Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1884-09-11

Straw and typographical Ant
Hills LevelIed by Public Ne
gIigence's Boot Heels.
SpeciGt Correspondence of the Sentinel.
Mt. VERNON, n. c., Sept. 1st.-
The present New York Herald, of
wealthy and elephantine proportions,
was evolved, (to adopt the lingo of the
Darwinian theorists,) from con-
temptible little Sx10 sheet which a
poor devil by the name of J. G. Ben
net started as make-shift for liv-
ing during the excitement engendered
by the mysterious murder of young
lady in New York, while the j. G..
Bennett, Jr., of to-day was not yet out
of the larue state, much less had u.s.
sumed the wings of the stout sail-and-
steamship Jeanette, noslng about in
search of the North Pole. Through
tions of blackmailing and cowhiding
the rascally and hideously ugly older
Bennett emerged at length to a high |
and lucky plane, and, Ooh, dreadtul
satire upon 1.-The survival of the fit
testp) popped up head and heels out
of the slums of poverty into the world
defying castles of atiiuence-was trans
formed from q dog whom everybody's
| boot had kicked to the enviable posi-
ton of king in newspaperdom and
power in the land.
Many and many a luckless imitator
had the elder Bennett. But the pla-
giarist always turns out puppy and
the copyist cursed quack. These
apish gentry mostly failed for lack of
his vicious energy and braZen genius,
and also, methinks, on account of tho
usual lamentable deficiency in Stoicism
to withstand the storm of kickings,
knockdowns and cowhiding-an or
deal whose requirements just nobody,
but two, (the said j. G. b., and his
satanic majesty could possibly have
endured.
Right we'll does the writer remem-
r ber when the Morning Herald was
started in St. Louis, Missouri, in the
winter of 1854, by an editor whose
5 name he has since forgotten. The
first few numbers were tame and i'll
) nocent matter -of-tact dailies, harmless
: ly flat and insipid. Aud they had a
e correspondly small circulation to their
# dearth of interest Then did Caesar,
A having planned his campaign III Gaul,
!, in the pearly waters, of the RubIcon.
t Then did the original devilment OF Its
It originator assert itself i'll defence OF
Y its meat and bread. 1t made haste
d to concoct and promulgatc q scandal
II OH citizen in high life. The re
e suit was no "cash in advance,
st but a most vigorous cowhidng from
le the outraged citizen; quite discount
le in the editorial reputation, but sud
ut deu rise in the circulation from few
dozen to several thousand. The morn
OF ing after the day of the threshing, III
sn published lengthy, most clrcunstan
20 tial, and vividly colored account o
ne the affray and that number OF tn
st paper was so eagerly and UNIVERSAL
II. sought for that the pressnen could n'
he keep the newsboys supplied half ta'
n enough to fill the demand on til
he streets, and papers went off like no
on cakes at war prices from the door
de and windows of the Office, bringing Il
las perfect flood of dimes. Thus f.
"a did the Morning Herald proceeded
.ol la Bennett, but no further. The edit'
nd found, upon calm sclf-inspection, TIN
w. he had either mistaken his calling {
lot over-rated his powers of endurance
do that he was constituticnally (not co
n scientiously) opposed to sport OF til
VIII kind-that he was sleepy, good-ns
ity ured, good-for-nothing sort OF tellt
me anyhow, whose nerves wore out II G
ide cited more than once in ten year
me He got too lazy, or something, AT
this to hunt up any more scanda
to The HeralPs circulation, temporarl
lice inflated, stail up little, while ST
civ the horse lcech Oliver Twists of t
ter mobocracy got tired of bowling !
"more !" l think it was not long
for fore the Herald had "gone where 1
IS. woodbine twineth.'
But of oil the concerns to die quI
and easy, the proverbially short-lIve
greenhorn-edited. half-fledged COUNT
village magazines Of the literary str
Ike have taken the lead. Every collie
1ty, graduate that held the honors Tor
lof good composition or address rusl
ner into print on his own hook. And
his fools were forever blameless Of
the knowledge Of the damnable bat ST
lDie | born fact that this is Il country OF
Ihe ders, politicians, lawyers, doctors, 6
u. choppers, and most emphatlca
IS to not of literary men of leisure; ;
no that the market to which they
tent ,roudIv brine their wares is and
@ the ways has been full to rcpletlon. II
I'd somehow had fever which moth
rom but practical experience of life
hard knocks from old Times knucl
could ever cure And when their
low and blue covered babies died,
what funerals there were! How
emo bemoaned the decadence of llterat'
nor, and dcnouced the coarse-grall
in filthy lucre-loving, negligent pu
Ieek, as the executioners of puissant gen
stern EDWARD PAYsON HAL