Poseidon

po-si'don, one of the Greek divinities. He was a brother of Zeus, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and Demeter. The rule of the sea fell to him by lot. His palace was in the depths of the Aegean, near Euboea. Here he kept his horses with brazen hoofs and golden manes. With these horses, in time of storm, he drove in a chariot over the waves which became smooth as he approached. The monsters of the deep recognized his sovereignty and sported about his chariot. See Neptune

Postal Information. The following is compiled from a pamphlet issued by the postoffice department:

DOMESTIC MAIL MATTER. Domestic mail matter includes matter deposited in the mails for local delivery, or for transmission from one place to another within the United States, or to or from or between the possessions of the United States. Porto Rico and Hawaii are included in the term "United States." The Philippine Archipelago, Guam, Tutuila (including all adjacent islands of the Samoan group which are possessions of the United States), and the Canal Zone are included in the term "Possessions of the United States." The term, "Canal Zone" includes all the territory purchased from the Republic of Panama, embracing the "Canal Zone" proper and the islands in the Bay of Panama. Domestic rates of postage apply to mail matter sent from the United States to Canada, Cuba, Mexico, the Republic of Panama, and the United States postal agency at Shanghai, China, and matter addressed to officers or members of the crew of vessels of war of the United States.

CLASSIFICATION AND POSTAGE RATES. Domestic mail matter is divided into four classes:

First Class.-Rate, 2 cents for each ounce or fraction thereof. Limit of weight, 4 pounds. United States postal cards, 1 cent each; post cards, 1 cent each. Includes: Letters, United States postal cards, post cards manufactured by private persons, all matter sealed or otherwise closed against inspection, and all matter wholly or partly in writing, whether sealed or unsealed. Typewriting and carbon and letterpress copies thereof are written matter and subject to the first-class rate.

Second Class.-Unsealed. Rate, 1 cent for each 4 ounces or fraction thereof. Full prepayment required. No limit of weight. This is the rate which applies to newspapers and other periodical publications bearing notice of entry as second class matter, etc., when they are mailed by the public. Lower rates of postage are applicable to second-class matter, when mailed by publishers or news agents.

Third Class.-Unsealed. Rate, 1 cent for each 2 ounces or fraction thereof. Full prepayment required. Limit of weight 4 pounds, except it be a single book. Includes: Books, newspapers, and periodicals not admitted to the second-class, circulars, miscellaneous printed matter on paper not having the nature of personal correspondence, and proof-sheets, corrected proof-sheets, and manuscript copy accompanying the same, and matter in point print or raised characters used by the blind.

Fourth Class.-Unsealed. Rate, 1 cent for each ounce or fraction thereof, except seeds, bulbs, roots, scions, and plants, which are 1 cent for each 2 ounces or fraction. Full prepayment required. Limit of weight, 4 pounds, except it be a single book. Includes: All mailable matter not embraced in the first, second, and third classes. A single card bearing the written name of the sender and such inscriptions as "Merry Christmas," "Happy New Year," "With best wishes," etc., may also be inclosed with fourth-class matter without affecting its classification.

FOREIGN RATES OF POSTAGE.-The rates of postage applicable to all foreign countries, other than those mentioned, are as follows:

Cents. Letters for the first ounce or fraction of an ounce . . . . . 5

For each additional ounce or fraction of an ounce . . . . . 3

Single postal cards (including souvenir cards), each . . . . . 2

Double postal cards, each . . . . . 4

Letters for England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, per ounce . . . . . 2

Letters for Germany by steamers sailing for Germany direct, per ounce . . . . . 2

Printed matter of all kinds, for each 2 ounces or fraction of 2 ounces . . . . . 1

Commercial papers for the first 10 ounces or less . . . . . 5

And for each additional 2 ounces or fraction of 2 ounces . . . . . 1

Samples of merchandise, for the first 4 ounces or less . . . . . 2

And for each additional 2 ounces or fraction of 2 ounces . . . . . 1

Registration fee in addition to postage . . . . . 8

PREPAYMENT OF POSTAGE.-Postage on all domestic mail matter must be prepaid in full at the time of mailing by stamps affixed, except as follows:

(a) Letters of United States soldiers, sailors, and marines when marked "Soldier's letter," "Sailor's letter," or "Marine's letter," as the case may be, and signed thereunder by an officer with his name and official designation.

