The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1878-04-06

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An old lady, the wife of former
millionaire, died of starvation in
Brooklyn; and another Wall Street
defaulter has carried griefto the pres
bytery of one of our most aristocratic
and orthodox churches.
BRoADBRIM's FAREWELL.
And now the time has come when
I am compelled to bid my friends
what hope and trust may be but q
brief farewell. When these liIes meet
your eyes, l shall be far out On the
deep blue sea, speeding away TO
foreign lands and stranger scenes,
and leaving home with all of its loves
The true journalist seldom feels priv
ileged to intrude his personality on
his readers-the individual being
absorbed in the journal which it is his
pride and his privilege to represent !;
but if ever such an indiscretion is par
d0nable, it is on an occasion like the
present, when he is about to bid his
friends and patrons good bye.
Notwithstanding all the bright an
ticipations which the future coniures
up, 1 do not go forth on this journey
with the old time spring and the old
time hope, as did when life seemed
to me like one long unclouded sum-
mer day. Dark shadows now lie
across my path, gloomy anticipations
oppress me, and fears which may
fnever be realized are kept alive by
| tt,n nf honn1acc 20
dead ambitions, the wrecks of which
lie scattered along the desolate shores
of the past.
I The main incentive to my under
taking is, firstly, a sense of the duty
and obligation which | owe to the
readers of those journals who have
followed me so patiently and so long.
The journalist who stands still to-day
is lost, the remorseless tide of resist
less progress sweeps over him, and
he sinks out of sight forever. He who
would keep up with the times must
know no ease the demon of unrest
sits perched upon every newspaper
press in the land, and their apostles
are reaching our on every side asking,
| What is there for our hands to do
1t is not enough that the press has
become the public censor, it must
also be the mentor and tile guide.
1t stands to-day for the bold crusa-
ding knight and the inspired priest,
like he who of old marshaled millions
to the sepulchre of Christ. Philoso-
ply, science, politics, religion, art,
are all embraced within it's wide do
main and, as the dauntless champion
of humanity, it stands between the,
strong and the weak in every land,
| fighting battles for which it need look
for no reward till the silver cord is
loosed and the golden bowl is broken.
| To belong, even in a humble capaci-
| ty, to such a representative pnwer, I
esteem an honor and q privilege
| which no sacrifice of mine can ever
repay, and which / would not ex-
change for any other profession on
the face of the earth. Besides, con-
tinuous and unremitting labor, cover
ing a period of many years, has left
me with broken health and shat
tered C constitution, which refuse to
yield to ordinary aids. The ties that
bound me here are loosened, and one
by one bright faces have gone out
| from my hearthstone, some of them
fading into the shadowy past, till at
last only one remains to remind me
of the buried loves aud Withered
hopes which shall be mine on this
earth no more forever; and in this
hour of parting, not knowing what
| the future has in store for me, [ reach
out into the distant star land aud to
the dim and shadowy forms that pass
in review before me. and find the
hope anchored in my heart of hearts
of meeting them once more. If that
hope be but dream, in that dream
let me sleep on forever. To fill the
vacant places of those who shall come
back no more, year after year my
newspaper family has grown around
me till week after week | find lying
on my table representative journals
from every quarter of the globe, and
from every English speaking people
on the face of the earth. [ trust |
properly estimate this high privilege
of holding constant communion with
millions, whose faces | may never see
and whose voices | may never hear,
and yet who have to me as clear and
distinct personality as the little airy
spirits in the 60 Christmas Carol" had
to the inspired Prophet of the Bells.
Whatever may betide this journey,
whether for veal or woe, it would be
worth all the trouble and all the ex-
pense and all the sacrifice if it
were only for the evidences of kind
ness, and friendship and love, which
my contemplated departure has called
forth. God-speeds and good wishes
have come up TO me from every
quarter of the land, and even from
over the sea l have received the
kindliest greeting and cheer from my
coadjutors and brethren of the press.
If in my prospective rest aud recu-
peration | shall find the panacea of
which / stand so much in need, the
devotion of my life will scarcely re-
pay the favor it has been my good