# The O-Wash-Ta-Nong/Volume 3/Number 1/With Our Exchanges

With Our Exchanges
By G. W. Macauley
We try now to catch up in this department, which was eliminated in the December issue.
There’s a good old Empire, for January, 1937, and July, 1937. Old, we say, because Trainer and his press have grown up in our hobby. A feature of the issues mentioned, is the news notes. They are generally difficult to obtain, but are always of great interest to amateurs. There seems to be lack of this feature in our publications, and we again make the old plea of “Tell us all you know about amteurs and what they are doing”, in your paper.
The Empire also was first to bring us amateur press news of our Boston election results. Congratulations, though belated, to Editor Trainer.
Those old Kentucky hills seem to be about the warmest amateur spot anywhere near the center of this country’s population. Down from them comes Mountain Trails for September, and Editor G. Bennett Adams writes entertainingly of his hardy ancestors who peopled the hills in the olden days; straight shootin’, straight thinkin’, for the most part. We have a great liking for hills anywhere.
Editor Johnson comes through with a Much Ado, and knowing that the Johnson clan have recently moved household goods and printing plant, we can be sure that they have had much to do, and it is worthy of note that amid it all they have given us another Much Ado. We hope the new home and business are satisfactory, and our thanks goes out to the Johnsons for carrying on.
The American Amateur Press bundle carries rather a brave number of thumbnails, very few of which are above the small four page beginner type. This size and type of paper is wanted, and needed in our association in a larger number. It is from this type of amateur paper, that the more matured and improved paper of later years must come.
We must point out the extreme immaturity of these American Amateurs who, when critized for whistling to keep up there courage in their fight with their old association, The United, confirm this belief by stooping to a very low level of rebuttal, which defends them not at all. We think the American Amateur Press editors are to be ​commended for trying, and they will stick, if they learn to “take it” like gentlemen.
The Bloodstone’s editor, C. Hamilton Bloomer, Jr., though a comparative newcomer to our ranks, is not backward in saying things about amateur affairs. His space is limited, but his remarks are interesting. His “Discrimination, or Activity” a title in the March number shows our usual indifference to a new member after we get his dues—only the strong willed survive.
Right here it is appropriate to speak of one of those many ships that sail down our sea and disappear in the haze all to soon. We wish to mention Tri-State-Times Vol. 1, No. 1, issued at Port Jervis, N. Y. by M. Theadore DeMond. Our question is, what reaction to his paper, did Mr. DeMond receive?
We believe there has been no second issue, despite the excellence of the first, and Mr. DeMond’s name is no longer on our mailing list. We wrote Mr. DeMond to give us his version of how he feels about our hobby. His answer proved interesting and Mr. DeMond hopes to rejoin and issue more Tri-States.
This issue of The O-Wash-Ta-Nong carries a poem by David Raymond Innes, no relation to Willie Innes, an old time Grand Rapids amateur, but one of our Detroit members, who publishes a professional magazine of humorous verse, called Avon. We have been favored by a copy of The Lamp of Diogenes containing thirty six poems by Mr. Innes on the foibles and follies of the day. It is published professionally by The Stratford Co. of Boston, and is very attractive.
The analytical mind of Editor Haggerty fashions this bit of metaphoric repartee to our pin-pricks of the right royal Rooseveltian dynasty which have appeared, and will continue to appear, in these pages.
Quoting December Leisure Hours “President Macauley is all hot and bothered about President Roosevelt. After trying for five months to direct the affairs of the N.A.P.A., you’d think Macauley would have a fellow feeling for one who also has a difficult job. For myself, I do not think Roosevelt is 100 per cent correct by any means, but I’ll string along with him, until some one better shows up.”
In that reference to “String along”, we wonder if Editor Haggerty’s sub-conscious mind did not give him a tip from the shoe string financial state of our government. We hope the string will not break, badly frayed as it is. We wish to further add that Editor Haggerty is 100 per cent correct in saying that both jobs are difficult, and that “dig” about “five months trying” is taken very seriously by us as a criticism of the months just past. Other than to say that powers beyond our control had all but tied our hands, until mid-November, we are silent. Yet despite the pressure we were under, we did not go away on a fishing trip, in fact, we have not been fishing for several years, and the more pressure, the tighter we’ll stick to this job.
There’s another discrepancy between this humble office holder and that of the highest one in our land—we welcome, and not abhor criticism, nor do we hate those who give it. We wish there were more critism of our efforts, for we want to profit by it, that our view-point may widen.
