Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1870-10-20
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 90, 1870.


The B0rc.
BORE Is not very elegant word, but
there is no more expressive one in the En-
glish language, and no one to take its
place. -s T-.a1 -
We mean, of course. bore IN the social
sense s-t8
In o,her senses, it is good old dictiop-
ry word, admitted into the best books and
the best society s..e ). 81 fts
As u social word. it is hardly recognized,
| as yet. among cultivated people-perhaps
because a little sensitive on the subject.
| For there are cultivated bores as we'll
as uncultivated bores. st---4
Indeed the cultivated bore is, perhaps,
| the worst bore of all-worse than boor
| He has more time or his boring, and
mixes among people who have more time
| to endure it, and whom he can therefore,
more easily victimize.
For the literary profession, the bore
seems to have special liking, or perhaps
special spite.
Accordingly, publishers and editors are
more bored, perhaps, than any other class.
Not that they have more time to spare
| than others-far from it-but they APP
pear to have, and, besides, are much more
accessible.
In fact, publishers and editors have to
be accessible to every body.
! Mr.. Greedy used to say that if he should
give five minutes each to all the bores
that came to see him, he should new
or get out another number of the 1ri-
! L,tnc, and thus some hundred thousand
people, or more, who are not bores, would
have 20 suffer from the inhiction.
We might say the same of the Firesidc,
which if we hadn't learned, in a measure
how to resist bores, this would be the last
issue, and thus some halfa million or more
of innocent persons would be brought to
grief.
One of our American poets-himself,
probably an editor and publisher as well
as poet-has taken revenge upon this
natural enemy of the profession, thus:
TIE EDITORS BORE.
Again hear that creaking step!
He's rapping ut the door!
Too we'll know that boding sound
.. That UsherS in n bore.
4 Il
The stOutest ofmy foes.
But Heaven defend me from the friend
Who comes but never goes.
He drops INTO my eaSy-clair,
AnG asks about the news;
! He peers into my manuscript,
And gives his candid views:
lie tells me where he likes the line.
And where he's forced to grieve;
He takes the stranSest liberties
But ertakes his leave!
/ He reads my daily papers through
Before I've seen a word;
lie scans the poem (that l wrote.)
And thinks it quite absurd;
! He calmly smokes my last cigar,
! And coOlly asks tor more;
+ He opens every thing he sees,
Except the entry-door t-.-fst
Whene'er he comes-that dreadful man,
Disguise il as | may, t1e 1n
| / know that like an Autumn rain,
He'll last throughout the day.
In vain | speak of urgent tasks
In vainI scowl and pout;
4 frown Is no eNtin guisher,-
1t does not put him out!
mean TO take the bell-string off;
! Put Grape upon the door;
Or hint to John that am gone
To stay month or more.
| do not tremble when l meet
The stoutest of my foes;
But Heaven defend me from the friend
/ W no never, never goes!
but never goes !"
The bore is almost photographed in
those few words:
HE takes the strongest liberties,
| But never takes his leave.'
This is the case, not only with the edi-
torial bore, but with all others.
They have no idea of time, though they
give us an idea of eternity.
And it is next to impossible to get rid
of them.
bug exterminators," we have in great
abundance. but alas no ''bore eXtermina-
tor"
Bores are the one pest, for which there
appears to be no remedy.
And they are such wretched little pests !
Almost as bad as what Carlysle calls
the spouting wretches.
'.It may sound contradictory says a
witty writer, ''but the greater the bore,
the smaller the calibre."
A man of any calibre to speak of, would
have too much sense to be bore.
Or, at any rate, too much tact.
| Another view of the bore is that he has
no sense of honesty.
He is common thief.
He doesn't steal your money, to be sure
or at least, not aiways-but he steals your
time which is as bad, and robs you of
your temper, which is worse.
And he has no remorse about it.
After being driven off, again and again,
he will return to you again as unerringly,
as flea will return to the same spot on
your person.
Emerson used to describe certain kind
of speaker as ''the flea of the Convention"
The bore is the flea of society.
You can't say to him, to be sure, as
the Irishman once said of that artful and
active little bloodsucker, put your finger
ON him and he is not there for put your
finger where you will, the bore is always
there.
And having said this much aboat the
creature, we will now dismiss him, lest by
pursuing the subject further, we, among
others, presently find ourselves tlassed
under the head of the bore.-Fireside
Companion. ~" a9
REMEMBER this, and you will avoid
many pitfalls. Too many, Esau-like,