"THE TRIUMPH OF THE EGG"

Just after the Parcel Post was introduced in the United States, a very much photographed boy of 13 was tagged, registered, and posted in New York and delivered a week later in San Francisco. The public, little realizing the precedent established, laughed and forgot the incident. And now what is the result? Postmaster Behymer of Cincinnati rises in his seat at the National Association of Postmasters to protest against the promiscuous shipment of alligators. Mr. Behymer points out that livestock, under the law, is entitled to the privileges of being mailed. He faces calmly the prospect of "being obliged to attend, water and feed various fowls and irritated livestock",--if they can be termed "harmless" and wear badges to that effect. Mr. Behymer draws the line at alligators.

Apparently the cause of the disturbance, a few infant alligators a yard or so in length, transmitted in the ordinary run of business through the mail found life in a crate in an Ohio post-office somewhat tedious. They escaped and spent most of the rest of the day playing tag around the mail files and chewing broom sticks to whet their appetites. All of which led to their being reduced to the "harmless" stage with one of the few remaining broom-sticks wielded by a doughty mail clerk.

Unfortunately the Postmasters' Convention failed to take any action upon Mr. Behymer's revelations and the way to terrorism still lies open. Think of the awful possibilities of the future. First, the Parcel Post handled eggs, then eggs hatched in the form of chickens, then these chickens grown up to fully developed hens and roosters of unlimited lung power,--and now alligators. The process of evolution still remains unchecked. If alligators have any of the qualifications of guinea pigs, it would be well for the Postal Authorities to profit by the sufferings of that valiant official of the sister service, the express,--Mr. O'Flaherty of "Pigs is Pigs".