Come, we beg discussion of the question, not what is the matter with Amateur Journalism, but what are you going to do about it? We do not promise results, but we are certainly trying for them.
Before us lies Encinal, summer issue, which contains two very readable articles and one story. “Definition of Education” by Elsie Nichols is on a subject we believe will have a larger place in the sun, as time goes on. Today there is a belief that average Americans mentality rates about twelve years of age, so Miss Nichols has rather a broad subject to cover in six hundred words. She handles her subject fairly well, but in only one instance we note mention of the basic foundation of education, when the writer states “Association with others who think—” Without the knowledge of how to think, education is wasted.
Yesterday, President Hutchins of the University of Chicago, and author of an article in the December 11th, Saturday Evening Post, “We Get No Brighter,” came to our town on his new era of education idea. President Hutchins arrived minus his necktie, but gave a very good address, pointing out some fallacies of our current ideas on education, to an audience who would dislike to have themselves called not well educated.
Robert Rolley packs a regular movie script thriller in his “Fate and the Shop Whistle” which, if Robert didn’t see it first from a reel’s shadow, is good from a action standpoint and holds the attention until the end. This is a virtue that all amateur writers do not have in their story telling.
Ruth Miller ends the issue with what might be termed a “throw-back” to the first sketch “Definition of Education” which we have discussed. Being shut in by rain, in a somber library with “dry and yellowed books, dusty ​and worn, torn, scribbled and dog-eared…the ghosts of Plato, Galileo, Milton, Virgil, Shakespeare, Tennyson…stroll through the deserted library…Suddenly the sun burst like a golden sky-rocket through the clouds…and soon I was indulging my literary fancy in the Sunday newspaper cartoons…bless them.”
Here we come again to the stringing topic, when we pick up a card with a string inserted, from our desk which starts off “We’re not stringing you”. We give a heavy sigh of relief for, with the President of these mighty United States acting as head interlocutor to the greatest company of expert “stringing” men ever gathered together, the term “string” instinctively puts us on our guard.
We are going to put Benton Wetzel’s name down for the clever idea of the stringing card, and looking back at what Oakland did in 1935, we are inclined to mark our ballot for the city which gave such a fine welcome to the N.A.P.A.
From among Non-National papers we wish to mention Frank Craig’s “Verde Mons”, a United paper, dated 1937, thirty-two pages, six by nine, about a trip in a combination sleeping auto from Kewanee, Illinois, the editors’ native state, to Florida, then north to Vermont, the state which the editor says is his adopted state. We enjoyed Mr. Craig’s tale, but would like to get more than a mere glimpse of the editor’s personality, and less data about the country. Yet Verde Mons was interesting, although we do not know yet where to write Mr. Craig to thank him, as he gave no address.
This calls to mind that our last “O-Wash-Ta-Nong” bore no number or date. It was for November and was Vol. 2, No. 2.
From the Hermitage Printery a Friendly Quill has come to brighten our day. Amateur Journalists art de luxe we term this beautiful creation by Will Bates Grant, and some of the contents, too, are way above the average. These lines of the poem “Escutchen” by Madalein Cush appeal to us.
“Lifting its arms to a changing sky, Emitting soft laughter eternally.”
And from the poem “Your loves and Mine” by Vida S. Adkins, we choose the lines
“The gleaming stars high overhead; Delphiniums blue and daisies fair; Old people with their silvered hair; The tall pines, stately, grim, and old, Soft candle-light with gleam of gold. The rain drops on my window panes, The solitude of tractless lanes.”
The issue is replete with meaty sayings, presumedly by the editor, and we hope to return at some future time to one article, which we feel, merits enlarged discussion.
Before we close with our exchanges, we wish to mention Much Ado again. Referring to the May issue, we are given a look, on page one of the Gish brothers and Johnson, Jr. with the caption “Here are the editors.” A fine looking staff, indeed, who are getting things out of this hobby.
On page four, Mr. Johnson, Sr., has an article so worth while, that we hope to reprint it in some of the publicity material, on which we are now at work. When Mr. Johnson writes “What amateur printing can mean to those who should be enjoying it, is far from being well enough known”, we certainly agree.
Editor Detrick of Spare Time has taken time to bind 1933 copies of his paper in neat little volumns, one of which he kindly mailed this office. It has been many months since we received an amateur book, although it was not an uncommon event in earlier days. Thank you Mr. Detrick.
