Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1853-12-30
LEW1SBURG CHRONICLE & WEST BRANCH FARMER
Home Value of the Press.

84VlnV asAO Va SsAO hSoo'
The editor of village paper out west,
STRUCK for his dues once on time, and
stopped his paper. His subscribers were
mostly in arrears, and he resolved, in The
most positive manner, that he would give
the people no more of the product Of his
hands, pocket, and brain, until he should
receive some of the products of their farms,
or, If that was not convenient, the cash
instead. He happened to own patch Of
ground, and he very quietly took mp the
shovel and the hoe, and with his devil went
to work raising his grub, While waiting the
decision Of the towns people.
Great was the excitemcn. in the village
when the paper was stopped. The maids
and matrcns didn't know who vas married
and who died in the neighbcring towns;
tue farmers got no news respecting the
crops in other sections of the country and
sold off their produce at much lower prices
than they might have commanded; the
manners and morals of the people deterio-
rated the children grew up much less ir.
teliigen. than formerly; and the people got
completely in the fog on all the prominent
questions of the day.
When any of the Inhabitants went off
trading or visiting or to Court, they almost
always came back with some ridiculous
story told them by some mischievous pco-
pie who knew that their local paper was
lfeless for want Of alimen,, and that few
had subscribed for city papers whose terms
were invariably cash in advance.
One Of the first men in the place once
threw them all into commotion by spread
ing the runor of war impending between
the United States and England. Reports
Of this nature would flourish until some
new arrival would dlsabuse the good people
and not unfrequcn'ly laugh at them for
their creduli,y. Their only excuse was that
their paper had st"pp,d-an excuse the
letter portion were ashamed to give.
Frequently, when some oi the men Of
the neighborhocd passed ty the printer,
and saw him laughing to see his own corn
and potatoes grow, they would ask, in tones
almost indignant, when lie intended to start :
the paper again? His reply was, WHEN
will the old subscribers pay up:
The Old subscribers were rather s,u6y /
about the matter, as venerable dame :
expressed il, and thought they could stand
it as long as the poor printer. They tbo't .
it hard to be obliged to pay for a paper
which they had only subscribed to at irst
TO give the enterprise a start-oniy to
encourage the thing; and so they resolved
to endure the suspension firmly.
Matters were however brought 70 crisis
by the following circumstance. A deacon
in the church came home from neighbo.
ring town ono day, and announced that on
Thursday Of the next week, Thanksgiving
wouli be Observed The farmers killed
all their fat pouitry on the frs: of the next
week and started oil To market, while .hcir
good wives rolled up their sleeves and went
to work at making mince pies The young
men bought dancing pumps and engaged
fiddler, aud the girls sat up nights To make
dresses for the thanksgiving bali.
Great was the surprise and chagrin of
all the inhabitants of the yiilage to learn.
ON the return Of The farmers from market,
that their deacon mad been grossly hum
bugged, and that the Thanksgiving festival
would not come of for another week. They
bad been obliged to sell their poultry at a
sacrifice, and would be compelled to wear
their old Sunday coats another year in
consequence.
The mothers and daughters, hercupon,
set up great clanor, and at leugrh the .
heads Of the families, ashamed of their ,
conduct, called public meeting and voted
TO invite tie printer 10 lay down the sho-
vel and the hoe and resume the publication
Of his paper. They paid up arrearages and
for the next year in advance, and many
who had depended on their neighbors for
their reading, subscribed for copies for
themselves, SO the list of subscribers was
increased, and all became in reality PAT
IoNs of his sheet. The people of the
place are happy once more, and each
thanksgiving festival reminds them to pay
their advance subscriptions for their local
paper.-Bosfon UcraN