Evening star., 1943-09-26
0tanps
By James Waldo Fa,cceff.

S"seS " osNV AUtCCetfs
Stamp collecting visitors to OF
tawa find Canada's most notably
distinguished philatelic scholar in 4
room on the third floor Of the Black
burn Building at Sparks and Met
calfe streets. His name Is A. Stan-
ley Deaville, and he has been SUPER
visor of the postage stamp division
of the Dominion Post ONCE Depart
ment since 1892
A man of early middle age and
sturdy medium build, MIR. Deaville
came to the place he has held for
more than decade because, before
he ever dreamed of such position,
he had qualified himself as q scien-
tific student Of classic postal ennis
sions. His book on 'sThe Colonial
Postal Systems and Postage Stamps
of Vancouver Island and British Co
lumbia, 1849-187l," Is a masterpiece
of original research and analysis.
Its standard encyclopedia character
was recognized in the award of
special silver medal given by the
sponsors of the Third International
Philatelic Exhibition In New York.
Mr.. Deaville meanwhile saw serv~
ice as assistant superintendent Of
the Canadian airmail branch. When
summoned to the Philatelic Agency,
he responded somewhat unwilling-
ly, but he now no longer regrets
the call. The production and dis
tribution of new postal issues, he
cheerfully confesses, presents prob
lens which, however difficult, are
'fun" to solve. Each stamp Is an
experience; series Is continuing
adventure, on occasion very exciting
| indeed.
For recreation, Mr.. Deaville does
not collect stamps. He prefers writ
| ing about them to mere accumula-
ton of them. When the war finall,
J is over, he hopes to publish a defini.
tive study Of Canadian stamps Oh
which he had been busy for several
years prior to the outbreak of hos
tilities. His monograph on Cana
dian Geography and Stamps" wa
published by the Canadian Geo.
graphical Journal in September,
1885. In the introduction to it, he
said. "Philatelists the world over
fully realize that our stamps reflect
the Canadian scene and outline
Canada's history in quite remark
able manner. But those who do
not take any special interest in
postage stamps often seem strange
ly unaware of the skillfully engraved
and significant imagery that has
been SO long spread before their
eyes through the medium of His
Majesty's mails in Canada.
yet human nature being what is,
surely few can remain indifferent
when it is known, for example, that
New Brunswick stamp, issued less
than two years ago, already COM
mands a premium of from 400 to
500 per cent over its original face
value; that Weeping Princess Is
now easily worth $50 times what the
post office got for it and that sheet
of 100 five-cent part-perforated
stamps recently sold by an Ontario
postmaster at face value was almost
Immediately resold by the lucky pur-
chaser for the tidy sum of 81 900.
Such instances could be multiplied,
so that, considered purely as q gilt
edged investment, some. Canadian
stamps are not SO dusty"
, Mr.. Deaville explains weeping
Princess in these words: "It is a
1-cent green stamp of the King
George v silver jubilee series of
1885, with tiny flaw below the right
eye of the little Princess Elizabeth,
4 whose portrait appears in the Wig
nette. The presence of this minute
spot of ink in the wrong place makes
the usually cheerful little lady look
as If she were weeping 1r
But DR.. Deaville is no advocate Of
''the creation of a few more sharp
eyed specialists, complete with mag
nifying glasses" His concern is for
the social and. cultural values OF
stamp designs. The pictures me-
, ticulously etched for stamps must
be as perfect as human genius will
permit. Every detail connotes a
l purpose. So far as the postage
stamp division can manage 1t, there
will be no accident in any compost.
ton. The artists are expected tt
please numerous public. Historians
geographers, administrators, legisla-
tors in Canada and in other coun.
tries must not be offened. ssx
;, Mr.. Deaville tells how even the
!. best plans sometimes 60 wrong
e 'The famous and much criticized
= map stamp of 1885," he writes, twas
Y geography with vengeance. On ar
engraved outline map of the worlo
Y on Mercator's projection, printed in
: black, were Autographed the seven
S seas in blue and the British Empire
!. in red. Some unsympathetic per.
t sons went so far as to say that in
r their arrogance the imperialist'
Redeemed some portions of the worlc
that were not then British but be,
came so later! The crowning touch
was the addition of Sir Lewis Morris
line, from his Song of Empire
We hold vaster empire than ha,
y been. Imperialism, said tht
scoffers, could no further go, ane
they dubbed it the has been stamp
In the course of successive
printings the seven seas changed
t color, or rather shade, several times
g and in some stamps the British EN-.
K pire forgot to blush becomingly. .'
Canadian stamp designs reverted tt
= royal portraiture for nearly II
r years."
/, Mr.. Deaville's scholarship is no
: limited to stamps. He is keer
student Of cathedral architecture
e and iconography, the dramatic sto.
i ries of Napoleon's last days and the
r assassination of Abraham Lincoln