The Portland daily press., 1883-12-25
The Press to the Reader.


This Holiday Supplement is presented to
the readers of the Daily and Weekly PRESS
as an earnest OF our purpose to do generous
ly by them. 1t contains round dozen of
stories. poems, and other contributions that
were written expressly for it's columns.
With but two exceptions, these contri5u-
tons are from writer's who have written
more or less for the paper during the past
year, and they are contributors WHOM any
De wspaper might be proud to have in it's
corps. We present here the equivalent
in amount of the contents of one num-
Der of many of the popular magazines, and
in literary excellence and the interesting
quality of the matter there would be no oc-
cason to shun comparison with the holiday
number OF any of them. We shall
institute no determinations by inviting
admiration of particular contributions,
where every one is good, or it would not
have been admitted to place in this compa-
ny.
1t must not be supposed that all the spec
ial contributors to the PRESS are represent
ed in this issue. In fact but small pro-
portion of them have a place. Some were
too much engaged to prepare special arti-
cles and some felt that they had no gift for
writing such articles as were required on this
occasion. 1t was necessary to make a selec-
ton, in order to make this sheet in character
and variety what we wished it to be. We have
chosen also to introduce few choice selec-
tions by English and American writers. The
writer's for the PRESS do not suffer by any
just comparison with others.
Neither must it be supposed that for the
coming year the PRESS will be content with
out making progress. We expect to retain
all the contributors whose work has given
pleasure TO the readers of the paper in the
past and to add many new ones, who will be
equally welcome tc our patrons. 1t is COM
monty known, we presume, that lately the
PRESS has been under a new management.
Its readers cannot have failed to observe that
several important changes have been made
already. We trust that they are regarded as
improvements. We have confidence that
the light of Il good newspaper cannot be hid,
and shall devote our energies to maHing the
light of the PRESS steadily brighter
Not only in the features which are
useful chiefly for entertainment will the
PRESS be improved, but in every feature
which conduces to good newspaper. Keep
ing sharp and wide lookout over the agi-
tated sea of public affairs we shall endeayor
to report faithfully and fairly whatever is
worth reporting, with careful regard to the
wants and interests of our readers. An excit-
ing national election is at band AS matter
OF course it will absorb much of the attention
and energy of the people; but newspapers
are not for politics alone, and the PRESS will
rot forget those who are concerned in the
daily work of life, in buying and selling, in
filling the earth, sailing ships and toiing in
shops, in fostering educatisn, religion, tenn
perance, morals and literature, in making
communities better and homes purer and
dearer.
II it shall succeed in being a daily and
weekly messenger of intelligence, chearful.
ness and help, it will only be faithful to the
spirit of this present hearty greeting to all,
"A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY New
YEAR