The Glenwood post., 1923-04-05
Uncle Ted's Bed Time Stories
Current Events for the Children
and 0rown-ups, Too
THE RoMANoz OF TIE STAMP

"'I've finished my letter to Grand
ma" said Jack.
$50 have l." answered Ruth, "but
I can't find any stamps.
81 think I've got some somewhere"
answered Jack. Let me look.'
A few minutes later, Jack returned
minus the stamps and at the same mo-
ment Uncle Ted appeared upon the
scene.
"Why look so worried, Jack?" said
Uncle Ted.
'.We've just finished our letters to
Grandma, but we can't mail them be-
cause we haven't any stamps"
''That's all right, kiddies, Uncle
Ted has some stamps right here in his
wonder when you write to Grandma and
then hunt for stamps if you realize
what tremendous organization is
back of that little red piece of paper
that will carry your message thous-
ands of miles if necessary"
"You promised US story tonight"
said Jack
That's true, Jack, and I'm going
to tell you something about the ro
nance of that stamp. The Postoffice
department Of our country is not only
the largest postal institution in the
world, but it is the largest business.
When Ex-senator Harry S. New of
Indiana became postmaster general on
March 4 of this year, succeeding DR..
Hubert Work, who was appointed sec
retary Of the interior, he became the
head of probably the most perfect
business organization in existence.
Few people realize the extent and mag
nitude of the machinery back Of ths
little stamp which carries their let
ters. Every hour, every minte of ev-
cry day in the year, someone in the
postal system is helping conduct the
thousands of business transactions and
private correspondence of our people.
AS Postmaster General New said in
his first talk to postal employees:
''To carry on business of the
magnitude of the postoffice de-
partment, the system must be de-
veloped to the highest possible
degree, and from the opportunities
I have had in the brief time l
have been connected with the ser
vice, [ am persuaded that nowhere
has system been more highly per
feeted, and nowhere more rigidly
observed and respected than it is
in the transmission of the mails
''It IS hard for us to realize, kid.
dies, that the men and women or the
postal system handle more than THIR
TEEN BILLION letters each year
which is about ONE MILLION, EIGHT
HUNDRED THOUSAND EVERY
HOUR. Three billion parcels are han
died and the department maintains tht
largest savings bank n the world wifi
more than five hundred thousand de
postors."
''You know those mail sacks we SET
at the staton,'' said Jack. "Hov
many of those are used, Uncle Ted?'
"Jack, SIXTY-FIvE MILLION
mail sacks are used and about mil
lion miles of twine is used each year
enough to go around the earth 35 O
40 times.
"Those figures give you a bette
idea of the enormous system back o
the postage stamp than anything
could say, but I want to get back t
the stamp itself before it is too late
] have spoken of the Romance of tn
Stamp and the story back of it
romantic. More than rs years ag
a man by the name of Rowland Hi
had to stay all night at a little Ems
lish inn on the coast of Britain,
While he was sitting in the livin
room of the inn a postman arrive
with letter for the landlord s daugl
ter. After looking the envelope ovt
carefully from one end to the oth'
she asked the postman what IL
charges were. His answer was 'or
shilling 'But I haven't enoul
money to pay it, she replied, wher
upon Mr.. Hill came to her rescue,