1
)
RURAL MAIL
m
Wl 7c Marvelous Growth and Popularity
IS of the System.
I T9 AH
(P to tlia present
time there lie
been nothing in
tbo history o tun
postal service of
the United
Stales," say the
annual report of
the tlrsl assistant
poet ma ster-gen-ernl,
"eo remark
able as the growth
of the rurnl free
delivery system."
The daily delivery
of mail at the far-
mer's doorby the Federal Govern
ment, is no Ion per an experiment. In
the words of the report, the system
lie now "to be dealt with as nn estab
lished agency of problem, awaiting
tinly the action of the Congress to de
termine how apidly it elinll be de
veloped." 'I tie current month ftmin
' Mral free delivery of mail in succe ss--Jul
operation from iW. distributing
point radiating nver forty Htntoa ami
one Territory, while other districts
from Maino to Toias nre anxiously
waiting for those regular visits from
Uncle Sam which tiieau bo much iu n
variety of ways.
tlCRAti r'AMUBR, BOWIHO OKRRX, OHIO.
(Twenty degress below sero.)
This country is learning that ethical
considerations like these are most in
tensely practical, and that a study of
inch problems is what the country
needs for a truly larger growth. lint
figures are deduced in the report to
convince those to whom figures are
the only tangible evidence. Ho the
report sets forth that whenever the
system has been started properly, it
has been followed by these results:
Increased postal receipts. More
letters are written and received. More
t-ewspapers and magazine are sub
scribed for. So marked is this ad
vancement that many rural routes al
ready pay for themselves by the addi
tional business they bring.
Enhancement of the value of farm
landa reached by rural free delivery.
This inorease in value baa been esti
mated at as high as $5 an acre in some
States. A moderate estimate ia from
$2 to $3 au acre.
PS. JDtUVfcttlNC UAH.
A general improvement of the con
dition of the roada traversed by the
rnral carrier. In the Western States
especially the construction of good
roada has been a prerequisite to the
establishment of rural free delivery
et.-ioe. In ooa county in Indiana a
special agont reports that the farmere
apent over 2(100 to grade and gravel
toad to obtain rn at free deliver,
OtUVlRINO MAIL To ""
tUCAD PL.) IT t OS IM .LOUIilAWA.
DELIVERY.
Hotter prioe obtained for farm
products, tho producer being brought
into daily touch with the slate of the
markets, and thus being enabled to
take adTautage of iuforwatiou hereto
fore unattainable.
In the communities where it baa
been tried free delivery ia considered
the greatest boon that the Govern
ment ever has conferred on them.
One Missouri farmer has calculated
that in the last fifteen years he ban
driven 12, 000 miles going to anil from
thepostolllce to get his mail all travel
that is saved to him by the free de
livery system.
In the last report of the First As
sistant Pontmaster-General there are
some striking illustrations.
There is, for example, a scene at a
country store, twelvo miles from
Lafayette, Ind., from which point
three rnral letter carriers start daily,
each making a circuitous drive of
twenty-five miloa or more, without
passing over the same road twice. At
the particular point photographed
four cross roads meet, nud twenty or
more families, most of them living
half a mile from the store, have each
put up an individual letter box of
galvanized iron, lettered with the
name of the person for whom it is in
tended. l'.L'IUti DF.LIVRBT MAIL IJOXKS VIC
TOKIA, IU..
Into this box the carrier, whose
hour of arrival ia known, and scarcely
varies ten minutes, wiuter or summer,
drops the letters and daily papers for
each family, and collects in return
their mails which nro deposited in a
Government collection box, placed iu
position at the same spot. The farm
er's children, or suoh idle banda aa he
can sparo, gather up the mail and
IN ARTZOMA
carry it to the bouse, and the farmer
ia tuns spared a drive of twelve miles
to the postoiHoe, which he would
hardly feel justified in undertaking iu
the moat favorable weather more than
twice a week, and then at ranch per
sonal iueonvenieno and peouniary
loss. Uuder the rural free delivery
system ba geta his mail and his paper
daily without cott el tin or moot.
A HCENB NEAH LAFAYETTE, 1ND.
j
and he la gratified properly so fot
the recognition which the Govern
ment has given him in bringing the
mails so near to his door.
llural free delivery carriers, as a
rnle, "put on frills" in Indiana, which
HI ate, next to Ohio, baa the lion'
share of the existing experimental ser
vice. Most of them provide them
selves with regulation uniforms, at
their own cost, and furnish special
wagons, with pigeon boles and other
postal appliances all for $100 a year,
horse hire included.
