davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24
JOURNALISM ASA BUSINESS.

JOURNALISM AS A BUSINESS. -
In commenting upon the failure
of a newspaper manager, the st.
Louis Globe tells plain truth in
the following words THE bust
ness of journalism will continue to
be an inviting field for expert
ments to those who have a large
amount of money, and a large
amount Of egotism. A man, who
having edited a newspaper until
he was forty. should suddenly an
nounce himself lawyer, would
be regarded as fool by the legal
profession ; and yet we often hear
of lawyers of forty making sud
den pretensions to journalism.
There Is an idea that the business
eff editing requires no apprentice
ship; that editors come forth from
law offices and colleges fully armed
for the profession, like Pallas from
the brow of Jove. 1t is a mista Ike I;
there is not in America to day q
single Journalist of national repu
tation who has not devoted more
time and more hard work TO his
profession than, with equal fitness
and application. would have made
him a great lawyer or good doc
tor. And yet ninety out of every
hundred men you meet on the
street will hesitate about Carrying
a hod or making pair Of shoes,
whereas there will probably not
be one in the hundred who cant
according to his own Judgment,
edit any newspaper in the county
better than it is edited, no matter
in what manner or by whom.
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24
MR.. WOGGLES.
The Tfoaolss Of the Old Ma


Woggles, my dear, would you
attend to the fire." The voice is
low and sweet, but there is no re,
ply. 'Woggles, is the fire very low?'
Voice not quite so sweet; still si'
lence reigns. ssSee here, Mr..
Woggles, il you don't attend to the
fire it will be out!" Great firm
ness and rising infection of the
voice. Woggles rises too, lays his
book down with the calmnesS Of
despair, and goes out for q chunk.
Selecting it with a view to be let
alone the rest of the evening, he
returns to the sitting room, and,
with the rocking chair tidy re-
moves the cover of the stove, ig-
noring the remark from Mrs Wog-
giles that he "might know that the
stick is too bigW
Carefully balancing it ON the top
of the stove, he bends forward and
peers down into the fiery depths,
mentally calculating to put it in
big end first; but as the smoke as
sends, he forgets his balance and
misses his calculation. for the stick
plunges in small end first, Mrs.
Woggles was sitting behind him
and, OF course, he wouldn't look
around, bnt he saw her face in the
mirror over the mantle, and that
smile nerved his arm. First he
tried TO get down so the cover
would go on. He pounded and
shook TO make it drop, but the
more he pounded the less inclined
it seemed to move. He tugged
and wrestled to turn it, but when
he paused to cough and rub his
streaming eyes there was no per-
ceptible difference in its position.
Another seraphic smile beamed
on him from the mirror, and then
began the struggle toget the chunk
out. GraspiDg itab0ut midway on
both sides Mr.. Woggles raised
himself on tip toe and pulled, but
soon concluded that the force must
be applied underneath, Now the
chunk was suspended several inch
es above the bed Of GOALS, and
Woggles saw at once that there
was room for his hand, which he
inserted, intending with one good
tug to unsettle the obstinate thing
but he didn't, and as ne rubbed
the leg Of his pants with the smart
ing member he audibly wondered
"Who'd have thought it was so
Internally hot ~ Anybody but
a born idiot" sweetIy answered
Mrs. Woggles, and mirror reflect
ed another smile. Then that "born
dict" put on his overcoat and
banged the front door.
Mr.. Woggles asked no questions
when he saw the charred stick ly-
ing in the back yard on his re-
turn, but vented his virtuous wrath
against it in good kick and limp
ed to bed.
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24
NEWSPAPERS AND LIVE TOWNS.
GParkersburg Times.

