Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1855-10-18

man with short coat and long whip, could
hardly hold; wha, great sales" of small ar
ucles; what gay coaches, riding on the top
OF cloud, the four-n-hand all rLnsing away
and the "nne inside" as merry az punch.
| But nota picture of a railroad, or a reaper
or steamboat A strange old office,in those
old days.
But there in further corner stands square
frame of heavy timber, like a huge loom 1t
IS loom, such as they wove thought on; it
is the old "Ramdge Press" Its huge lever,
Its lazy pllten, its ponderous tympan, its
great ink balls, its creaking, groauing me-
chanism-there it stands in all its rudeness,
the greatest triumph of this or any ether
age. A pair of tin sockets swung up by
wire above the dingy engine, bearing each
"bref CANDLE" were the Castor and PDllux
of the place. In the corner, in the dark stood
a solitary keg of ink; not great way off,
four reams oi very grayish blue paper, but
then the proprietor was "passng rich" at
less than forty pounds year. 1t is pubica-
tion day, and editor, pale apprentice, and
dingy devil are in an active state of unrest.
The editor writes, and suys "we," and oar
readers"-he has two hundred aud ffty-and
then the printer sets type, and then the pub
Usher looks over the "form," and the the
pressman places il on the press, and then
"comes the tug Of war;" 1t is pull and re-
pea pull again and again repeat, and the
"inside" comes off, sheet after sheet, with the
gravity of so many elephants; the candles
get brieEcr and DINNER, but Two hundred and
tiiteth is off at last, and they all, editor, pub
Usher, printer and pressman get into the same
coat and beneath the same hat, and leave the
devil to fold mp the papers and sweep out the
office
Where then were your compound levers,
your glittering cylinders, your faithful rollers
your painting furnaces, your press, instinct
with life and energy, that Jared on like
chariot over the whole highways of white
paper in an hour! Where are the busy .ours.'
and editorial corps! Wh,re the steamers
and the railway trans and the telegraphs,
painting, and shrlekIng and flashing, to trans
nit that papers contents to the worlds { i'm,
cloudy ends!
The morning comes, and the inky imp of
yesterday, indu lges IN a clean face; his un-
kempl locks are out OF snarl; he is trans
formed into Mercury. Forth Re goes, pack
ages of papers beneath each arm, in his c.
| Dacty of carrier-boy. He is none of your
brisk, pert fellows, of the nuw-a day order,
but very meek is he indeed; and when the
squire speaks out to him strong and hearty,
good morning, my boy" he holds down his
head and deposits the answer in his bosomas
if it were very delicate thing, and not yet
able to fly Like death, he visits every house,
ana his Durden grows lighter as he proceeds
He does nIt cbuct the papers as they do now
over the gate and under The fence, but de-
Gently and demure,y places it FOLDED and damp
in the hand OF somebody commissioned to
receive il. Bat he doesn't ring" for there
is nothing To ring in all the town. EXCEPT the
church bell, that the Doctor brought home in
his "cutter" one day, from Utica or some
where thereaway.
HIS ruunds are soon made; meanwhile Il
sorry sort OF hOrsr-an editors horse, you
know-a blowing a solitary oat abnut very
large manger, the last survivor OF very large
family Pretty soon Ro>inante is led forth,
| and PAIR OF sadde.Dags, distended 10 the
suffocaling point, is brought out, followed ny
the Mercury and no devil, with his pockets
piethoric with dough-nuts-what has become
OF that old fashioned twisted uxury!-and
tir horn telhered TO buttOn-hole by Bit OF
green string. 1t is with sort of sheepish
Importance that ne mounts by the aid Of the
proprietor and wends his way, as they were
very fond OF saying, "our in the county," as
il the old village was not positively lost in
the very bosom of il.
And so he went, his horn resounding
through the soitudcs, and he as happy as
knight fresh from tournament. And that
was the IN Z. W." the NewS of those
old days But hat there was IN the Gaaetie,
and who they were that read it, must De pass
ed over in the si,ence ike that, tha, now,
aIas hangs like great wing over the most
of rhem-lhe tairest, aud lovehest, and best.
-Cuyuga Chief, Aubura, ". Y.