Out ia Arizona, where in the genial
summer sunshine the temperature oc
casionally risea to 110 degrees ami
stays there, the rural carrier rarely
wears any insignia of his dignity, ex
cept his badge, which ia a nickel
plated arrangement made to fit any
kind of hat. Instead of comfortably
riding in a specially constructed posta!
wagon, lie as olleu as not mounts i
bucking bnmno, or diives him to i
buckboard, with only an umbrella fo)
shade. But ho makes thirty odd inilei
a day, nevertheless and the Depart
ment lias just issued uniera to cm
down this particular route from Tempe,
five or ten miles a dav. chief! v out ol
consideration for the bronco, because
A rAiiniER at cnAwponnsviLi.B, ini,
the carrier can probably sleep as com
fortably iu his saddle as auywhere
else.
The hardships sometimes cn count
crud by the rural carriers are shown
in the photograph of n rural carrier iu
Northern Ohio returning from a trip
when tne thermometer was forty le
grees below zero. Yet, though the
First Assistant Postmaster-General
reports that there are several girls
acting as bonded rural carriers, few
instances are recorded of their failing
to make their duily trips, either in
the coldest atoruia of winter or the
blasting heat of summer.
Oue question which has received
grave consideration by the Depart
ment is the insecurity and improper
cuaraater of tbo mail boxes put up.
Ou this subject the First Assistant
l'ostnmster-General says:
Iu the early days of the service,
when neither Congress nor the Fost
oflloe Department, as then organized,
held out any hope that rural free de
livery would prove more thau a tran
sitory experiment, extreme careless
ness was manifested as to the kind of
receptacles put up as rural free de
livery boxes. Tomato cans, cigar
boxes, drainage pipes up ended, soap
boxes and eveu sections of discarded
stove pipes wore used as mail boxes,
and were frequently placed in hedge
rows or otbor inconvenient spot out
of reach of the carrier.
The Department has entered npen
a xystematio effort to correct thia co
dition of things, and a recommenda
tion ia made that the Government pro
vide uniform ' boxes and maintain
them, charging a moderato rental. .
Kulur't Great Ming- or Htata.
Whenever theKmperor of Germany
is engaged iu an important function,
either imperial or royal, those near
him notice that should he by any
chance take the glove off hia left hand
he wears on the middle linger a largo
riug a square, dark-colored stone set
in massive gold.
The story ia that the riug ia an old
heirloom in the llohenzollern family,
dating from the time when the ances
tors of the Kaiser the Margrafs of
Nuremberg followed their leaders to
the capture of the Holy Sepulchre
from the Moslems.
Murgraf, of Ulriob, who lived in the
thirteenth century, was an adventur
ous prince, aud it is believed that the
ring which the Kaiser now wears oame
into Ulrich's possession after a hard
fought battle under the walla of Jerusa
lem. It belouged to one of Saladin'a
successors, and in some unexplained
mauuer it found its way ou to the fin
ger of the German Knight.
Some one of the Nuremberg Mar
grafs obliterated the sentence from
the Koran which originally adorned it
and engraved a Latin cross in its
place,
A Hard Tlilug to Uuilentmiil.
One of the hardest things to under
stand iu thia workaday world is how
so many incompetent men get such
desirable jobs. Fuck.
Itaes All the Talking lleraelr.
A olever womau can always give a
alow man the impressiou that be lu
said ft lot of brhit thiug himi !..
Chicago Beooid.
AM OFFICEH'9 PARING EXPLOIT.
nrlitailler.neneral J. Fran kiln Bell, Mingle
Handed, Whipped Filipinos.
Official reports received at Wash
ington show that llrigadler-Gennral
J.;Frsnklin Dell, Colonel of the Thirty-sixth
Volunteer Infantry, who ia
also a Captain in the Seventh Cavalry,
rminADiKn-dF.NRniT, j,rnANKt.iN trtu
lias performed one of the most bril
liaut exploits of personal during during
the war in the Philippines. .
This special act of gallantry was
performed by Hell, who was then a
Colonel, near 1'orao, Luzon, when he
was in command of some scouts ahead
of the regiineut. Just as the day was
dawning the parly encountered the
enemy's patrol, consisting of one Cap
tain, one Lieutenant and live privates.