l.
j. III. F., in his we'll written
communication of last Saturday,
under the above heading, has ex-
pressed great many truths, but
none more pointed than when he
regarded The peoples apathy in the
support OF the local paper as the
true measure of their indifference
to every other enterprise. His
experience i'm this line is corrobo-
rated by my own in every pa, tic
ular. Look, for instance, at our
State. 1t contains upward of fift v
county seats, in most Of which =
weekly paper or two are strug-
Cling desperately to keep their
heads above water. There they
languish, starve, change bands
sometimes for temporary relief,
but soon droop again and finally
die, when others may take their
places to share the same fate I'm due
course of time. Now look at the
communities where they are pub
lished. Ancient towns or hamlets
finished long ago, and on the road
to decay, where the Williamsburg
of fence or the reshingling Of an
old rotten roof forms a conspicuous
improvement item in the famish-
ing local paper. Slow, indolent
scedy looking people, perpetually
hesitating and waiting for some-
thing to come along and raise them
out of the slough OF despond; yet
just as persistently repelling it by
their ignorance, prejudice or self
greed.
While the whole of this gloomy
picture may not apply to every
country town in the State, there
are few that will not recognize its
tints, familiarity homelike and
true. Among the many rare ex-
ceptions, but strikingly conform
ing to the rule, | may cite the
thriving town of Wheeling, which
supports three dailies and several
weeklies, teeming with vigorous
editorials, spicy locals and spirited
advertisements. The moment
you lay your eye upon such a pa
per, you know you are in live,
Industrious and enterprising COM
munity. where business men meet,
talk, consult and sustain each
other; where new corners are
taken up the hand and encouraged
ed according to their merits, and
where, amid all cares and duties
of private pursuits, the great COM
mon good, the progress and fair
fame of the whole community are
never lost sight of. In such
place as that, people dc not SUBJ
scribe to newspaper with gin
gerly, patroniZing air, but with
the consciousness that,in 30 doing,
they honor themselves and patron
ize their own business.
This much by the way Of illus
trating the arguments of your OBJ
serving correspondent, ]. III. F.,
who, being a stranger here, did
not, perhaps, feel warranted In
driving the nail home too vigor-
ously, but might have said much
more, though not better than he
did, had he felt at home here as
your friend and obedient servant.
w.
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24
FROM HEDGEsVILLE.
HEpaEsvILLE. Oct. %, 1874.

HEDGEsvILLE, Oct. %, 1874.
Eds. Independent:
We cannot find words with
which TO express our disappoint-
ment at The result of our recent
election. Your correspondents
from all parts Of the county thro'-
out the campaign, claimed that the
people desired men to fill their
offices who possessed modesty
enough to let the people seek
them.
Believing we could with credit
TO ourselves and constituents, fill
any or the offices vacant. we re-
maincd at home, thinking these
words might be verified in eur Sc
lection.
But not a vote did we get,
and even Little joe" whose very
name we should think sufficient
TO put Henry Ward to the blush,
has been left out in the cold.
Men with plenty of money and
time to electioneer have borne off
the palm The times were, in the
days of Solomon, when men were
exhorted to beget understanding
Things have changed. We will
now venture to advise all WAC,
like ourselves, aspire TO Office, to
beget money cultivate mack enough
to run free bar, and success Will
assuredly crown their loftiest aspi-
rations.
For fear there may be some rash
enough to accuse us of being am
CRY, we will cease to speak of this,
to us, unpleasant subject, and tell
of some things that now interest
our good citizens. Hedgesville is
lowly improving. Mr.. Jacob
Naylor, our enterprising black
smith, is building a fine barn and
stabling, preparatory, we under
stand, to engaging i'll the livery
business with the opening spring.
Mr.. Jacob Poisel. our efficient
Town Sergeant, has nearly COM
pleted his new dwelling, fronting
on Main street, and which when
completed, will add greatly to the
beauty of our village.
The farmers have completed
their Fall planting in this vicini-
ty, and are now gathering apples
and making cider.
Our free schools are doing finely
under the supervision of an eff
Gent Board, and throughly compe-
tent teachers, while the number OF
scholars attending Mrs. s. j.
Smiths select school, now being
held in her rooms on Qneen street,
exceed any previous session.
We cannot close without ex-
pressing our regrets at not being
able to give you something of the
pre- -ent doings of our worthy
Town Council. Since the removal
of Mr.. Wynkoop's chicken coop
and the last dollar in the treasury,
save the reserve for law suits,
the money has been lavishly ex-
pended in filling the streets with
loose stone, and the alleys with
tan bark. They have gone into
secret session on the stone beer
question and DR.. Harly's pig sty.
AS soon as their workings are
made public we will give them in
detail. Ii.
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24
THE REFINER

