussels, connecting the more die-
tant parts Of the domain OF Charles v.
The family OF the Prince Of Thurn and
with regard to the German postal sys.
tenn until 1906. their posts being ens
tirely distinct from those OF the GROWN.
In 1922 route was laid out between
Vienna and Nurembufg. while Charlee
v established q permanent riding post
from the Netherlands through Ltege.
Treves, Spire and Rheinhaussn:
through Wurttemberg, Augsburg. and
Tyrol to Italy.
with the increase Of correspondence
the courier system became iuemctenf
and wagons were introduced. Core
spondence itself induced travel; 20. be-
fore long. post wagons with seats Tor
several people appeared on the high.
travel stages resulted. In some pleces
the mail and passengers were kepe
separate, post-chaises. driven BY yoess
boys or postillions, being rented from
station to station. the mail stu gotn8
by courier as before. But IN oshee
places. on long trips, 40 was the caee
Ia Germany especially. the post ana
passengers went together IN groae
staee and mail coaches. similar 70 the
larSer model in the National MusevA
collection. ..
A Notable Ice Master. Y
From Tit-Bits.