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318
The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
266
In
the
rules
laid
down
by
the
Post-office
for
the
guidance
of
its
officers
and
the
information
of
the
public,
an
endeavour
is
made
to
use
plain
language;
but
in
any
case
of
doubtful
meaning,
the
Post-office,
having
framed
the
rules,
claims
the
right
of
interpreting
them.
At
one
time
an
element
in
the
definition
of
a
newspaper,
under
the
newspaper
post,
was
that
it
should
consist
of
a
sheet
or
sheets
unstitched.
A
newspaper
having
been
taxed
a
penny,
owing
to
the
sheets
being
tied
together
with
thread,
the
person
who
sent
the
newspaper
made
the
following
sharp
remonstrance:--
"SIR,--I
had
hoped
that
the
utterly
indefensible
regulation
in
reference
to
which
I
send
a
wrapper
had
been
silently
abolished.
The
public
is
quite
unable
to
understand
why
stitching
is
made
the
differentia
of
a
newspaper
and
a
pamphlet,
and
I
can
hardly
suppose
that
the
occasional
penalty
of
1d.
can
be
the
motive.
If
in
the
printed
regulations
you
would
assign
a
sufficient
motive,
no
one
would
of
course
object.
Allow
me
to
ask,
if
a
piece
of
string
is
passed
through
two
holes
and
the
ends
not
tied
in
a
knot,
if
that
is
considered
stitching?
According
to
Johnson's
definition
of
stitching
my
newspaper
was
not
stitched,
but
tied,
for
I
used
no
needle."
Again,
a
person
having
suffered
the
loss
of
a
letter,
containing
something
of
value
perhaps,
launched
a
bolt
from
Scripture
at
the
Department:--
"I
got
no
redress
before,
but
I
trust
I
shall
on
this
occasion;
or
else
there
must
be
something
rotten
in
the
State
of
Denmark.
Judas
Iscariot
was
a
thief,
and
carried
the
bag,
and
it
will
be
a
pity
and
a
great
scandal
if
he
has
found
a
successor
in
some
branch
of
the
Post-office."
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