Evening star., 1925-06-28

happiness for lovers under survell-
lance, the beacon of hope for the for
lorn. the channel Of aid for the dis
honest and a boon to the traveller.
There's an element in human nature
that rebels at isolation. Personal con-
tact can be foregone to a certain ex-
tent by almost everybody, but take
| away their mail and you have shut
| them Off completely from the world.
The many types Of deliveries in the
postal system satisfy, in some way or
other. the majority and it remains for
general delivery to be the godfather
of the small minority.
In Washington there are at least
l 500 homeless persons who visit the
general delivery window at the city
post Office daily, they are homeless"
| in two senses Of the word; they do not
actually have a home here, or they
live in a house where they are physi-
cally or morally deprived Of their
right to receive and open all mail ad-
dressed to them.
Is Study In Character.
John F. Wahler. in charge Of the
general delivery window. has faced
this peculiar and exclusive type of
public for 18 years. years when
the city post Office was in the Post
Office Department Building at Eleventh
street and Pennsylvania avenue and
the last decade in the new building
adjoining Union Station. In that time
he has observed much and time has
born out his convictions so that today
he is pretty sure of himself when he
says that fellows not on the level"
or that woman is receiving letters
from a man other than her husband"
etc.
In justice to the Post Office Depart
ment and the general delivery system,
| the impression should not be formed
| that this service is an aid and assist
ant to the unworthy. Not every one
| can use the general delivery privilege
and not infrequently through the help
| of Mr.. Wahler and his assistants en-
| forcerS of the law bag big game.
One of Mr.. Wahler's biggest tasks
| is to prevent young girls and boys
from having the general delivery priv
ilege. When they appear at the win
| dow for the first time, he spots them
and pins them down as to why they
| cannot receive their mail at theii
homes. Cornered, they confess they
| are in correspondence with some one
| to whom their parents object and nc
| more letters come to the general de
| livery office here for Miss Fourteen OF
| Fifteen.
Our greatest trouble Is with the
young girls" he said. "but we arc
bothered with very few boys. Our last
case was a 15-year-old high schoo
girl who said she wanted to receive
| her mail through general delivery sc
| she could read the letters on the way
| to school and answer them in class
! The plan failed.
Finds Humor i'm Many.
| of Iratx- ~
| worried and disappointed faces pass
| before him has unconsciously hard
| ened Mr.. Wahler to the humanity he
meets and at times they actually are
| amusing to him. almost every one
| without exception" ne said. steps W
| TO the window and asks: is there any
! mail for me?' expecting us to be wei
acquainted with him. When we finc
out his name and look in the boxes
and reply nothing he fingers for a
| moment and says That's funny,
| while looking serious. More than once
we advance the observation that we
| think there is nothing laughable abou
| that and then he goes on his way. tt
he supplanted by some one else wht
will ask the self questions.
Not long ago." continued Mr.
| Wahler "a detective came here to ge'
a desperate criminal whom he was
sure would call for some mail. He
| waited around for nine days and or
| the tenth said to me: I'm going tc
| lunch. II he comes up to the window
| hold him until l get back. Fifteer
minutes later a man answering the
| description we had and giving the
| name expected, appeared. 1 gave hin
| his mail and then rushed out into the
corridor following him as he walked
| slowly out of the building reading the
mail. Just before he reached the dool
| the detective came in. / motioned thai
| there was his man and the job was
done
Whenever a person whom Mr.. Wah
| ler or his three Observation-Disclosures Net
| tie Thomas, Miss Florence Walters
and Mrs Bertha Young-have no rec
ord of appears for the first time at the
| general delivery window. the ques
| ton as to whether he is residen,
| here or a transient is asked. II tran
| sient. nothing is said, but If resident
he is given a card to fill out. setting
| forth his name and address and rea
| son for wanting mail from genera
| delivery. With few exceptions. the
reason given is "mislaid at boardins
house, but now and then a person will
write. Don't want brother to get
them" or a kindred excuse.
Majority Are Women.
! OF all the persons who call daily
| about 60 per cent are transientS, Mr.
! Wahler said, and OF the resident 4G
| Der cent, the majority are women
| '.The transients, business men on the
| road and tourists from the camp in
| Potomac Park are an entirely dfneren,
| EOIrNn