The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-02-02
INDIVIDUAL
is UNIT OF
POSTALSERVICE
History of Mail Delivery
Dates Back as Far as Sixth
. Century Before Christ

Washington, Feb. From the use
Of the dromedary in biblical times
to'the swiftly flying mail plane Of to-
day, the history of the letter, as q
written means of communication be-
tween peoples, was traced by Assist
ant Postmaster General w. Irving
Glover in a speech recently to post
masters and postal employees in
postal conference convention at Win
sten-Salem. N. c.
son the post Office job" he sad,
enothing can take the place of the
individual. While in many great in
dustries the human equation has
been reduced to minimum, no one
has yet invented anything to take
the place of man in the delivery
of letters. Today, as a hundred years
ago, we are dependent on the nerve
and the sense Of loyalty of human
being for the punctual delivery Of
our mail regardless of the weather
and everything else.
"The history of the postal service
goes back as far as the sixth CEN
fury B. C. and may be called the
handmade of civilization and, tracing
it from the dispatch bearer Of the
Assyrian and Roman times to the
airplane service of the present day,
the postal business has doubled IN
the last decade while the number of
employees has increased only nine
per cent.
''The use of postage stamps is now
so common and the mailing of let
tiers so general that it seems as il
there never was time when this
practice was unknown. But the
stamp itself is comparatively new
while the sending of letters is olde,
than Solomon.
-The Book of Esther in the 3ibl.
tells Of how King Ahasuerus, learn
ing from Queen Esther that Hamar
had ordered the death of all thu
Jews, commanded Mordecai to call to
gether the scribes and send letter!
to every province of the kingdom
forbidding the massacre. This is tn,
verse that describes the sending O
the messengers:
"And he wrote in the King Ahasue
rus name, and sealed it with tn,
Kings ring; and sent letters by post
on horseback, and riders on mules
camels and young dromedaries."
"The Romans, too, sent their let
tiers by mounted couriers. The cour
Ter carried the message about TWEEN
ty miles when he would come to
'posta' where another messenger wa
stationed with a fresh horse. He, i
turn, would be relieved by still ar
'ther courier. Thus relay after f.
ay the letter was sped on until g
asst it arrived at its destined 'posta
meaning station or stopping place
and from that word we obtain tn
word post as found in post ofic,
postcard and many similar words.
"In the times Of Benjamin Frank
in,. each letter was charged for
he sheet instead of by weight, an
llso for the distance it was carriet
Fen cents was charged for one shee
~ ScHIo 2oI IWU SHccIS, anu So VI
and for every fifty miles anothe
full fee was added. Envelopes wer
not used in those days, the lette
simply being folded up and sealed.
"And now we come to the staggel
ing figures showing the growth G
this great business. In every singl
hour of the "a there are mailed
100000 letters and in every day G
theses of the year, 100000 letter
slip into the box. To carry this grea
volume of letters, there was sol
fourteen billion postage stamps, S
million special delivery stamps, 8
million newspaper wrappers, 81 mi
lion postage due stamps used. o
short paid mail matter and billio
postal cards printed and sold, an,
all counted, we used and sold 18 bi
lion units during the last fiscal yea
And, again. to carry this vast quar-
tity. of mail we operate a very larg
motor truck service, having in opel
alton today ABB motor vehicles, an
then in the carrying of this volum
of mail by railroad it requires 21,OO
railway mail clerks who cover 215
600 miles daily."