Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1883-08-24


Very few Of the great mass of hu-
inxniiy know who makes the beautiful
ublIc document with its wealth VI sta
u,,ics. Few stop to thiak that hidden
away tom the great work-a day world
with eyelids heavy and red, and with
iinger-nails black with dntimony, toll
ing on at his case hour after hour, the
Public Primer during the session of
Congress is setting up the thrilling
chapters Of the Congressional Record,
ami between times yankinv the Wash
ington press backward and forward
with his suspenders hanging down, as
lac prints this beautiful seaside library
al song.
We are too prone to read that which
gives us pleasure without thought OF
the labor necessary to Its creation. we
glide gaily through the Congressional
Rcc0,d, pleased with 1t more attractive
testures-viz: its ayes and noes
lite ,eck,ng that Sterling 2. Rounds,
the Public Printer, stands In the sub
dued gaSlight with his stick half full.
trying to decipher the manuscript OF
some reticent Representative whose
speech was Yesterday delivered to the
janitor AS he polished the procelain Gus
pidore of Congress.
This is a day and age Of the world
when men take thatwhich comes to
them and do not stop to investigate the
pam and toll it costs. They never In
quire into the mystery of its manufac-
ture or try to learn thedetails OF Its con-
struction. Most Of onr Libraries are re-
plete with books which we have re-
ceived at the hands CT a generous Gov
eminent. and yet We treat those vol
nmes with scorn ard contumely. We
jeer at the footsore hugologist who has
chased the large green worm from tree
to tree, in order thatwe may be wise.
We speak sneeringly OF the man who
stufis the wood-tick and paints the
gaudy wings of the squash bug that we
may know how often she crates.
Year after year the etomoloRist
treads the same weary road with his
laboratory the army worm and the
sheep scab larvae, in order that we. poor
particles on the surface Of the great
earth. may know how these minute
creatures rise, flourish and decay.
Then the Pubic Printer throws IN
his case, rubs his finger and thumb
over lump OF alum, taxes chew of To-
bacco and puts in type these words OF
wisdom from the lips Of gray bearded
savants, that knowledge may be scat
tered over the broad Republic. Pa.
tiently he goes on with the click OF
type, anon in an aborbed way, while
we, gay, thou0htless mortals, wear out
the long summer day at basket pic
mic, with deft fingers selecting the
large red ant from our cold ham.
Thus these books are made which
come to us wrapped in manila and
franked by the man we voted for last
fall. Beautiful Autographs, illustrat-
ing the different stages of hog cholera
deck their pages. Rich oil paintings OF
gaudy tobacco worms chase each other
from preface to errata MaHgniflcent
chi omos of the foot and mouth disease
appeal to us from page after page, and
statistics boil out between them, show
ing what per. cent. of invalid or conva.
lescent animals was sent abroad and
what per cent, was worked into oleo-
margarine and pressed corn beef.
And what becomes OF all this wealth
of lntormation-this mammoth aRgre-
cation of costly knowledge.
Cast ruthlessly away by trifling,
shallow. frivolous and Predetermined
race.
1t is no more than right that Ster.
ling p Rounds should know this. How
1t viii! gall his proud heat to know
that bis beautiful books and his chatty
and spicy Congressional Record are
treated by ieering, heartless throng!
DO you you suppose that | would per-
pre- over doubtful copy night aftel
night and then tread job prlttina
press all the next day printing book.
at which the bloodless public sneerei
and the broad browed talent of crue
generation spit upon. No not exactly
have a moderate amount of pa
tience ard selt-control but | am fret
and say right here before the WORLD
that it had been in Mr.. Rounds place
and had at great cost erected a scientl.
iie work upon THE Rise and Fall o.
Bolts in America" and a fippant ma
ton of scotfers had utilized that volume
TO press autumn leaves and scraggy
ferns in, | would rise in my proud
might and mash the forms with NAL.
let. / would jerk the lever of the
Washington press into the middle OF
the etfulGent hence. l would kick over
my case. wipe the roller on the fresco-
ed walls, and feed my statistics to the
hungry flames.
No publisher has ever been treated
more shabby. no compositor has. in
the history of literature, been more
rudely disregarded and derided.
Think of this. dear reader, when you
look carelessly over,the brief but won
derful career of the hon louise. or with
apparent ennui dwadle through the
treatise on collie among silk worms and
facial neui algia among fowls.
This will not only please Mr.. Rounds
the Young and struggling compositor,
but it will crafty and encourage all
the friends of American progress and
the lovers of learning throughout our
whole land Bill Nye.