The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-12-23
The EXaggerat.on Department.

AAI GAe6 604dI uA department.
Some time ago, one of the editors az
daily newspaper asked another the sec,et d
his success. Well saddle, first get III
news, and then make . Grand iuss about ia.
4 fuss, a sensation, Sir, DOT It, is lid one
thing nceNto to make the mcs: & n?vspa pers
| 60
! Tae other day was riding uptown II
Fourth.avouuc car. b Tie Size Of ne al !
young man with two Or three copies Of ths
Isame paper in bis hand. Ii Wa popuIxr
weekly JOURNAL, the character Of VII ch wss
well known 10 yne, ard also knew .omcthiua
Of its ways aud means 4 nc rode ia
We fell into conversation, and remark III
his led me TO perceive that be had some reIa.
Itiou to the papers he bad with him. Al
length | asked him if he was one Of the ai.
tors. He said, not an editor but reguhI
contributor, be furnished an article every
week, for which he was paid by the weelcx
salary, and each communication was cxpected
to be about the same length [ then irqr III
what department be flied and be opere @
paper and showed me his production u
was entitled The Rats Of Brazil
| read part OF it, and being file
wonder at the marv elous rat stt1ir I'll
numbers, size, ferccity, ard power lal css
ing anything that | had heard of bei, Of u
Brazil or any other quarter of tie vo.,d
finally yen;ured, in very confidential an
yet knowing manner, to insinuate the faint
shadow of doubt as to the strictly accurst
character of the exceedingly interesting
.rapbic, and startling account he had PEI
gifted me to read. Pleased he evidently Va
with my simplicity : verdancy be nay ca
IT, when he serves E,o IN as am now seq
ing him and turning upon me with a Il
miIiar smile, he said
TRuE-wel, that is a joke to be sure
hNe what has that to do with 1t ? NJ
business is to write an article that will sell
and sell the paper. suppose my department
might be called The Exaggcration Depart
ment.' | take subject and work it up int
u readable, entertaining, exciting papcl
Who cares whether the rats Of Brazil are
loot longer or shorter, or more or less in nun
bers? There are plenty Of rats everywherl
and VIXEN people read about them they war
to read something they Dever heard beforl
Everybody loves a big story and love
tell it,
Here l uterposed question as to the Lid
OF his studies Do you conine yourself 4
Natural History ?
Not always, but just now am mostly i
that way. | AN getting up splendid articl
on the CockroacheS in Japan.
Are there any there | asked hastily.
What has that to do with it :? he answered
take it for granted there may be, adj
nobody who reads will care enough acout til
matter to make any inquirie>--so tho thipI
viii be read, wondered at, and forgotten
is copied Into other papers, goes the rounds
dies ont, and by ard BY comes up again
Then some traveller, merchant, missionary
or what no;, pitches into it, ami sends to iii
religious papers here WINGED Il lttlel
communication denying the trpih!oDess OF i
statement he has seen gciug the rounds o! ~
papers about the cOckroachcs OF japan
knows from personal observation, having r.
sided there seventeen years last July, aat
having just returned, that the statements al
altogether unworthy Of credit. and must hav'
been made by some person not himself lamii
lar with the natural history Of that myste
rious and hitherto secluded empire