Soiled and worn out bank notes may be exchanged for fresh ones at the Treasury Department. "GREENBACKS" Greenbacks are treasury notes. The name comes from the color in which they first appeared in the years of our Civil War. The treasury note is really an engraved promissory note of the United States Government made payable to the bearer, and bearing the signatures of the Treasurer and Register of the Treasury. These notes are issued in denominations of from five to ten thousand dollars. Formerly there were one and two-dollar treasury notes issued, and we still find some of these "old-timers" in circulation. There are so many treasury notes in circulation that the Government, vast though its bullion and coin reserves are, could not redeem them if presented at once. The treasury note is a legal tender for any amount of indebtedness. The Government prints the following guarantee on every treasury note: "This note is, by law, to be considered as good as coin. Any one to whom you pay it must reckon it as equivalent to a dollar (or face value in dollars) in value." TREASURY CERTIFICATES The treasury certificate is, in form, very much like the treasury note, and it bears the signatures of the same officers. Treasury certificates are of two kinds, gold and silver. The gold certificates are printed in yellow. The silver certificates are light black and white. These certificates are issued against the great reserves of gold and silver that are kept to redeem them. The use of the gold certificate saves the loss of the gold that comes through abrasion when handled. A five-dollar silver certificate is much more convenient to carry than five silver dollars. These certificates, as may be seen, are issued for the convenience of the public. Certificates of either character will be redeemed to any amount, in the metals for which they call, if presented at the United States Treasury at Washington, or at any of the sub-treasuries to be found in our larger cities. WORN-OUT NOTES Only those familiar with the work can realize the great quantities of bank bills, treasury notes, and certificates continually being made and sent out from Washington. While a stream of clean, fresh paper of enormous value is going out to be spread all over the country, another stream of soiled, torn and altogether disreputable-looking paper is flowing back to the Treasury. The filthy paper is quite as valuable as the clean, so it is properly checked, recorded, and credited before new paper is sent out in its place. They are now trying to make old bills presentable by washing them at the Department. Meanwhile, most of them are ground again into pulp, made into new paper, and all the first processes gone through with to make the paper into money. CHAPTER XIII OUR POSTAL BUSINESS Up to a few years ago, it was the city, town and village dweller who reaped the greatest benefit from the post office.