The Mail Must Go Through!
The above phrase is rooted in the dedication of postal carriers, popularized by an 1885 poem by Joaquin Miller about the challenging Pony Express, and later adopted as an unofficial United States Postal Service motto.
I decided to write about “National Thank Your Mailman Day” observed on Feb. 4. But you can observe the occasion on any day to remind yourself that someone makes sure the mail gets through six days a week, 52 weeks a year. The occasion should impress upon us just how important mail carriers are to our daily lives!
In February chances are the weather will be windy and blustery cold, and maybe even snowy. But the weather shouldn’t stop you from thanking your letter carrier because he or she is the one braving the conditions to get the mail to you. On any day you choose, leave a “Thank You” card in your mailbox maybe with a small donation, a treat of some kind like a candy bar, homemade cookies or cupcakes.
You also may have heard of the famous saying attributed to the U.S. Postal Service: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Actually, the phrase derives from a passage in George Herbert Palmer’s translation of Herodotus’s Histories, referring to the courier service of the ancient Persian Empire. The inscription was chiseled into the James A. Farley Post Office’s facade in New York City in the late 1890s, making it a widely recognized symbol of the postal service. However, this slogan is not a formal commitment. The USPS may delay mail during bad weather.
The married couple teaching a graduate photography course at Northwestern University when I was there in 1964-65 never heard of the phrase. For a final exam, to go with the saying, I photographed mail being delivered in all those above weather conditions, from pick-up boxes in the rain at night, snow and sleet at the main Post Office in downtown Fort Wayne to my dad, a postal carrier for 40 years, dropping mail in our home mailbox on a sunny day. I got a “D” on the final, the only grade other than an “A” I received in the class the entire semester!
When I met with the teaching couple to inquire why, they said it was because one of the weather conditions photographed really didn’t portray snow that well, so why hadn’t I just changed the wording to match the photo. They never had heard of the inscription attributed to mail delivery in those specific weather conditions! They reluctantly raised my grade to a B.
Mail carriers deserve our appreciation every day, but too often they are not recognized for the work they do. On a Christmas break at home from college, I volunteered to help out with the heavy holiday mail delivery for a week. I was loaded down with Life magazines and holiday greeting cards. It wasn’t easy and I soon discovered I had delivered two blocks of mail on the wrong street. Trying to correct my error meant knocking on doors only to often find an occupant enjoying a new found “free” magazine to which they had not subscribed and my asking if they would please give it back! The sun had set when I opened yet another drop box to discover even more mail awaiting delivery. I quit for the day!
In contrast, I observed my dad deliver mail on foot for many years. He knew everyone on his route and often helped someone move furniture or assisted with other chores. And, of course, he encountered an assortment of unfriendly dogs!
When it became difficult for him to continue walking daily, he applied for a rural route. Then the wear and tear affected his car instead of his feet and legs. His car got stuck in the snow on many occasions, often two or three times on the same day. It never was a question of not trying to deliver the mail despite the weather conditions. For him, “The mail must go through!” The phone numbers for tow truck drivers were on the tip of his tongue. Unlike today when a cell phone is a constant companion, he had to find a pay phone or go to someone’s home and ask to use their phone.
So, greet your mail carrier cheerfully. Thank him or her profusely for their faithful service not only in February, but on several days throughout the year. And keep your dog penned inside the house!
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