Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-12-14
Piner and the Reriie.

We have not for a long time come across a
more side shaking article thanthe following, from
the LopeH american. 1t is not only genial and
humorous, but it paints Piper SO artsticay, and so
much to the life, that no one could mistake the
portrait, even without label
Our good friend Piper, Of tho Fitchburg Re-
vee, 1--WE promised him that we would moi again
say ReUite) does not take in good part the add
vice we gave him last week, to shorten his sem
fences and pocket his income We meant il for
his good, buthe seems to be annoyed and uncom-
Portable about 1t. We deeply regret this If
there is any person we desire to part on good
terms with, it is Piper. We cannot say there
is g daily beauty in his life,'' which makes ey
erybody else ugly but there is semi-a0eeAlu
absurdy in his life which tickles our sense of the
ridiculous, amazingly. Keats says "a thing of
beauty isl joy forever Now Piper is not by
any means "a thing of beauty 2; on the contra
ry, quite the reverse, as those who have seen him
well know but be is a "joy pa g perpetual
feast of nectared sweets" 1t has been our prln-
cipal solace amidst the strife Of politics and The
cares of business, to get the ReviIe-lle and laugh
at Piper. We would not knowingly offend him.
We were in hopes, by speaking kindly to him.
to induce him to send his paper 10 US, even though
we ccudnot send ours to him. " hat shall we
do without il. "a
Piper complains that we begun it''-of
course We did, Could we help beginning it1 We
shall never forget the day we saw the Reyer-le
1--WE shall never get back TO the correct spelling
We had known Piper when he peddled fish in
Essex county, and when we saw the prospectns
of his paper, we suspected we had found our old
friend. When we hrsl knew him, his name was
Jonathan J., or as he finally got into the habit of
spelling it--J Jtakins Piper. But we knew
that this John ] :" must be The same fellow. In
an instant we recognized his style. Why, he
had TO leave the fish business because of bis STYLE
We don't mean by this, that be was 10 the habit
of writing in those days. No, but he had style,
Tor all that. lie was trusty, and could dress a
Goldfish as well as any young man of his years
Neither was he inapt at boiling Holsters But his
styl was too ditfuse. 1t would take him clear
across long block Of boarding houses, before he
could get out Here's your HOLSTERS, and he
could not announce that ne had mackerel to
sell, without some quotation from the Latin or
Dutch, which quite disguised the fish-purchasing
population, WI o are PRACTICAL people, and not
given to the classics. So his employer had to
discharge him. The FIRST paragraph In the
Reyi-ele, 1--WE have got il right this timel salts
fed US that our verbose and turgid friend had cot
Into the editorial line. Ever since then, we have
been constant reader of bis paper-probabiy
the only constant reader. If we could have our
way, we would have Piper always write long
sentences, and the Reveille always be printed,
and always sent to US, as subscriber. But in
good faith we advised the editor 10 shorten his
sentences and pocket his income fos the clerk
ship, and not squander il for the benefit Of the
wings Of that "extensive outport,' asshe calls
the town Of Fitchburg, But he scors our good
advice, and rails al US with redoubled bad Eng
lish. The occupation oftraficking in fish, though
apostolic, has never been supposed favorable 10
nicely Of expression, and Piper has no more out
grown his Bingsgaie, than be has his nyouons
Of style. r.
Now, Piper, farewell--"a word that has been,
and must be I've grow sentimental at the pos-
sible loss OF our ancient and ish.like friend Go
on and prosper. If you yi1 write long senten-
ces, do put some sense into them; and fyou will
quote Latin, do quole correctly. Move take
that back, Piper sensible would not be Piper
Piper correct would not be Piper. We should
not recognize our beloved Jonathan Jinkins in a
garb Of common sense and decency He is
unique; snone but himself eau be his parallel,
We never think Of him without being reminded
of Wordsworlh's picture Of the jackass in the
green meadow
Only the ass, with motion dull
Upon the pivot Of his stulI
Turns round his long left ear. e.N
Who would disturb the repose Of that picture,
NVhn .n,os,id ne.