of play or agreeable occupation which refreshes the tired person,
making him as good as new."

Stamp collectors may fairly claim that their hobby serves the double
purpose of a pastime and a recreation. As a pastime, it certainly
makes time pass most agreeably; for the true student of the postal
issues of the world, it turns work into a pastime. As a recreation, it
is of such an engrossing character that it may be relied upon to
afford the pleasant diversion from business worries that so many tired
mental workers need nowadays.

For nearly half a century it has maintained unbroken its hold as one
of the most popular of all forms of relaxation, and its popularity
extends to all classes and to all countries.

But this very devotion of stamp collectors to their hobby has puzzled
and excited the uninitiated. The ordinary individual, especially the
man who has no soul for a hobby of any kind, regards it as a passing
fancy, a harmless craze, a fashion that must have its day and
disappear, sooner or later. But the passing fancy has endured for
nearly half a century, the harmless craze still serves its useful
purpose, and the fashion has acquired such a permanence as to convince
most people that it has come to stay.

Of all pastimes, and of all the forms of recreation, not one can claim
more lifelong devotees than this same stamp collecting. And where is
another pastime with such international ramifications? In every
civilised country, in every city, and in every town of any importance,
the wide world over, thoughtful men and women are to be found formed
into sociable groups, or societies, quietly and pleasantly enjoying