The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-21
example Of "glorious independence
worthy of imitation
1--WE do not belong to our patrons,
Our paper Is wholly our own;
Whoever may like IL can take 1t,
Who don't ran inst LET IL alone ~


"we do not belong to our patrons
Our paper wholly our own
Whoever may like 1t can take 1T,
Who don't can just let it alone"
There are but few, however, who can afford to
take so noble stand. | cite the above, there
fore, as most remarkable, nay, as an almost
isolated instance ofindepen dence on the part
The experiences of the country editor are
divers. He Is not only editor-ln-chief but every
thing else-even occasionally playing the
very "devil.n He frequently sets his own type,
handles his roller, works his press, keeps his
books writes his editorials, and does work
generally, besides sometimes saving and split.
ting his own wood, danding the baby, ard
carrying water. He is, however, often In
difficulty when obliged to leave his home in
search Of delinquent subscribers. or to attend
to other equally momentous and Improbable
business. Then II is that the paper is frequently
handed over TO the care OF the loving wife or
dilieent "devil." ..r.
An amusing circumstance occurred, not very
long since, in the history OF the Green Bay
Wisconsin, Aduocdte. The editor, during an
absence, left the management of the paper in
the hands of his wife, who, being a good Re
publican, took the Democratic ticket down from
It's columns, and wrote some energetic Repub-
lican editorials. The editor, it appears, was
soon afterwards again obliged to leave his home,
when his substitute announced as follows:-
"Our editOr has gone to Madison ana in order to
make a thing of It, and prevent the appearance
of any more Republican editorials, has taken his
wife with him"
The devil" however, plays more innocent
pranks, but never foIbears to inform the public
who's who" in the temporary management.
And never does he fail TO display his native
pride. Thus, the editor of Vermont paper
being absent from his post, his sub poetically
exclaimed
"Ihe co 0ltor's absent; his scissors aud quill
Are left with the 'devi to handle at Will;
This item is given, kind reader, that you
May for once, as you read give the devil his due'
In another case, that of the Newcastle penn
sylvania) Courdrt, the devil" young man of
parts, and evidently on his way to fame, thus
Writes:-
"The improvement in the general appearance of
this number Of The CourGRt is owing to the absence
of the editor! .....4.
'NB-When in the course of human events, it be.
comes necessary for us TO iorsake for brIet period,
the ink-keg and roller and take place in the
chair edtorially due respect for our vanity makes
it incumbent on us to give the following notice, to
rial favors, such wedding cake bouquets cigars,
specimen whisky, ana other summer drinks Thanks
giving turkeys and all the ct ceterdS that are part of
TO the DEVIL"
Here is another instance OF a courageous
edtress which have under the date January 2,
1866. Mrs. Prewett, who, after the death of
her husband edited the Yazoo IMississipD)
Wing. having received an offensive note pub
lished slightly severe rebuke couched in the
following language ..
''It the blped that sent us the anonymous letter
from Jackson, signed 'Cherubusco Will come 10
Yazoo city, and call at the WMg office, two noble
little hOyg, one eight and the other SIX years old,
shall tie leather medal around his neck, a due
bill for aogging they owe him, payable some ten
years hence, with compound interest"
We sometimes find, again, that country editors
are occasionally short of editorial and other
reading matter, for the absence OF which their
excuses are OF "all Sorts" For instance, a
Hooser editor thus writes:-
"a little circumstance in our domestic affairs,
which is not likely to occur oftener than once in
year or two, must apologize for any deficiency IN
our editorial department"
Another. Hooper, the witty editor of the
Lafayette (Alabama) tribune thus gives vent to
a little bad humor arising from lack of mat
terri
"OFF OUR FooT.-We can't help 1t, and we
wouldn't if we could For the lie of 1t we can't
c up oT . have aSa
little money mntters-the hands in the Office are all
halt sick and out of humor-the weather ls nasty
and our whole editorial machine ebox is as lntracta
| BILE as a stu bbOrn mule in mud hole. We promised
| Number; but we shanf! ITS no use knockln' at
the door, We are off our foot, sick mad and ready
to fight any one of our subscribers who doesn't like
our remarks, provided he doesn't weigh more than
| one hundred and fifteen pounds "
A down-East quill.driver modesty apologies
as follows. Perhaps his reasons are sufficient
yesterday, We had note to pay, a libel suit to
negotiate If any thinks that he could attend to
all these things and write editorials too we should
| like TO employ him as an assistant"
The editor of the Asheville North Carolna)
| M66SeHgtT WOulu seem 10 De u lnOrOugn man OF
all work." Judging by the following substantial
reasons ne gave tor his homeopathic dose of edi.
| torlal in late number:-
"Our editor fortunately for readers) is short
| this week. We have no apology to MAKE only that
we an editor, squire, county registrar, house
| and sign painter, tavern keeper, singing master,
fiddler daddy of two children and rsi-rate boot
black and a1hiteacdSher. Having our professional
engagements sometimes pretty well divided it ls
out OF our power to do equal and exact justice to
all without cracking BRAN or splitting our cabbage
| head"
Another editor, and a Western one at that,
| expresses the hope that his subscribers will eX-
| Guse the scarcity of original matter in certain
| number of his paper, for he has "had the head
ache, the gout, tit Of the ague and fever. and
| an increase of one to his family, besides, he
| hasn't been very well himselfn He of course,
| under such circumstances, ought to be excused.
| But about the coolest thing on record Is the
! advice of the editor fthe Madison Courier who,
| in the absence of reading matter from his paper,
re marked, that if reading the news alone was
the object OF his subscribers, they will find
| enough that is new to them in the Bible, and it
is good reading too"
OF the many trials of the country editor those
| arising from poverty, mainly caused by dein-
| quent subscribers, are probably the most abun.
dant but amidst them all the poor fellow seems
TO carry merry heart. AT any rate, he strives
| TO drive dull care away from the end of his pen.
Seldom is this better seen than in the "dun-
| ing" paragraphs in which the writer sometimes
discloses family secrets, the lightest word of
which is designed to harrow up the soul of the
debtor. 1t would sometimes seem as if the
writer, like the renowned King Richard, could
smile while he murdered. Yet, how pitful are
1 many of these, especially when we know how,
for the most part, true they are
| As q matter of history, before referring to
cases of less note and perhaps better illustrative
OF this point, would refer to that of Samuel