Evening star., 1955-07-31
By JAMES WALDO FAWCETT

The Washington Philatelic
Society's 50th anniversary
celebration, it is indicated,
has been greatly advantaged
by the decision of the Post
Office Department to release
the new half-cent regular
postage stamp in relation to
the affair.
A half-cent adhesive ordi-
narily would mean little, If
anything, worthy of philatelic
notice. There is scant demand
for such a sticker because
there is only very sketchy
need for it. An average per-
son does not use half-cent
stamp even once in his life
time.
But the half-cent label
scheduled for first-day sale in
Washington, D. c.. exclusively,
October 20, is to bear a por-
trait of Benjamin Franklin,
and that fact obviously gives
1t Importance which it would
not be likely to have other
wise.
u Franklin Greatly Admired
A precedent for this view
Of the matter may be found
III the half-cent regular post
age issue of 1938-an orange
yellow adhesive which some
people deliberately chose to
employ to frank their letters
out of admiration of Frank
lin, the author, printer, editor.
publisher, critic, orator, pol
tician, merchant, financier,
civic leader, social and cul-
tural organizer, road builder.
inventor, scientist, admins
trative officer, diplomat, liber-
tartan philosopher, statesman,
patriot and world citizen.
In all of these different as
poets Of his career the Boston
apprentice boy who, predom-
inantly by the exercise of his
own genius and without unde-
served help, developed into
what many admirers call "the
first truly important Amer
lean"
A Philatelic Pioneer
Born in Boston, January II,
l706, Benjamin Franklin de-
serves his place in the phila-
telic gallery of his country on
all the grounds mentioned,
but he also has a specific sig
nificance in connection with
stamps.
The postal system of the
United States is largely his
creation. He was royal post
master at Philadelphia from
1887 to 1751, then deputy
postmaster general of all the
colonies under the British
crown until 1774.
During his long term of
service he visited every post
office of the Atlantic sea-
board, improved facilities and
schedules, made the system
profitable as well as efficient
and in all these respects sue
ceeded in providing the colo
nists with a common channel
of communication wit h o u t
which eventual union under
the Federal Constitution would
have been infeasible. U. S. l
today, reaching from Eastport,
Me-, to Key West. Fla, is one
of Franklin's richly useful
enterprises.
The logic which led to pic
turing him on the first postal
adhesive ever brought out by
the United States as a Nation
the scent brown, 1S47-has
kept his portrait current ever
since and should mandate an
authentic flrst-day observance
when the new l2-cent stamp
is placed on sale as part Of
the Washington Philatelic
Society jubilee celebration,
October 20.
Benjamin Franklin himself
should not be relegated to the
minor Importance Of a mere
convenience for a made-to-
order stamp club.
It should be remembered
that there probably would be
no stamps and no stamp COL
1ectors' organizations If Frank
lin had not served his coun-
try-and mankind generally
as he did.
The 1a-cent stamp of the
new regular series gives all
Americans opportunity to
honor a great public bene-
factor. and it is to be hoped
that they will make the most
of the chance provided.
# Keen Interest in Designs
z Postmaster General Sum-
merf1eld's announcement that
43 different designs we're SUBJ
5mitted for consideration for
the Scent Atoms of Peace
stamp suggests that public in
terest in stamp designs is
greater than might have been
supposed. 1t also indicates
that the Post Office Depart
ment is serious in it's attitude
toward the problems of stamp
designing. These are advances
well worth notice. 1t may be
that they signify a trend In
the direction of much more
notable achievement in Official
art of every sort--including
architecture.
Stamp Mystery Unsolved
George B. Sloane, writing
in Stamps Magazine for July
%. revives interest in one OF
the major stamp mysteries OF
the administration of Presi-
dent Franklin D. Roosevelt
First, he reveals that he has
STAMPS AND COINS