There was once a little piece Of
gold lying hid in the earth. 1t had
lain hid SO long that IL thought it
should never be used, and it said
to itself:
"Why do lie here idle? Why
am l not picked up, that the men
may see me shine?'
One day a man dug 1t up and
looked at it, and said: "There Is
gold in this lump; but | cannot
use it as 1t is, l must take 1t to the
refiner.u When the refiner got it,
he threw it into a melting poland
heated his fire to melt the gold.
AS soon as the little piece Of gold
felt the heat OF the fire, 1t began to
tremble, and cried: II wish / had
lain quiet in the earth" But the
fire grew hotter and hotter, till at
last the gold melted and left all the
earthly part of the lump by itself.
Now" said the gold, "my
troubles are over; now / shall
shine.n But its troubles were not
over yet. The man took il once
more anu DeSdu 10 hammer ~ lutO
some sort Of shape. All !" said
the gold, "what a trouble 1t Is to
be gold; il / had been dross or
common earth, / should not have
been put to all this pain"
"That is true" replied the man;
IL you had been dross, you would
not have had all this pain; but
then you would not have beco mi
what you are nova beautifu
gold ring"
The piece Of gold is little child.
The dross or common earth me ms
the child's fault and weaknesses.
Jesus is the refiner; he sends trials
and troubles to make us good and
strong, and to take away our weak
ness and faults.
Pain is one OF q little child's tri-
ais. five bear it patiently, Jesus
will make us better by pain He
will make you brave and gentle.
Next time when you have to bear
pain, say to yourself, Jesus is
taking away my faults, / must be
patient. From Parallels for Chill
lren.
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24

WHAT A NEWSPAPER.

To the question from a child, " What
) newspaper ?" the Dublin Genera
Advertiser gives the following reply:
Organs that gentlemen play
To answer the tastes of the day:
Whatever it be,
They hit on the key,
And pipein full concert away,
News from all countries and climes,
Advertisements, essays and ihymes,
Mixed up with all sorts
Of 0llying reports.
And published at regular times.
Articles able and wise,
At least in the editors eyes;
And logic SO grand
That few understand
To what in the world it applies
Statistics, reflections, rev.e VS.,
Little scraps to instruct nd amusc,
And lengthy debate
Upon matters of state,
For WISE headed folks to peruse
And funds as they were and are,
AID bubbles aud quirks of the Bar,
And every week
A clever eritique
On some rising theatrical star.
Theage of Jupiter's moons,
The stealing of somebody's spoons,
The style of the crops,
The style of the tops,
And the wit of the public buffoons.
List Of all physical ills
Banished by somebody's pills
Till you ask with surprise
Why any one dies,
Or wha S the disorder that kills.
Who has got married, TO whom
Who were cut off in their bloom
Who has had birth,
On this sorrow stained earth,
And who totters fast to the tomb.
The prices Of cattle and grain,
Directions to dig and drain;
But 'twould take too long
To tell you in song
A quarter of what they contain.
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24
NEW JERSEY

NEWARK, N. J., Oct, 22-0Tc-
Kin & Co, bankers. failed to-day
for 100000. Howell Il Co,
clothiers in this city, are involved
to the extent of 100000 Major
Perry also loses a large sum. Bolen
a lawyer, residing at Woodside,
also loses considerable. The fail
IRE was caused over speculation in
real estate
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24

"A sharp trick was played up
on the United States Marshal who
lately impounded political meet
ing at Livingston, Sumter county
Ala. for the purpose of making
some arrests. Two persons were
taken, and the Mercury" adds !:
"They wanted to get Mr.. Sledge,
but he played pretty ruse upon
them, and went about the room
with the Marshal helping to hunt
himself. and finally, unknown to
them, walked out with them and
off,"
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24

