ave their
philatelic societies, all keen searchers for the much-prized rarities
of the various States of the Commonwealth. In India, despite the
difficulty of preserving stamps from injury by moisture, there are
numbers of collectors; one of the best-known rajahs is collecting
stamps for a museum, recently founded in his State, and the Parsees
are keen dealers. There are collectors throughout South Africa, in
Rhodesia, and even in Uganda. Wherever a postage stamp is issued there
may be found a collector waiting for a copy for his album. In no part
of the world can an issue of stamps be made that is not at once
partially bought up for collectors. If any one of the Antarctic
expeditions were to reach the goal of its ambition, and were to
celebrate the event there and then by an issue of postage stamps, a
collector would be certain to be in attendance, and would probably
endeavour to buy up the whole issue on the spot. The United States
teems with collectors, and they have their philatelic societies in the
principal cities and their Annual Congress. From Texas to Niagara, and
from New York to San Francisco, the millionaire and the more humble
citizen vie with each other in friendly rivalry as stamp collectors.

Many countries are now making an Official Collection, and there is
every probability that some day in the near future most Governments
will keep a stamp collection of some sort for reference and
exhibition. Under the rules of the Postal Union, every state that
enters the Union is entitled to receive, for reference purposes, a
copy of every stamp issued by each country in the Postal Union. Hence
every Government receives valuable contributions, which should be
utilised in the formation of a National or Official Collection. And
some day stamp collectors will be numerous and influential enough to
demand that such contributions shall not be buried in useless and
forgotten heaps in official drawers, but shall be systematically
arranged for public reference and general study.

Not a few countries are every year rescued from absolute bankruptcy by
the generosity with which collectors buy up their postal issues; and
many other countries would have to levy a very much heavier burden of
taxation from their peoples if stamp collecting were to go out of
fashion.

So widespread indeed is our hobby that a well-known collector might
travel round the world and rely upon a cordial welcome at the hands of
fellow-collectors at eve