Smyrna times., 1884-09-03

ne Salu, as ne dropped INTO Une VACANT
chair, except that it does not contain
humOr enough. Why don't you fill
her full of jokes and bright things by
the funny fellows, and make your
readers laugh? Nobody cares a cent
for those political editorials and those
scientific articles, and that stuff about |
the Tariff you print. That puts me to
sleep. Give us a plenty of jokes to
shake mans liver up and let the |
Tariff take care of itself That's all. |
Be in to see you again when I've more
| time; ia, ta."
The next person who took thevacant
chair had countenance as solemn as
a secondhand hearse. He didn't look
as if he had smiled more than once in
forty years, and the village editor took
him for an undertaken who wanted to
advertise a patent embalming process
and pay in trade.
Sir" said the solemn man, after
silence that became very painful to
the village editor, 81 am grieved to
notice the tone of levity that has re-
Gently pervaded the columns of your
paper, and l am compelled to ask you
on that account to take my name off
your list.-YOu seem to forget that
this is world of calamity and woe,
and that a spirit of levity in the press
is unseemly, and tends to draw atten-
ton from the solemn realities of life
and the near proximity Of death. Last
week you declined to print my article
entitled: Reflections on the Grave,
: alledging that you did not have room
for it, and then gave up nearly Il
column Of your paper to frivilOus
jokes. l do not intend to read any
thing light this year. That is all I
have to say; good afternoon"
The door closed behind the solemn
: man and then softly opened again to
admit dreamy-eyed man with a
poetic brow and general expression
that seemed to indicate that he wanted
= something he had never had and
Il never expected to have.
Il merely came in to remark" he
- began, as he took the vacant chair
"that you are sadly neglecting the
n literary department OF your paper.
not only have noticed it myself, bu
= several of my friends have called my
' attention to it. You should by al
= means run continued story and hav,
from two to three good short stories il
~ each issue. Good stories is the thin
, that is wanted to make a village pape
+ popular. Everybody you ask will tel
> you that. A little news and som
u local matter and the marriages an
II deaths should be printed, of course
" :, but you shouldn't let anything crow
out the stories | don't take you
,, paper but my brother-in-law does an
~ / borrow it Of him. | have intende
y for some time to mention this matte
to you but could never think Of it whe
:. - l was in town before. If you thin
" these suggestions are Of any value
u you, you may send me your papC
nc gratuitously for year. Allow me
bid you good day, sir"
re The dreamy-eyed man went out 1
~ softly as IA sixty-days' note falls du
~ and a moment later another style
'"' person dropped into the vacant chai
'e- and spoke thus in tones that we
III sharp and quick:
me Il don't think l shall take yol
'xt paper another year. You are n
1t making as good paper rs you shOu
If with your opportunities. You are Il
of giving your readers enough local ma
ek ter. Local matter should be the chi
in feature Of the village paper. Ever
wn thing else should be made to give WI
A to local matter. A story now and tn
on when you have plenty of room, al
me a bit of poetry to please the you
the folks who are i'll love, and little ne
AN matter are all well enough, but if y
mt want to make village paper a succe
ice, you've got to let yourself c
ers. on local matter. Give the ne
zen of your own community and
be the big dailies take care of the rC
the of the world. And, by the way, if y
ate are little short of local matter Il
week, you might say that l have
ant vented and patented the most commC
age sense churn that has ever been int
duced to the people Of this State.
you be in again in the course of Il few we,
any and will then pay you my subscript
ood for last year; good day"
ugh The village editor was just slid
full under the table, a crushed and menta
care demoralized man, to hide his head
lriff despair or the waste-basket, or be
., or when u loud knock at the outer d
ews brought him from his dreams to
ac- walking senses.
and "How are you old fellow ?" erie
lses. CHEEKY voice, and the Old Subscri
lger. from up the creek took the village
owe tor by the hand with a hearty g
good and shook Il pain in the editors sho
er-blade. And then the Old Subscr
ep at from up the creek seated himself in
lg q vacant chair and merrily spoke thu
came "Well, old boy, you're just givin
the very best paper we ever had.
leas- good story every week, some poetr
criti- please the women folks, a column
nose two of fresh humor to make us Ia
you and keep cur lives running on reg
e at schedule time, just about enOug
ion politics, all the news that is wOr
You busy mans time to read, every inn
great ant local event written up in bre
page readable style, and advertisement
)er to all the public sales and of the 81
week and shops that offer us bargains.
n the sir; your paper is good enough 70
0 you worth twice what you ask for
ne of and l want to pay you a years
just scriptiOn for myself, and here are
good dollars more, for which you may
4 few your payer to my son, out West,
make my daughter, down South, for
time. both like to get the news from tn
titled, home, and you give them more of
en- bV one issue of Vour paper than /