Mr.. j. Amber Smith declines to
amble out of his candidacy for
Congress from the Richmond dis
trict at the request of the State
Republican Committee. The Hon.
Amber bankers after Office pretty
badly, but his candidacy win have
no other effect, apparently, than to
elect Walker from that district.
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24

"Ah, ladies'" said an old epi-
cure, as he opened bottle of wine,
"what is more delightful than the
popping Of the champagne cork ?"
"The popping Of the question"
unanimously cried the ladies.
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24

Ibid anything about the defend
ant strike your eye as renarka-
ble?" asked the Judge of the plain
tiffin case Of assault and battery.
"It did, yer honor"
And what was it," continued
the Judge.
sHis fist, yer honor"
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24
MICHIGAN.
RON AMoNG DRuGGIsrS.

AUW AMUNN DRUUU Is Is.
DETROIT, October 22.-The Mich
igan Druggists Association yester
day adopted resolutions expelling
druggists guilty of habitual sale of
liquors as beverage, thereupon
several members withdrew. Prof.
Douglass, of the Hull University,
was elected president.
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24

The world is full of advertising,
yet every one wants to see what Is
new.
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24

Would you never be told lie, do not
ask personal questions.
Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-24

Would you save yourself annoyance,
do hot stir up scandal.
Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-10-22

"A Word About Msrriage-A phvsi.
clan writes the following sensible advice
my profession has thrown me among
women of all classes, and my experience
teaches me that God never gave man q
greater proof of His love than to place
woman here with him. My advice is j:
Go-propose to the most sensible girl you
know. If she says yes, tell her how
much your income is--from what source
derived-and tell her you will divide the
last shilling with her and love her with
all your heart in the bargain. And then
keep your promise. My word for it, she
will live within your income and to your
last hour you will regret that you did not
marry sooner. Gentlemen, don't worry
about feminine extravaganza and femi-
nine untruth just you be true to her,
love her sincerely, and tell her of it fire.
quently, and more fond, faithful, fool
ish slave you will never meet anywhere.
You won't deserve her, | know, but she
would never see it. Now throw aside
pride and sclfishness, and see what will
become of it,"
William Howard, boy thirteen
years old, living in South Climax, Mich,
Leroy township, was killed by the acci-
dental discharge of his gun recently.
He had been out hunting squirrels, and
on his return home stopped at the school
house TO talk with the scholars, who
were out for noon recess. While leaning
on his gun, i'm conversation with them it
was in some manner accidentally dis
charged. The whole of his right fore
head was torn away, and one shot en-
tered the eve socket and penetrated the
brain. He expired in short time.
Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-10-22
Personal and Literary.

Talking of Goldsmith Maid, it may be
well to state that she is seventeen years
of age, is owned by Henry N. Smith, of
New York, who says he won't sell her for
100000.
"A recent writer says man with his
first book has an exaggerated idea of its
Importance and of his own. "He is like
a man with boil on the end of his nose.
The affair fills large space in his con-
sciousness."
On Andy Johnson's place at Green
vile, Tenn, are two magnificent weeping
willows that have been grown from sprigs
taken by traveller from the tree that
formerly oyershadowed the grave of Ma
poleon l. at st. Helena.
Albert +. Webster says that Boston
expression is marked by serene and
marble, yet gracious, repose of the feat
ures. 1t is generated by consciousness
of the possession of actual knowledge of
roots and primal causes.
DIR. l. /, Hayes in letter to the Iri5-
une declares his conviction that an open
Polar Sea can be reached by steam yes
sci through Smiths Sound, and announces
his readiness to start on another voyage
of exploration when the means are forth
coming.
Mark Twain to Redpath: "Your
offer of $500 to lecture fifty nights
does not tempt me. l have run about
the world longsenough. | mean to live
and die at home, now, if / starve at it.
| love you, but / cannot lecture any
more"
Rev. w. II. Cudworth, who has sal
airy of $1,000 in Boston, declines call
to the Church of the Messiah at New
York, though $4,000 year is offered him,
because lie believes that the opportuni-
ties for Christian usefulness are more
promising in Boston than New York"
Mr.. Fitch, the husband of the period,
is thirty-one years old, and has served in
the navy nine years. Mrs. Fitch, the
bride of the period, is fair young girl,
about twenty-three years of age, by no
means handsome, but possessed of most
lovely and amiable traits of character
Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-10-22
Industrial.