Colonel Dull was in advance of bis
men and spurred on hi horse. The
enemy was confused, and the men
sought to run away. Colonel Dell
pushed ahead alone and nnsustained
charged the seven insurgents with his
pistol, lie scattered the party and
compelled the surrender of the Captain
aud twopiivates under a close and hot
Are from the remaining four insur
gents, who were concealed in a neigh
boring bamboo thicket. In the report
it is stated that this feat was one of
several heroin acts performed by Col
onel Hell during the present war, and
that the wonder ia that Hell still lives.
Colonel J. Franklin Hell entered
West l'oint from Shelbyville, Ky., in
1874, and gradnated into the cavalry
service. When the Spanish war be
gan be was n captain iu the Seventh
Cavalry. At the beginning of the war
lie was sent to the Philippines with
General Merritt and had charge of the
Itureail of Military Information. He
wan snbsequeutly appointed a Major
of Engineers aud then a Major and
Assistant Adjutant-Gouoral of Volun
toors. When the Thirty-sixth Hegi
ment was recruited, Major Dell was
appointed to be their Colonel.
Time and again the conduct of
Colonel licit in the Philippines has
been commended by his superior of
fleers, and he has been recommended
for medals and for brevets. At the
taking of Caloocan last February,
while our troops were shelling the
town, Hell, then a Major, led a com
pany of the First Montana Regiment
iu a clever and audauious outflanking
maneuver whereby they peuetrated
the town and arrived unexpectedly
ou the enemy's left flank. The enemy,
outwitted as well as outfought, lied
precipitately.
aiaral Curloalty.
The living tree horse bore sketched
is a natural curiosity' to be seen iu the
vicinity of Datchet, near Windsor,
England, says St. Paul's. It is formed
of four topped elms, which stretch
THB MVINO TREK HORS.
over a space of ISO feet and grow to
the height of sixty feet. The topi
have never been touched by the shears,
or otherwise influenced than by na
ture' own band.
Wonld Nona II I in Ilarialf.
They found her hurriedly packing a
valise. "Where are you going?" they
asked. "To the Transvaal," aba re
plied. "But I thought yon didn't
believe in women going to war?" "1
don't; but if you think I am going to
let any of those red-cross women
nurse my Harold back to health if he
ia wounded yon are mistaken. , I'm
going to ba there myself. "Golden
Penny.
A Venerable Church.
i The Seoond Unitarian Church ol
Boston reoently celebrated it two
hundred and iiftieth anniversary.
Samnel Mather was tha first minister
of this church. Afterward Increase
aud Cottoc Mather filled the pnlpit,
aud it was here that Emerson served
hi only pastorate.
The Chlneea Flag In Washington. '
The Chinese Embassy is the only
one in Washington that flies tha flag
of a foreign country.
Queensland ia being gradually con
verted into a large orohard. The Aus
tralian orange in particular has a great
future, a it ripens at time when
Spain, Italy and California cannot
provide tha fruit
NEW YORK mro,
Designs For Costumes That Have Do-
como Popular in tho Metropolis.
II
New Tonit Crrr (Sneolall Willi
the coming of the rnde blasts of win
ter the veil becomes an important ad
junct to the toilet of all lover of trim-
iiess
Women declare that it Is impossible
AM AnTIHTIfAMY PHAPRD vnil.
to feel well dressed with their hair
blowing in every direction at once
and an unbecoming redness decorat
ing their noses and eyelids. The
present style of hat is not especially
COUTFITIE ron
well adapted to the adjustment of
elaborate veils, aud the shops nre
allowing mostly tine plain tulle in
black or white, aud thin nets with
small chenille spots. Plata and fig
ured nets in silk and cotton are also
seen, and velvet spotted and line hair
lines are popular. The tulle veil with
big velvet dots is becoming to fine
complexions, but great care must be
taken in its adjustment. Three or
four dots to a veil is the rule, and if
one dot ia allowed to come under the
eye, another to the aido of the chiu
find a third well back on the cheek,
or near the hair ou the temple, the
effect is piquant aud striking.
A protty French veil is cf light
weight net, bordered with a narrow
rnche of lace. Chiffon veils with and
without spots are worn on frosty days
by women with deliiwto skins.