In Spare Time for December, editor Detrick calls the attention of five American packet editors to the fact that they are hunting for boogies in their amalgamation, consolidation, and other forms of terror they scare up for their brother editors. This may be fun for the young editors, but it is not of even passing interest to the older members.
The A. J. Newsgram sets up January 9th–16th as “Amateur Press Week”. Messrs. Hamill and Close have a very ambitious program. It is to be hoped that neither their courage or money will run out. Personally, we believe our hobby merits more publicity than it ever has had, yet we have always felt that dyed-in-the-wool amateur journalists are not common, in fact they are rather rare. Assuming that we are correct, this means that amateur journalism has no “public acceptance” as a common type of hobby, and it also means that many thousands must be contacted to reach even the few, who might have something more than a passing interest in this hobby. Even this group must be reduced greatly, to sift out the real amateur journalists—the ones who stick.
Mr. Edkins points out other interest problems in his “A Prelude to History” in our last issue. Amateur Journalism Week has our blessing, its start may be small, but if we put more into it year by year, the ultimate results may be astounding.
Eisegeris, an artistic production, comes from the press of Burton J. Smith in Adrian, Michigan.
​This is the kind of an amateur paper which pleases us in mind and heart. Just one suggestion we offer and that is a dash of flavoring in some line of amateur or outside world question or thought.
Mr. Smith’s fragments from his boyhood days intrigue us—continue them in the next Eisegeris.
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The National Bundle
The Bundle containing ten papers reached us at Christmas tide besides a snappy dodger “You Must Help” and a spirited message from our hard working Miss Jorgensen.
Editor Haggerty and Editor Detrick both rang the bell twice with two issues each on which we have made some comments elsewhere.
Remarx by Editor Haywood announces new equipment for The Yankee Press and prints a credential. Rather small in size but having a reputation for calling quite often makes Remarx increases its impression.
The Bundle introduces another girl editor—printer with The Purple Cow by Lorraine Lindblad, done in red ink on buff stock. Four page, 5×7, featuring a credential “Anything Goes” by Otto Bierwager, a Wide Open letter to Mr. Farley and an editorial by the editor with a poem by Ruth Miller for an ending. Miss Lindblad sets her aim high for The Purple Cow and we give her our cheer.
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One of Our Young Editors Goes to Town
Under a picture of the editor ran this bit of interesting news in our local daily:
“Nicky Arundel, 9, waged a nine-month editorial campaign in his Washington D. C. newspaper to get giraffes for the Zoo. Result: The National Geographic-Smithsonian Institute expedition has just brought back four giraffes; named one Nicky.”
Nicky is a National member but we have not seen his paper as yet—how about it Nicky?
There is a rumor that the spirit of St. Louis will take the form of an amateur paper to be issued soon.
There was belief in some quarters that an issue even surpassing “Lest We Forget” was to be off the presses before this. It is not known what has caused earth-quakeing Editor Bradosky’s vitrolic pen to remain in leash so long.
Robt. Tuttle who will be remembered by some as editor of My Pal is Editor of the Albion College Pleiad at Albion, Mich.
Jap Propagandist Crane has been giving a series of lectures on “The War in Asia” throughout the Central States the immediate effect of which will help to still the tinkle of President Roosevelt’s sword rattling speech in Chicago. If ever the President should put his foot in his mouth instead of speaking that was the day, yet, with the Black matter still dark, he felt called on to even risk a bit of a war cloud in hopes of chasing the white hooded skeleton out of his own closet. How soon were the little yellow men to call his bluff with the Panay sinking, but the Chicago jingo speech and its Panay sequence shoved the Black cloud far in the back ground which was, to Roosevelt, another personal Phyrric victory.
The Masaka’s Editor’s tour made possible visits with Ex-President Suhre and Editor of Much Ado Purcell in St. Louis and a meeting with Heim Spink.
There is a possibility that Chester Bradley may enter Olivet College in January.
Stories by two Olivet students, Parker Linton and Willis Selden appear in the current Pine Needles.
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Good News
Official Editor Kleiner sends out word that Mr. Louis C. Wills will finance one issue of the National during this year. Our keen appreciation goes to Mr. Wills not alone for this act but, as well, for those other times he has contributed to our hobby.
At this point we think it well to voice our approval of Edior Kleiner’s excellent services. Not only is he publishing a very creditable volume of the National, but he is giving within a $50.00 cost per issue.
Again we make a plea for more activity. Do something for this hobby of ours in the way of getting of new members, reinstatement of old members, or publishing a paper.