Postage Stamp Fad

Qatberlng cancelad postage tampa s quite a (ad amongsi youngstera at the present time, and the Btamp gatherers are princlpally children wiio have the run Oi business houses and banka, In which the stampa are gathered fty the baaketiul. The purposes for which the stampa are gathered nre varlous. Bome of the gatherers look for a variety to paste into allmms for liome exliibition. Some gather tliem, as it is ezplained, io Bend them to the mlsaionariea in China and Japan, where they are In deinand as curiosities. One little tot, the dauiiliicr of a banker, ezplained: "Whenever we wnd 1.000 stampa it releases some Httle chili trom slavery." Tlu; denominatlona of stampa do not appear to makê any dlfference wlth the gatherers ; il ta quantity that they appear to be after. "I do not know what they piek tiiem np for," one bu8lneae man remarked, "untes II is to seii to cranks who want them to paper a room wlth. Aliout 250 2-ceni siani]is wil] paper a square foot. The nrw stampt; would cover more than that, The "ld stamps mcasure 7-8x6-8 and the new ones 1 3-8x7-8, abOUt une square Inch. A room lOxi'O could be papered for $3,000 or $4,000 on three aldee, leaying one side for doors and Windows. How quick the national debt could be paid by this means. and an exhibition made of patriot ism at the aame time, 11 the largw denominations were used espeeially I" Another business man said liis boy told him that he sold stamps to a man for 25 oents a thousand, but did not know what use the man put them to. In nnother business place it was ascertained that the stamps were bOUght and made into canes. This was a decldedly new Industry, and at lengt h a man ivas lountl who had made a cañe out of postage stamps. It was Thomas Munson, the patrolman haring charge of the Knssell house crossing. He ezplained the process. When he was on the bank squad with Boundaman Janti they got a number oí canceled Btamps, and he. haring heard of the cane-maklng, went at it to construct a daisy walking stick. He íirst proenred a thin cu-e oí steel sharp a1 the top, and upon this he would run a Binall bunch of stamps through the mlddle. Then with prepared glue thlnned, he spread a Ughl coat over each stamp carelully. A nut. was then run over the core down on the stamp.-. Mud over this a piece oí gas pipe, and the stamps were well hammered down. Altérnate layers were thus Sllbjected to the hammering procese uut il the core was covered with stamps. After a few clays the cane was shaved down to the requircd shape with drawlng knlie, planed down wlth au ordinary plane. and then pollshed. This kind of cañe takes a good polsli and looks something like rattan. It is not much heavier than a hickory cane. Patrolman lunson's cane is componed of 7,8G:i postage stamps and cannot be duplicated at the going rates for less than $2 for the canceled stamps. This is the secret of the stamp industry. Canes have been made in this way of guu wads and ordinary pleees of paper, but n postage stamp enne is the latest fad of