All the newest veiling come in
eigbteen-ioch width, to tit the toque
shaped hats so universally worn. Few
color beside blaok, white, browns
' n.l fTi-.va ... In damaml aWlimmh
navy blue aud mauve are occasionally
oen ou well dressed women.
" Ornamenting the Hair.
One of the charm of the present
fashion being eclecticism, oue may
elect for ornamenting the hair other
ornameuta besides fringe withont
being outlawed. .Just what styles iu
coiffures are most prevalent is re
vealed iu the following chat by a New
York woman of fashion. She aaid:
"Last week I went to see my hair
dresser. (She is the one who gets np
those stunning coiffures for Mrs. Willie
Vauderbilt, Jr., and for those beauti
ful blond Levi Morton goddesses.
Her quick fingers did np my look in
three styles, and all of them, she
assured me, wero bound to hold first
place for evening attire for tha next
aix or eight month. My hair she
pompadourad, so to speak, al! around
in a soft roll above the face aud then
elaborately puffed the length of it on
the crown. Jnst a love-lock or two
aha permitted to stray ont on my
forehead, and then aha inveigled me
I into the purebase of three distinct
style of hair ornaments by the shrewd
device of fasteuing them in among tba
coils and puffs and leaviug tha mirror
and my vauity to do tha rest,
i "However, they ara tba smartest
little aida to beauty. Tha first ia a
butterfly mad of lisse, covered with
epalneant spangla and with a deli-
fc j ftl
?pf
R it if i sV
? a It .:rv fi F, o l
M
S" ill A
. We
cate white osprey springing In plans
of antennro from his spangled
wronght head. The second is a rose
of black lisse, to the petals of which
spangles in charming imitation of
tiny diamonds, are attached like dew
drops. Thia rose is to set right in
the centre and ftoutof my hair, and
from its stem, at the back of tha
petals, springs a black osprey, rather
thickly threaded with twinkling littlo
rhinestones, and anything mora
sweetly becoming to a woman with
blond lights in her hair yon will not
re this seaton. My third extrava
gance was a serpent. There now!
don't gasp with horror, for it is net
one of those wicked-looking reptiles
made of frivolous metallic-colored
paillettes, but a very up-to-date and
lovely ornament, having the flexible,
tapering body covered wholly with
breast plumage from a pheasant. She
hail a wholo family of then; some
covered with the blue-blank raven
feathers. Thotn the blonds usurp,
and a number aro made with the rich
mottled plumage of the breasts of
wild ducki.
"Whatever ouiVn prejudice maybe,
the serpents nre alrealy vigorously
adopted, and so entirely fascinating
did I think raysolf with my new coif
fures that I have hail my picture taken
in every one just as the hair-dresser
completed them, in order to have an
authority to refer to when I begin to
do my pompadouring and pulling at
home." The coiirurei for evening
iviar spn&ea of are shown iu the large
illustration.
Cnriliirajr hi a Walat Falirle.
Corduroy nn a shirt waist fabric)
prouiines to be very popular.
New Malarial far Tea (Inirne.
Something new in material for ten
gowns and wrappers is a smooth-faced
cloth, glossy as satin on one side, and
woolly after the manner of eiderdown
flannel, ou the other. It ia less
a a o r .
V
EVENING WEAK,
clum.iy, however, than tiie latter, but
very soft and pliable, and innc'u thick
er than tho broad-olotbs.
Dienllla Frlnca in Furor.
Chenille fringe is greatly favored a
a garniture. This is shown chiefly in
colors, its width varying from three
inches to twelve inches, according in
the purpose for which it is required.
Charming lloillce Fashion.
In the accompanying cnt is illo.itra
ted a "onnning little bodice" rbielt
has just been designed by a versatile
modihta in New' York. The owner
describes it as follows: "My bodice i
of plain and white spotted red silk,
the collar toned down with Strips of
black; taffeta and plenty of little clear
glass buttons at the points jt straps,
on tho enffa aid fclsewhtto. My only
A SCD AND WHITS RILS tO-JICS T.TT3
CLX.1K CLASS HrtOJ.3.
objection to red ia that it really ap
pears less worn this wiuter than evvr.
Yon almost might tak. for prauted
that tha wholo world of woineu i in
full or half mourning fron tha over
whelming preponderance of dead
black, gray and deep dahlia or kut
berry po'pia gooa."