The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-12-05
CYRUS FOUNDED
POSTAL SYSTEM
Persian King Maintained Relays
of Mounted Men at Fixed
Stations.
IN AMERICA FROM SETTLEMENT
North Dakota Postmaster Traces
Origin and Growth of Postal Sys-
tem-PauI Revere's Ride Cow
cred Regular Postal Route.

jamestown, ~ D.-The earliest
known postal system was that estab-
lished in $50 B. c. by Cyrus the Elder,
king Of Persia, who maintained relays
OF mounted men at fixed stations,
ready at moments notice to forward
the kings messages from post to post,
DR.. X. A. Bolton, jamestown postmas-
ter, said in an address at San Fran
cisco before the National League Of
Postmasters, In which he traced the
origin and growth of the postal sys-
tenn
He said that systems similar to that
established by King Cyrus, existed
among the Romans in the time of Au-
gustus, B. G. 81, and postal system
was fully develOted in connection
with the great military roads; but like
the Persian. the Roman system Of
posts existed for the use of the state
alone. Letters were not carried for
private individuals.
Commerciaized in Twelfth Century.
Charlemagne established O postal
system in France in 807 A. D., but the
first actual letter-post for commercial
purposes appears to have originated
in the Housetowns early in the
Twelfth century, and century later
the University of Paris established an
efficient postal system which continued
till the beginning of the Eighteenth
century.
China maintained a postal system
from a very early date, and Marco
Polo, Venetian traveller, tells us that
in his day, about 1880 A. D.. there
were about $4,000 post stations and
100000 horses for the use of the Chi
nese government in carrying its mes
sages, fresh horse and rider being
furnished every 25 miles.
The post office existed in America
from It's earliest settlement. Original
ly it was merely Il receptacle in the
coffee-house where letters arriving
from abroad were deposited to be
taken by those to whom they were ad-
dressed or carried to them by their
neighbOrs.
The first legislation on the subject
is found in the records Of the general
court of Massachusetts for 1889, and
the next in the Colonial law Of vir-
ginia in 1856. The Colonial law of
Virginia required every planter to pro-
vide messenger to convey dispatches
as they arrived to the next plantation
and so on, on pain Of FORGETTING a hogs
head of tobacco for default.
Gradually postal service was es-
tablished between the several colonies
along the Atlantic coast. and In 1872 |
there was "a post to go monthly from
New York to Boston,
Franklin First Postmaster.
In 1879 Benjamin Franklin was APP |
pointed postmaster at Philadelphia |
and later entered upon duties similar |
to those of a postmaster general. In |
1853 he was appointed deputy cost |
master general for the colonies. 1t |
was lucrative office and he held 1t |
until 1774, when he was dismissed be-
cause of his sympathy for the colon
lists in their quarrel with England.
In 1775 the continental congress ap-
pointed Franklin postmaster general.
Under his management post offices and
postal routes were established from
Maine to Georgia. These routes were
also used to spread knowledge Of acts
Of congress and the progress of the
revolution. At the outbreak of hos
tilities between the colonists and Eng
land there were really two postal sys-
tens, the British or parliamentary
system, and the constitutional post Of
ace. IT is not generality known that
Paul Revere's famous ride was taken
IN travelling along his regular postal
route.
Growth OF the postal system. ms
since been rapid