with a right of renewal for seven years more. Copyright gives the exclusive right of publication for twenty-eight years, with the privilege of a fourteen years renewal. These laws, which protect the inventor and his manufacturer in the one case, and the author and his publisher in the other, have exerted a very great influence on the mechanical and literary development of our young and growing nation. 218. Government Buildings. In order that the national government may carry on the work in which it is interested, numerous buildings are necessary. Many of these are located at Washington, among them the Capitol, which is the finest government building in existence, the White House, the Congressional Library, noted for its decorations, in which copies of all copyrighted books are kept in addition to valuable collections of other books, the government printing office, and the department buildings, including the one that contains models of all patented inventions. Buildings in other cities. In all of the large cities of the country there are Buildings in 'government" buildings, which are used as post offices, and may be also national court houses and custom houses. Mints have been constructed and are being operated in three cities, and many other public buildings are in constant use. It has been suggested that the United States should build or purchase in the principal foreign capitals permanent homes for our representatives abroad, but nothing has been done toward that end. TEXT QUESTIONS 1. What are the advantages of a national currency? of a decimal currency? 2. Why are gold and silver used for making coins? 3. What is meant by legal tender? 4. Describe the process of making coins. 5. What three kinds of paper money are in circulation? What is the difference between them? 6. Why does the United States manage the postal business? 7. How are postmasters and the postal employees appointed? 8. What classes of mail matter are there? 9. What becomes of imperfectly directed letters? 10. In what ways might large sums be saved by the post-office department? 11. What is a patent? On what conditions is it granted? 12. How is a copyright different from a patent? 66 13. What buildings does the national government need? 14. Give the meaning of the following terms: "money changer's" (§ 207), "decimal system" (§ 207), " money unit” (§ 207), "national currency "(§ 207), "alloy" (§ 208), "gold bullion" (§ 208), "milling machine" (§ 209), "greenback" (§ 210), “bank note" (§ 211), "silver certificate" (§ 212), "periodicals" (§ 213), "a new administration" (§ 214), "registered parcel" ($215) "indemnity" (§ 215). SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS 1. What coins are now in circulation? Which kind represents the greatest value? 2. Should the state governments be allowed to coin money? Give your reasons in full. 3. Why are the different kinds of paper money now worth their face value? (Be sure that you have answered correctly for each kind.) 4. If paper money for any reason becomes worth less than face value, can its value be restored by making it legal tender? 5. What has been the history of the postal service? (Harrison, "This Country of Ours," pp. 233-240.) 6. What rates are charged for each class of mail matter? What does it cost to send a one-ounce letter to Montreal? to the City of Mexico? to Paris? tal laws.) (Newspaper Almanacs, under pos 7. Under what class does each of the following come: a photograph? handkerchief? manuscript of a poem? a letter? a monthly periodical? hectograph circulars? a package of seeds? (Newspaper Almanacs, as above.) 8. What has been done for free mail delivery in rural districts? (Review of Reviews, XXVII (1903), pp. 55-60.) 9. What is the traveling post office like? (World's Work, V (1902), pp. 2873-2880.) 10. The foreign mail service in New York. (Scribner's Magazine, XXVI (1900), pp. 61-71.) II. How was the overland mail service developed? (Cosmopolitan, XX (1896), pp. 603-611.) 12. On a day's work in the New York post office, consult New Metropolitan (1903), 17–23. 13. Are the benefits of the patent system principally felt by the inventor or the manufacturer? Does the patent system sometimes give too much of a monopoly on an article universally desired? 14. What is being done in the nation's printing office? (Review of Reviews, XXVIII (1903), pp. 556-563.) 15. What has the government done in erecting public buildings? (Home Magazine, (1901), pp. 365–371.) 16. What changes have been made recently in the White House? (Munsey's Magazine, XXIX (1903), pp. 65-72, Century Magazine, LXV (1903), pp. 807-831.) 17. What changes have been proposed for beautifying the national capital? (Outlook, LXX (1902), pp. 817-829.) Our boundaries in 1783. tution and expansion. CHAPTER XIX TERRITORIES AND COLONIES 219. Territorial Expansion of the United States. When the United States began its career as a nation a century and a quarter ago, it was only a quarter as large as now, being bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, and The Consti- the Floridas, which were then held by Spain. Although the Constitution which was adopted in 1787, and which we now have, does not say anything about the right of annexing territory, the people have never seriously opposed the annexation of any territory desired by our national government, and the Our territory President and Congress have, therefore, been permitted to extend our boundaries many times. In consequence, we now possess a broad belt of territory stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, besides Alaska, the Philippines and many smaller islands, especially in the Pacific Ocean. The accompanying map shows the extent of the territory acquired at different times and gives the date of each annexation. at present. Our terri If we compare the map of our territorial growth torial system. with a map of the United States at present, we can easily see that most of these annexed lands have become states in our Union. But before they were |