Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-06-24

respect but I can remember one point in
which am very sure the printer of 1920
had q very great advantage over you Of these
days, and that was in getting more Just re-
ward for their labor than you do. Not that
there was plenty of money in those days; there
wes but little Of it for long time. can re-
member when there were but two banks in
the State. Money was not plenty. Now
and then we got hold of pistareen, nine
pence, or four-pence-halfpenny But l can
tell you what they did get literally; they
got two cords of wood, they got four bushels
of corn, they got twelve bushels of oats, and
t'centy-four bushels of potatoes, and sixteen
pounds of butter, for years subscription
l can remember when my fathers cellar was
half full of apples, enough to furnish one
half of the village of Montpelier could they
have them now Why he had to feed
them to the hogs. Often he had from six to
twelve barrels of cider at time, enough
wheat, rye and corn to fill a large granary, a
yard filled with eight foot wood, potatoes
and vegetables of every ort,-quite different
pay from what we get now, but infinitely
better. He could support his family and
supply many of his neighbors. You can not
do it now.
OF the men who were engaged in the press
of whom | have already named, there are,
Samuel Swift, one of the best and purest men
who ever lived in Vermont or anywhere else
and the other is Simon Ide, who retired from
the Claremont On. H. Eagle about year
ago.
| cannot precisely recollect my first expe-
rience as an editor. 1t was either in 1894
when | was twelve, or in 1928, when | was
sixteen years of age. 1t was during the
campaign of Adams and Jackson. | disliked
jackson and was very ardent Adams boy.
| was then in the Office of the Republican
Essex, n. Y.,) office, where | was g devil-
My impression is that both of the publishers
of the paper were absent either electioneering
or attending muster, one of them was a
military man, and that on that account they
intended to omit the publication of the paper
for that week Both being absent, was the
edtt26 Pf me IS very singular that
no newspaper should be issued that week,
and went to work to see If | could not get
out one. L wrote some, set AZ up, and com
posed much of the rest at the case. Finally,
got up enough to fill the inside of the paper,
with the addition of what advertisements |
expected to 90 in. / had never s. made up
page of newspaper, but l knew just what
ought to be done. | made it up, got it upon
the press without pieing it; but what to do
next, | did not exactly know. | mistrusted
my abilities, and must get out of the scrape
somehow Gen. III. III. Ross, who was at
that time candidate for Congress, had his
office under the Republican office. | took
the - proof to him, and asked him what l
should do with it. The General soon came
in, rosy-faced, literally beamng with smiles,
and, patting me upon the back said - Print
it. boy print it, boy AndI did.
On nv return home | had no idea of being
printer. l wanted to 90 through college,
but my father thought he was too poor TO
send me but the truth was he had the hypo
l went to studying law, and pursued the
study until cousin, of about my age, who
had the charge of my fathers office, sudden
ly died and my father requested Inc to take
his place for short time, which l did, with
no intention of making it a pcrmanency ;
but there stayed, and thus, by accident, or
rather providentially, l was thrown into the
business which pursued for the rest of my
life until now.
Another word, and | speak more particu-
larry now to practical printers who find but
little time to devote exclusively to writing.
Ny advice is, if you desire to write an article
of value, be sure to think about it when you
can, and think about it good while. Think
of it if you have hour of leisure, and the
result will be that every man who does this
will make good editor, an influential editor,
an editor whose power will be felt and ac-
knowledged.
There is another practice which | always
| never adopted, the practice of
Thomas Richie. His habit was. whenever
he had fact which he thought would be i'm
portant or useful to him at any time to jot it
down. If a thought occurred To him that
could at any time be made valuable, he put
it down In conversation, if he heard any
one express an origin thought or idea, he
set it down. Do not undertake TO remember
details, to pile up in your memory every
fact, thought or suggestion which you may
think NAV be of value at some future time;
but lay them aside, SO that you can find them
when they are wanted.
Another suggestion. L hope to see one
more improvement in the mechanical appear
ance of our newspapers, and that Is IN the
adoption of the Quaker-like simplicity and
wants prominence given to his advertisement,
give it in pure white space, and make him
paw for it, and thus give all readers prac-
iical lesson in neatness and good taste.
In respect to editorials, do not fancy the
idea of having leader every day or every
week. Write less and talk less, and write
better and talk better. L hope editors and
publishers will make themselves greater
power by giving us fewer editorials and bet
ter ones. If it takes week to write an ed
itorial, give a week to 1t. You ought to ann
at a higher standard, aim al a higher dignl-
ty, higher power, that you may be more
useful men in the world in which you live.
There is another thing have found out
that editors sometimes get mad. If that
needs must be in the future, as it has been
in the past, only a question of bad temper,
| have this one word of advice to glve-Nev-
er vent your wrath upon your friends. Re
serve your assaults for the enemy, and all
your friends will back you.
HON CHARLES W. WIZARDS REMARKS.
Mr. Willard expressed his regret that he
had neglected to prepare essay to be read
at this time before the association, but if the
chairman and gentlemen would indulge him
he would, in desultory way, submit few
observations upon the duty of the press to
the public.
Any person, he said, establish a
newspaper. No preparation is deemed nee
essary as preliminary to entering the edi-
torial profession-at least none is required
by the craft or demanded by the public in
Vermont. In other professions, those who
already hold credentials demand OF all new
corners a preliminary course of study, to be
evidenced by careful and thorough exam
nation. The physician, the lawyer, the
teacher, the clergyman, must submit tneir
qualifications to appointed examiners, before
they are recognized as regularly authorized
to engage in their work. Yet, Important aS
NAV be the office of teacher or clergyman
the influence of a newspaper Is far greater.
The clergyman addresses his audience of a
few hundred once week, the editor ad-
dresses his thousands every week. Mr..
Beccher's sermons, borne on the wings of
the press, are brought home to millions
who never heard and never will hear his
voice. Yet how many persons without ex-
perience, and with little thought respecting
The rninhtv engine which they are setting in