(b) A letter bearing only a special-delivery stamp. This provision applies to special-delivery letters only.

(c) First-class matter, prepaid one full rate, 2 cents. In each of the above cases the matter will be forwarded to destination and the unpaid postage collected on delivery at single rates only.

(d) Matter of the third and fourth classes may be mailed in quantities of not less than 2,000 identical pieces upon payment of postage in money. Postage-due stamps, internal revenue stamps, or embossed stamps cut from stamped envelopes, or stamps cut from postal cards will not be accepted in payment of postage.

MONEY ORDER FEES. Fees for Money Orders payable in the United States (which includes Hawaii and Porto Rico) and its possessions; also for orders payable in Bahamas, Bermuda, British Guiana, British Honduras, Canada, Cuba, Newfoundland, at the United States postal agency at Shanghai (China), and in certain islands in the West Indies. For sums not exceeding $2.50, 3 cents. The fee increases up to 30 cents for $100.

Fees for Foreign Money Orders when payable in Apia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Hongkong, Hungary, Japan, Liberia, Luxemburg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Orange River Colony, Peru, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and Transvaal, range from 8 cents for sums not exceeding $10, to 50 cents for $100.

SPECIAL DELIVERY. A special-delivery stamp, or ten cents' worth of ordinary stamps in addition to the lawful postage, secures the immediate delivery of any piece of mail matter at any United States post-office within the letter-carrier limits of a city delivery office and within a mile limit of any other post-office. When ordinary stamps are used to obtain immediate delivery of mail the words "Special Delivery" must be written or printed on the envelope or covering.

Special-delivery mail must be delivered on Sundays as well as on other days, if post-office is open on Sundays.

If special-delivery matter fails of delivery because there is no person at the place of address to receive it, the matter is returned to the post-office and delivered in the ordinary mail.

Rural letter carriers are required to deliver special-delivery mail at the residences of patrons of their routes if they live within one-half mile of the routes.

REGISTRY. Registered mails reach every post-office in the world. The system provides for special care and correct delivery.

In case of its loss, the sender or owner of a registered article prepaid at the letter rate of postage, mailed at, and addressed to, a United States post-office is indemnified for its value up to $25. Parcels prepaid at the letter rate should be sealed.

In case of loss of a registered article mailed in or addressed to a foreign country embraced in the Universal Postal Union, except Parcel-Post mail, and except in case of force beyond control, the sender, or at his request the addressee, is entitled to indemnity for its value up to 50 francs, or its equivalent in United States money.

All valuable letters and parcels, as well as those without intrinsic value, the correct delivery of which is of importance, and those for which the sender desires the addressee's receipt, should be registered.

The registry fee is 10 cents for each separate letter or parcel, in addition to the postage, both to be fully prepaid with postage stamps attached to the letter or parcel.

Any piece of mailable matter may be registered at any post-office or station thereof, and by any rural carrier. In residential districts of cities, letters and packages of first-class matter that are not cumbersome on account of size, shape, or weight can be registered by letter carriers at the house door as safely as if brought to the post-office.

UNMAILABLE MATTER. Unmailable domestic matter-that is, matter which is not admissible to the United States mails for delivery in the United States or in any of its possessions-includes:

All matter illegibly, incorrectly, or insufficiently addressed.

All transient second-class matter and all matter of the third or fourth-class not wholly prepaid; and letters and other first-class matter not prepaid one full rate-2 cents.

