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What Philately Teaches
A LECTURE
DELIVERED BEFORE THE SECTION ON PHILATELY
OF THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES,
FEBRUARY 24, 1899
BY
JOHN N. LUFF
NEW YORK. Third Edition
1915
What Philately Teaches
By way of preface, I wish to say, that I haveprepared this paper with the hope of interestingthose who are not stamp collectorsand my endeavor will be to indicate someof the interesting and instructive thingsthat may be learned by those who follow thisfascinating pursuit. Much that I have to saywill be ancient history to philatelists, but Itrust they will remember that this is not especiallyintended for them and pardon any dryness in it, inview of its intent.
Stamp collecting, as pursued to-day, has becomesomething more than an amusement for children.It affords instruction and mental relaxation to thosewho are older and more serious.
On the title page of every stamp album and catalogueshould be inscribed the old latin motto: "Tedoces4" thou teachest, for it is certainly an instructorand affords much intellectual entertainment.
In connection with this motto we have a littlephilatelic joke from the orient.In one of the Chinese treatyports a stamp has been issuedwhich bears the motto. We findthem on the tea chests, writtenin excellent Chinese, and, evenif we do not read the language,we cannot doubt that they refer to the tea doseswhich the chests contain.
By some, philately has been called a science.Perhaps it hardly merits so exalted a title but itopens for us a wide field for research, in which wemay find many curious, interesting and instructivethings. It trains our powers of observation, enlargesour perceptions, broadens our views, andadds to our knowledge of history, art, languages,geography, botany, mythology and many kindredbranches of learning.
Philately embraces the whole earth and likewisethe whole earth is sometimes embraced within thelimits of a postage stamp. As an example of this,witness the recent effort of our Canadian cousins in5celebration of the achievementof the long-desiredocean penny postage, atpresent an inter-colonialrate of the British Empire,but some day to be an international rate. Themotto is a trifle bombastic and suggests the Teutonicsuperlative; "So bigger as never vas," andthe "Xmas 1898" reads like the advertisement of adepartment store: "Gents pants for Xmas gifts."But we must admit that the stamp is a pretty conceit,in spite of these defects and of the ambitionof the artist, which has spread the "thin red line"over territory that