The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1853-11-29
VALUE OF THE PRESS.

The editor of village paper, out West
"struck' for his dues once on time, and stop
pod his paper. Ills subscribers were all in ar
rears, and he resolved, in the most positive
manner that he would give the people % more
of the products Of his brain until he had re-
ceived some of The products of their farms. or
if that was not convenient the cash instead
l1o happened to own patch of ground, md
no very quietly took mp the shovel and The hoe.
and, With his "devil," went to work raising his
grub" whilo waiting the decision Of tho town's
people.
Great was tho excitement in the village
when tho paper was stopped The maids and
mairons didn't know who was married and who
had died in the neighboring towns: the farmers
got no news respecting the crops in other Sec
tons of the country, and sold off their produce
at much lower prices than they might have
commandcd; tho manners and morals of tho
pcople deterorated, tho children grew up less
intelligent than formerly. and tho people got
completely in The fog on all the prominent ques-
iions of tho day.
The inhabitants of the town were like those
of some islands. Block leland, for instance. cut
off from frequent communication with the
world. and when one of them ,ackeled up his
team and drove to n negnboring town 10 trade,
he generally came back with his head filed
with ridiculous reports respecting tho affairs
of his and other nations, which had been told
him by mischio, GUS persons who know that
the village paper had stopped for want of pay,
and that the people would not subscribe for city
papers whose terms were "invariably cash IN
advance"
When one of the "solid men" of this village
had been over to the country town to attend
Court, or sell his wheat. on his retura to the
village was generally thrown into a commo-
ton by rnmor "f war impending on the from
I or h.f tl,n nd
land until somebody paying n visit to the vii
lage would disabuse tho good people of the er-
rOr that had been imposed on them, and not
uufrequenly laugh at tbom for their credulity.
Their orly excuse was that their paper had
stopped, and this excuse tho better portion was
ashamed to give.
Frequently when some of the men of the
village passed by the editors homestead, and
saw him leaning over The fence. watching the
growth of his corn and potatoes, they would
ask in tones almost indignant, when he inten-
ded to start the paper againl
His ouly reply was "when the old subscrb-
ers pay up"
The old subscribers were "rather stuffy a.
bout the natter, as n venerable dame express
ed it.. They thought it hard to he obliged TO
pay for paper when they had only subscribed
at first TO give the enterprise a start,-only 10
encourage The editor and publisher, and so
they resolved 20 endure tho priyation as long
as possible
Matters were, however, brought 10 crisis
BY the following circumstances The deacon
of tho village church--(whcn by the way, was
not so well attended, after tho paper was sus-
pcnded-came b, me one day from the county
town, n Place of considerable sizo, and an
nounced that Thanksgiving was to be eaten on
Thursday OF next week. Tho farmers killed
all their fat poultry on the first Of tho next
week. and started off to market, while their
good wives rolled up their sleeves and went to
work making mince pies. The young mon
bought dancing pumps and engaged fiddler,
and the girls sat up o'nights to mako dresses
for the Thanksgiving ball.
Great was the surprise and chagrin of all
the inhabitants of tho village to loarn on tho
return Of the farmers from the market that tho
deacon had been grossly humbugged and that
The thanksgiving festival would not come off
until another week. They had been obliged TO
sci! their poultry in the county town at a great
sacrifice. and would be compelled to wear
their old Sunday coats another year in conse-
qucnce.
The women of tho village set mp great
clsmor. and ut length their husbands, asham-
ed of their conduct, called public meeting
and voted to invite 'hc editor to clay down the
shovel and the hoe" aud resume the publica-
'ion of bis paper. They paid up their arrear-
ages and for the next yoar in advance, and
many ~ho had depended on their neghbors
for their reading, subscribed for copies for
themselves, so tho editors list of subscribers
was increased and all of them became i'm r.alitv
patrons of his sheet The people of tho VIII
lage are happy once more. and each Thanks
giving festival reminds ihem to renew their
advance payments for the village paper.
Boston Herald.