The Postal System of the United States and the New York General Post Office

In Short

This book serves as a historical snapshot of the United States postal infrastructure in the early 1920s. It chronicles the transition of the post office from a political tool into a specialized business-like service, while documenting the staggering volume of mail and logistics required to keep a growing nation connected. By profiling the New York General Post Office as the "world’s greatest," the work emphasizes the modernization of delivery, the rise of the parcel post, and the evolving role of the government in managing the backbone of American communication.

The Story

The narrative begins with a shift in the philosophy of the United States postal service. Under the leadership of Postmaster-General Will H. Hays and his assistant, Hubert Work, the department seeks to move away from political patronage toward a model of efficiency and public service. The author frames this transition as a "humanizing" of a massive institution, aiming to bring the public into a closer, more reliable relationship with the agency that carries their news, trade, and personal ties.

The book then pivots to the immense scale of this undertaking. It tracks the development of the postal system over a century, providing data that illustrates a trajectory of exponential growth. From the early days of meager revenues in the 1790s to the hundreds of millions of dollars processed by the 1920s, the story is one of a nation expanding its reach. The narrative includes a vivid, nostalgic look at the "pony express," contrasting that romanticized era of individual grit with the modern, industrialized reality of millions of letters handled hourly.

The core of the work focuses on the logistical Herculean task of the New York General Post Office. This office acts as a central hub for the country’s commerce and international contact. The author details the hierarchy of the organization, highlighting the transition from the old, manual methods to a complex, multi-layered system involving pneumatic tubes, motor vehicles, and specialized departments. The reader is walked through the division of labor: the immense task of city delivery, the handling of foreign mail arriving on massive steamers, and the specialized Registry and Inquiry divisions.

The narrative also touches upon the government’s attempt to manage broader communication utilities during the First World War. While the experiment with state-controlled telegraph and telephone systems proved temporary, the post office’s expansion into air mail and wireless technology marks the forward-looking spirit of the era. The story concludes by highlighting the internal welfare of the postal workers—the human element—detailing the clinics, cooperatives, and associations built to support the massive army of employees. It paints a picture of a system that is not only vital for the economy but is, in its own way, the "mightiest instrument of human democracy." The final sections emphasize the role of the New York office as a central accounting station, solidifying its place as the heart of the national network.

How It Unfolds

The vision of service The book opens by characterizing the postal service as a dedicated institution for public good rather than political gain. It establishes the shift in management style that prioritizes business efficiency and the "humanizing" of the workforce.

The march of volume The narrative presents a series of statistical tables and historical comparisons, documenting the massive growth in mail volume since 1790. It anchors this data in the physical reality of the mail, from the legendary pony express riders to the standardized logistics of the 1920s.

The New York engine The focus shifts to the New York General Post Office as a model of organizational complexity. The text describes how this specific facility manages millions of items daily through sophisticated divisions of delivery, mailing, and financial oversight.

The technological evolution The author explains the implementation of modern tools like pneumatic tubes, which transport mail containers beneath city streets, and the integration of wireless telegraphy for air mail. This section captures the optimism of an era embracing rapid industrial advancement to solve communication bottlenecks.

The human structure The final movement examines the lives of the postal employees themselves. It details the welfare systems, health clinics, and labor organizations that support the rank-and-file workers who keep the massive machinery running.

The People

The book focuses on the leadership and the internal culture of the postal service, highlighting individuals who rose through the ranks. Hubert Work, as Postmaster-General, serves as the intellectual architect of the "business administration" philosophy. He is portrayed as a former physician who brings a practical, clinical approach to government management.

E. M. Morgan, the Postmaster of New York, represents the ideal career public servant. His story is one of steady, decades-long progression—from his start as a humble letter carrier in 1873 to his eventual position at the head of the city’s massive postal operations. He is described as a man who "knows the game" through deep, firsthand experience, rather than theoretical knowledge.

Supporting these figures is John J. Kiely, the Assistant Postmaster, who similarly embodies the meritocratic ideal. Having spent thirty-seven years in the service, his ascent through the ranks serves as evidence of the department's internal stability. Together with figures like Peter A. McGurty and Joseph Willon, these men represent a class of "postal experts" who are distinguished by their long tenures, their mastery of complex regulations, and their commitment to efficiency. They are not framed as politicians, but as technicians of democracy, ensuring that the mail flows with mechanical precision.

In Its Own Voice

The following inscription, found on the Washington D.C. Post Office building, captures the romantic and functional ideal of the service:

"Messenger of Sympathy and Love, Servant of Parted Friends, Consoler of the Lonely, Bond of the Scattered Family, Enlarger of the Common Life, Carrier of News and Knowledge, Instruments of Trade and Industry, Promoter of Mutual Acquaintance, Of Peace and Good Will Among Men and Nations."

Mark Twain’s description of the pony express highlights the intense physical demands of the early mail carriers:

"The pony rider was usually a little bit of a man, brimful of spirit and endurance. No matter what time of the day or night his watch came on, and no matter whether it was winter or summer, raining, snowing, hailing, or sleeting, or whether his 'beat' was a level straight road or a crazy trail over mountain crags and precipices, or whether it led through peaceful regions or regions that swarmed with hostile Indians, he must be always ready to leap into the saddle and be off like the wind!"

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an argument for the administrative professionalization of the state. It views the postal system as the ultimate bridge between the individual citizen and the broader democracy. The text explores the tension between the sheer, uncontrollable scale of human communication—which grows faster than the infrastructure designed to handle it—and the government’s desire to impose order, efficiency, and business-like standards upon that chaos. It asks how a massive, impersonal bureaucracy can remain "human" while simultaneously functioning as a global clearinghouse for trade, finance, and personal correspondence. Ultimately, it is a testament to the belief that reliable communication is the bedrock of a stable, modern, and democratic society.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in the history of infrastructure or the development of urban logistics will find this work fascinating. It provides a rare, granular look at a moment when the United States was rapidly transitioning into a modern, interconnected power, and the postal service was the tangible physical network making that possible. There is a certain charm in reading about the excitement surrounding 1920s-era "high-tech" solutions like pneumatic tubes and early wireless broadcasting for farmers.

However, the reader should be prepared for the book’s dry, technical nature. It is essentially a corporate-issued report, and it often reads like one, heavy on statistical appendices and organizational hierarchies. The tone is formal and occasionally self-congratulatory, reflecting the institutional optimism of the post-World War I era. While the book provides a unique glimpse into the pride taken in civil service at the time, it lacks a critical or investigative lens; it is purely descriptive. If you can push past the occasionally repetitive lists of departments and salary figures, you are rewarded with a vivid sense of the sheer physical effort required to keep the world talking in the early twentieth century. What remains with you is the sheer scale—the image of thousands of sacks of mail leaving the harbor on steamships, creating a global web of paper and ambition.