rder.

When, however, Solomon went on to state his firm belief that a
particular branch of the Post-Office began in the immediate
neighbourhood of the Garden of Eden, and that Adam was the first
Postmaster-General, the depression gave way to interest, not unmingled
with curiosity.

"You see, my young friends," continued the lecturer, "our information
with regard to the origin of the Post-Office is slight. The same may be
said as to the origin of a'most everythink. Taking the little
information that we do possess, and applying to it the reasoning power
which was given to us for the purpose of investigatin' an' discoverin'
truth, I come to the following conclusions:--

"Adam was a tiller of the ground. There can be no doubt about that.
Judging from analogy, we have the best ground for supposing that while
Adam was digging in the fields Eve was at home preparing the dinner, and
otherwise attending to the domestic arrangements of the house, or hut,
or hovel, or cave. Dinner being ready, Eve would naturally send little
Cain or Abel to fetch their father, and thus, you see, the branch of
boy-messengers began." (Applause, mingled with laughter and cheers.)

"Of course," continued Solomon, "it may be objected--for some people can
always object--(Hear, hear)--that these were not _Post-Office_
messengers, but, my young friends, it is well known that the greater
includes the less. As mankind is involved in Adam, and the oak is
embedded in the acorn, so it may be maintained that the first faint germ
of the Boy-Messenger Branch of the Post-Office was included in Cain and
Abel.

"Passing, however, from what I may style this Post-Office germ, over
many centuries, during which the records of postal history are few and
faint and far between, we come down to more modern times--say five or
six hundred years ago--and what do we find?" (Here Solomon became
solemn.) "We find next to nothink! Absolutely next to nothink! The
Boy-Messenger Department had indeed developed amazingly, insomuch that,
whereas there were only two to begin with, there were in the 15th
century no fewer than innumerable millions of 'em in every region and
land and clime to which the 'uman family had penetrated, but no section
of them had as yet prefixed the word `Telegraph' to their name, and as
to postal arrangements, w'y, they were simply disgraceful. Just think,
now, up to the century of which I speak--the fifteenth--there was no
regular Post-Office i