The experiment of planting trees
along the line of the st. Paul IL Pacific
Railroad has been successful. All the
varieties have thriven excellently.
A Bridgeport Comm firm is making
monuments and gravestones of zinc,
which look like granite, and are much
cheaper than either marble or granite.
Lac, the basis of commercial shcllac,
has been discovered in San Diego Coun-
ty, Cal, in such quantities that there is
likely to be no lack of it for years to
come.
The amount of grain shipped to
Liverpool from Philadelphia by the
steamships of the American Line during
August reached in the neighborhood of
100000 bushels.
Irish immigration has fallen almost
to zero on account of the steadily -increas-
ing prosperity of the former country
and the present equilibrium there be-
tween labor and employment.
of all solid substances found upon
the earth carbon is both the hardest and
the softest In the form of diamond it
is the hardest In the form of graphite
it is the softest. Both diamond and
position.
A mandatory at Ansonia, Conn,
has produced specimen of fine German
silver wire that is gagged at two and one
half thousandths of an inch in diameter,
and runs about seven miles to the pound.
1t is nearly as fine as the average human
hair. Probably there is nothing finer
than this drawn in the country.
"A large meeting of manufacturers
was recently held at Providence, II. L.,
for the purpose of conference upon the
subject of the depressed state of the
market for cotton and wooden goods, and
a resolution was unanimously adopted
that an immediate curtailment of the
production of the cotton and wooden
mills is absolutely necessary for the con
servation of the interests of the State and
community.
During the harvest season much
complaint was made of the scarcity of
farm laborers in every section of CalIfor-
MIA. In some instances farmers offered
exorbitant wages, and were still unable
TO secure sufficient help to harvest their
crops. Many farmers for lack of help
were compelled after heading their grain
TO stack 1t without threshing, until help
becomes more plentiful. The crop is so
large that, notwithstanding the railroad
and steamboat facilities for its transport
tation to tidewater, much of it will have
to be stored until spring.
The power of growing vegetables
even the most fragile, is something little
short of the wonderful. So delicate a
structure as the mushroom can, under
certain circumstances, exert the most ex-
traordinary power, for, according to
good authority, it is well known that
mushroom will lift a paving stone many
times its own weight rather than turn
over and grow sideways, which it would
anpear so much easier for it to do" The
fact is also curious one that tree roots
will throw over immensely strong walls
against which they baye grown, though
Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-10-22
Foreign Gossip.

One of our Yankee cruisers, the
Ashuelot, has sailed up the Yang-tze Riv-
er, in China, over 900 miles, or more than
800 miles above Hankow, and consider
ably above the point hitherto reached by
foreign vessels. At one stage of the
steamers progress the assemblage along
the banks of the river was computed at
80, 900 to 10000, immense numbers hav-
ing repaired to Ichang from the districts
around to see the extraordinary visitor.
Russian medical Legislation does not
allow liberty of work to medical men.
who, when required either by sick per
son or any one believing himself to be
i'll, are not permitted to refuse help The
physician, surgeon, accoucheur, midwife
or assistant who should either refuse to
act when called on or neglect to do SO
is punished by fine on the first occasion
of from five to ten roubles us. Cd. to
35s.); on the second occasion of from
ten to fifteen, and the third time from
fifty to one hundred roubles; while the
physicians and surgeons who are in Gov.
eminent employ may be deprived of
their office. These laws are sanctioned
by usage and no later than this year two
Russian physicians were tried for an in.
fraction of this law and one of them CON
demned for having refused to afford
assistance to an invalid during the night
London Medical Record.
Every great library either has or has