The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-02-08
g LOCAL ITEMS.

"Why on earth" said a friend to us
the other day, "why don't you have a
fuller local column? People here don't
open your paper to see a re-hash of old
political matter they had read a week
ago. They can get the scientific and
literary news of the world from other
sheets. What they do want is to know
what their own community is doing.
Whatnew local enterprises or industries
are on foot. In short, how the world
wags in their own little corner of the
world. Even your exchanges only glance
over the locals of your paper. Fill it
make it attractive. Jot down anything
and everything that happens, and be the
chronicler of your parish and its inhab-
itants.h
Our friend, like all theorists, didn't
know what he was talking about. IF we
lived in a fabulous community, like the
kingdom of Prester John, or the COM
munity Of the Vril-ya, we might make
our neighbors' affairs public property
CNIu LIZ uEb III NOACS DuU III rs O14J Al
Utopia that such things can be.
Did we not tenderly andlovingly deal
with the slipping up of a small boy on
the icelast month, andis not every small
boy in town our bitter enemy for that
chronicle which we published far and
near? People may laugh at the ami
mostly Of small boys against editors,
but we, who have been in themill, know
that it is worse than musquito bites.
Then too, in a glow of virtuous indig-
nation, we once denounced the heathen-
ish custom of keepings stores open on the
Sabbath day. We exhausted our Gre
pertOiren of ~invective against the evils,
past, present and to come which would
grow out of such a Goddess custom. We
thought u arguments unanswerable,
and felt we had done our duty in expo
sing such a leprOus faint in the commu
nifty. But we were informed that it is
an i'll bird which befouls its own nest
In plain words, that it was not the part
of a country newspaper to publish any
thing derogatOry to the moral status of
the community it represents.
So, one by one, the local items are
knocked from undefus. don'tdoubt
that if we should tell of little tender
episodes which go ON at the gates Or on
balconies at the nightly hour Of parting,
that though the paragraph wouldbe de-
lightfully readable, to one half the COM
munity, the other half, amongwhichare
found the prettiest girls in town, would
metaphorically pull our ears, and extin-
guish us. -,....
1t isn'tthat we have no items. Weare
full, overlooking with them. We could
fill a newspaper with most interesting
local matter, but the question arises,
chow many of them would we be per-
mitted tofll after the first publication q
W. are obliged to keep mum too over
the harmless story of the steady young
man who in his Now Years visits es-
chewed wine and punch, as devices OF
the evil one, but cottoned to egg-nogg.
How could milk and eggs hurt fellow i?
What he did, what he saidunder the in
huence Of that disguised milk and eggs
how he fancied he had been pinned to
his seat by roguish girls, and reeled into
the open air shouting "vade retro Sat
hanus," all this would make a racy item
butWeknow ourduty too wellto recordit
The truth is, it is the duty of country
newspaper to glorify its community. Il
there are no enterprises or industries
around him, let him make them up-or
paper. II any thing d~isagreeable occurs
of course it isn't expected the paper
should mention it, and carry the news
to the four winds Of Heaven.
We cannot say which style of country
newspaper is most popular. The one
which abuses every thing and every
body. Atruculent, feroeious sheetWhicI
fights its way through fear into favor
Or what we call the clarifying paper
tlatpaints every thing "couleur derose.'
The editor of this last always seems tt
be in a state OF perpetual thanksgiving
that his lines are cast in such delicious
places.
We have not yet come up to either re,
~quirement, but we eUouH like to spread
ourself ON local items. But Gle boz
temps viendra," and who knows whar
legitimate food may present itself fol
our locals.