The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1879-06-12
How q Comet Struck the Earth.

the mereSt corner OF Tie eallll-DuI
must tell you the whole story.
About the year 1889 we went to live on
the banks of Rock rivSr in the beautiful
State of Illinois.
During the early part of that winter,
the first newspaper was printed IN the
! little town near our settlement. 1t was
called the Star. My brother wrote some
ambitious yerses-clantihg the praises
of this Star of our country! Star of
our banner! Bright Star of glory that
shincth afar!"-which were printed
in the first number, and accordingly he
was chosen from among the youth OF the
town TO be the printer imp of the Star
office.
How I admired, with just a flavor of
envy, his sudden elevation! | used to
peep in ut the windows, for / was too
shy to enter by the door, and would
watch the linking of the forms with the
hand roller of those days. And l act
ually came to think my brothers good
looks were improved by the smutch of
ink he habitually wore over his eye or
on his nose!
We'll, it was here, huvering about the
2ar office, helping occasionally 10 wash
the forms-after l had grown bold
enough to 90 in-and lending Il llanu to
pick up the type, clear away the pi and
sweep out, that | had my first dreams OF
the life awaiting me in the busy world.
True, there was no fountain OF lnSplr,l-
tion that flowed for me there, unle.s II
was the ink fountain of the old Washing
ton press, but my visions were shaped by
an object hanging against one OF the
case-stands; and that was-the foot OF
an old boot!
One day, exploring that dark abyss in
the Star office, found a lot of types that
were only slightly defaced; and then
came to me tile lucky thought that l
could beg these, and pick up enough
more like them to set up by-aud-bye a
printing Office of my own.
No prairie sun-hower ever grew so
quickly rs that idea, and soon walked
with my head among the stars. 1t hap
pened, too, just about this time, that
everybody was expecting q shower Of
meteors, or falling stars" as they We're
then called; and although did not see
them, was constantly thinking about
them and the Star, and trying to work
out in my mind plan for starting my
printing office, and, at length-how the
thought thrilled me-publishing paper
all my own! How should | print it?
What name should I give it? My spare
hours were spent in trying to find
answers to these questions. And all
the time that tantalizing old Star was
coming out as regularly as any heavenly
body in its course. My paper must have
. name taken in some way from the sky;
but what should it be?
Meanwhile, no stamp collector ever
worked more diligently in gathering
varieties than 1 in getting together the
type for my enterprise. The proprietor
of the Star gave me the contents Of
the old boot, and l searched daily the
sweepings OF the office to add to my
stock. | did "chores" for a friendly
carpenter, borrowed his tools, and
finally took him into my confidence. l
made type-case by boring in Il thick
plank rs many holes us there are letters
in the alphabet, with extra holes for
numerals, spaces" "quads,n." points" :"
double letters, etc. made press by
mailing to the end Of well-seaSoned
strip Of two-inch oak Il piece of hard
fe strip 64t 81 oas ssVREs WIS AND and an inch thick
long. and the hard wood piece formed an
upright, the strip, smoothly planed and
leveeled, making the bed of the press. A
cleat. nailed along the upright on its
inner face, furnished a fulcrum, and y
stick four or five feet long was the lever.
You will see presently how this
homemade press was worked.
Give me the fulcrum," said Archi-
medes, and I will move the world" I
hada fulcrum and a lever, and with them
| | hoped to lift into existence new body
Of celestial name.
But | was like a young bear-my
| troubles were all ahead Of me. When |
began to set up my battered type,
| brought about me avery hornets nest
IT discouragements. Still held bravely
m. My jack-knife was constantly on
luty Strengthening up the sides, OF
nending the ia, es of the crooked and
'erverse little letters. When "sorts." :"
or particular kinds Of letters failed me.
! had to reconstruct them entirely, al
ways so far mindful of my "P's" and
"q's" rs to turn those letters upside
lown when / was short Of Ids" and
BIS made capital "F'sn witl
Es," just chopping off the lower limbs:
md Il 20" learned to cry go" after
l,d cut away its tongue. The sevpresl
strain, however, was TO make two" "V'S"
stand for Wv" Imagine the editorial
,f a paper opening with the quotation:
"NFhen, in the course OF human events.
il beromes.n etc!
Through these many similar diiii,.ul-
les led my little columns of broken
English, until they stood at last in bat
tie array on the bed of my press, which
mad been made true with the aid of a
Ipirit-level. Four hardwood strips
formed the " chase" or frame, in which
lie colum: were locked up to COM
olete the form" l had two pages Of
two columns each, the size Of the page be-
ing three inches and a-half by five inches.
[ linked the type with printers ink,
applied by ball made Of buckskin
stuffed with cotton. | laid one Of my
lampened sheets Of printing paper on the
mixed surface, then a square of woolen
10th, then piece of hardwood board
Ten inches square, planed smooth and
true, and then, on top of that, another
block half the size. Now came the su-
preme moment. I grasped the lever,
fitted it beneath the fulcrum, and
swung myself over the other end! l
seemed to sit astride the handle of the
Great Dipper, in this the proudest
moment of my boy life! l tel. you,
there is no satisfaction like that which
comes from hard-earned success.
Now was fulfilled my hope TO bring
upon earth, by means of my fulcrum and
lever, visitant of heavenly title. The
stars, including my own village Star,
might "hide their diminished headsr'
For stood that moment holding in my
hand the first impression Of the Comet.