All matter weighing over 4 pounds, except second-class matter, single books, and documents printed and circulated by authority of Congress.

All matter harmful in its nature, as poisons, explosive or inflammable articles, matches, live or dead (but not stuffed) animals, and reptiles, fruits, or vegetables liable to decomposition, guano, or any article exhaling a bad odor, vinous, spirituous or malt liquors, cocaine or derivatives thereof, and liquids liable to explosion, spontaneous combustion, or ignition by shock or jar, such as kerosene oil, naphtha, benzine, etc.

All obscene, lewd, or lascivious matter, and every article or thing intended, designed, or adapted for any indecent or immoral purpose.

All matter bearing upon the outside or cover or wrapper any delineations, epithets, terms, or language of an indecent, lewd, lascivious, obscene, libelous, scurrilous, defamatory, or threatening character, or calculated by the terms or manner or style of display, and obviously intended to reflect injuriously upon the character or conduct of another.

Post cards, bearing particles of glass, metal, mica, sand, tinsel, or other similar substances, are unmailable, unless enclosed in envelopes.

All matter concerning any lottery, so-called gift concert, or other enterprise of chance, or concerning schemes devised for the purpose of obtaining money or property under false pretenses.

WRAPPING OF MAIL MATTER. All mail matter should be so wrapped as to safely bear transmission without breaking, or injuring mail bags or the contents of mail bags or the persons of those handling them. Many articles, such as calendars, drawings, spectacles, watches, books, etc., are damaged in the mails for the reason that they are not securely and sufficiently wrapped to withstand the weight and handling to which they are necessarily subjected. It should be borne in mind that such articles are thrown into bags with other mail matter, and when addressed to small towns where the mail trains do not stop, the bags containing them are thrown from fast moving trains upon the ground.

LETTERS OF AND READING MATTER FOR THE BLIND. Under special legislation all letters written in point print or raised characters used by the blind are mailable as third-class matter-that is, when mailed unsealed, they are chargeable with postage at the rate of 1 cent for each 2 ounces or fraction thereof. Books, pamphlets, and other reading matter in raised characters for the use of the blind, which contain no advertising or other matter whatever, when sent by or returned to a public library or public institution for the blind, are entitled to transmission in the mails free, under the following conditions: When mailed by a public library or public institution for the blind the matter must be sent as a loan to a blind reader. When mailed for return to a public library or public institution for the blind the sender must be a blind reader. The matter must be wrapped so that it may be easily examined. On the upper left-hand corner of the envelope or wrapper containing the matter the printed or written name and address of the sender (whether public library, public institution for the blind, or blind reader) must appear, and on the upper right-hand corner the word "Free" over the words "Reading matter for the blind." The weight of a package must not exceed 4 pounds except in case of a single volume, which must not exceed 10 pounds.

SEEDS, BULBS, ROOTS, ETC. By special legislation, seeds, bulbs, roots, scions, and plants are mailable at the rate of 1 cent for each 2 ounces or fraction, but are otherwise entitled to the privileges of fourth-class matter. Under this head are included samples of wheat and other grains in their natural condition.

Samples of flour, rolled oats, pearled barley, dried peas, and beans in which the germ is destroyed, cut flowers, dried plants, and botanical specimens, not susceptible of propagation, and nuts and seeds (such as the coffee bean) used exclusively as food, are subject to the regular fourth-class rate of 1 cent an ounce or fraction.

DROP LETTERS AND POSTAL CARDS. A "drop" letter is one addressed for delivery at the office where mailed.

When mailed for delivery at post-offices where the letter-carrier service is not established, or at offices where the patrons can not be served by rural free-delivery carriers, the rate is 1 cent for each ounce or fraction thereof.

There is no drop rate on mail matter other than letters.

United States Government postal cards are entitled to all the privileges of letters except that of return to the sender when undelivered.

The following statistics are taken from the annual report of the postmaster general, made public January 1, 1910: