Evening Star Newspaper, December 29, 1929, Page 108

o 27 HE POSTAL SERVICES OF THE WORLD, IREEPING PACE WITH IMPRONEMENTS 'N MODES OF TRANS - 78 PORCTATION MAVE LINKED US IN WRITTEN COMMUNICATION WITH PEOPLE LIVING ON ALL PARTS OF THE GLOGE . - THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO TNE BULK OF THE WORLD'S WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE CONSISTED OF ROYAL PROCLAMATIONS AND EDICTS AND THE REPORTS AND LETTERS OF GONERNMENT OFFICIALS, BEFORE THAT TIME VERY FEW PEOPLE EVER WENT FAR FROM HOME ,0R HAD OCCASION T0 WRITE TO ANYONE LIVING AT A DISTANCE. BESIDES, A MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE €ouLD> NOT READ OR WRITE —~= ° .‘uan THE MIDDLE AGES PER- SONS WRITING TO FRIENDS IN DISTANT PLACES HAD TO DEPEND ON OBLIGING TIRA) - .- N?:E - A SOLITARY HORSEMAN CARRIED THE MAIL ~——-— ' @A> THERE BEEN A POSTAL ' SYSTEM IN ANCIENT BABYLON, THE LETTER CARRIERS WOULD HAVE HAD A BACK-BREAKING JOB,FOR THE BABYLONIANS WROTE ON BRICKS. (THEMESSAGE WAS SCRATCHED ON A TABLET OF WET CLAY WHICH WAS THEN ALLOWED TO DRY AND HARDEM IMTHE SEN. ———o)\ .I-IE ONLY WAYTO MAKE SURE THAT A LETTER woulD BE DELIVERED WAS TO BMPLOY. A SPECIAL MESSENGER,AND;, OF COLRSE,ONLY THE VERY RICH COULD AFFORD TO PO THAT, — o WAS LITTLE CORRESPONDENCE 'ETI’ERS FROMENGLAND ADDRESSED BETWEEN THE EARLY ERGLISH SETTLE- MENTS IN AMERICA BUT THE COLONISTS OFTEN WROTE TO FRIENDS INTHE OLD CouN - TRY. SUCHLETTERS WERE EWIRUSTED TO SKIPPERS OF SHIRS BOLND FOR ENGLAND, TOMEMBERS OF THE BosToN COLONY IN 1639 WERE LEFT ATTHE WOUSE OF ONE RICHARD FAIRBANKS, "RECEIVER OF MAIL, WHERE. THEE COLONISTS HA| TO CALL FOR THEM. L d TO CARRY THE MAL ON TO WHE NEXT PLANTATION. - MERE WAS NO MAIL SERQVICE W ANCIENT GREECE, BUT SWIFT RUNNERS CARRIED IMPORTANT NEWS FROM TOWN TO TOWN, ——° il - AN .N 1464 Louis X oF FRANCE ESTAB: LISHED A REGULAR POST SYSIEM, THE KING'S MESSENGERS, TowNS ALONG THE POST ROUTES WERE RE- QUIRED TO FURNISH RELAYS OF ‘HORSES FOR THE COURIERS, ——° VIRGINIA IN1661 MAIL WAS WWED FROM PLANTATION TO PLAN ~ TATION TO ITSDESTINATION. EXERY WAS QEQUIRED 8Y LAW o P '»i 16713 HE v —=,, OPAY — ALL KINDS OF TRANSPORTATION, = THE NEWEST AND THE OLDEST—, ARE USED IN CARRYING THE LETTERS OF THE WoRLD, .one AT THE ZENITH OF NER POWER KEPT IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH ALL PARTS OF HER VAST EMPIRE BY MEANS OF MOUNTED COURIERS THAT TRAVELED OVER THE GREAT NETWORK OF MILITARY ROADS ., .N COLONIAL DAYS IN AMERICA THE INDIANS MAINTAINED A LOOSE INTER-TRIBAL COMMUNICATION BY MEANS OF RUNNERSWIHO CARRIED MESSAGES IN PICTURE WRITING WOVEN ON BELTS OF WAMPUM,— o "‘ ROYAL GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK BEGAN SENDING POST RIDERS-ONCE A MONTH 7O BOsSToN, BUTTME INDIANS KILLED SOMANY RIPERS THAT TS MAIL ROUTE NHADTOBE ABBNDONED, —— < ~CONTINUED