The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-11-01

| you SnOulQ make liberal extracts from
time to time. You will notice that this
one, entitled Dash the Cup Away is
written by myself. You are at liberty
to print it in full. And when 1 come
across anything particularly good in
the columns of the Banner of Light, I'll
cut it out and send it round to you.
You have grand opportunity to make
your paper grow in circulation and in
fluence, and / hope you will come
boldly to the front on the right course,
and no longer continue to devote your
valuable space to trivial matters. By
the way; have you few exchanges
that you are done with? All, that will
do; good day"
In the door the man in the shawl
passed person with a merry twinkle
in his eyes.
II like your paper-it is first rate"
he said, as he dropped into. the 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 cent for those
political editorials and those scientific
articles, and that stuff about the tariff
you print. That puts me to sleep.
Give us plenty of jokes to shake a
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, ia. "
Inc next person who took the vacant
chair had countenance as solemn as a
secondhand hearse. He didn't look as
II he had smiled more than once in
forty years, and the village editor took
him for an undertaken who wanted to
advertise patent embalming process
and pay in trade.
"Sir," said the solemn man, after a
silence that became very painful to the
village editor, II am grieved to notice
the tone of levity that has recently per-
vaded the columns Of your paper, and
am compelled 10 ask you on that ac-
count to take my name off your book.
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 attention 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, alleging that you did not
have room for it, and then gave up
nearly a column of your paper to frivo-
lous jokes. do not intend to read any
thing light this year. That is all l have
to say; good afternoon"
The door closed behind the solemn
man and 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 Anu no,or expected
to have.
81 merely came to remark" he be-
gan, as he took the vacant chair, .'that
you are sadly neglecting the literary
department OF your paper. l not only
have noticed it myself, but several of
my friends have called my attention to
it. You should by all means run a con-
tinued story and have two or three good
short stories in each issue. Good sto-
ries is the thing that is wanted to make
village paper popular. Everybody
you ask will tell you that A little
news and some local matter and the
marriages and deaths should be printed
OF course; but you shouldn't let any,
thing crowd out the stories. | don't
take your paper, but my brother-in law
does. and l borrow it of him. l have
intended for some time to mention this
matter to you, but could never think of
it before when l was in town. If YOU
think these suggestions are of any value
to you, you may send me your paper
gratuitous for year. Allow me to bid
you good day, SIR"
The dreamy-eyed man went out as
softly as sixty days note falls due,
and moment later another style of
person dropped into the vacant chair,
and spoke thusly, in tones that were
sharp and quick.
81 don't think want this paper an
other year. You are not making as
good paper as you should with your
opportunities. You are not giving your
readers enough local matter. Local
matter should be the chief feature of a
village paper. Everything else should
be made to give way to local matter.
A story now and then when you have
plenty of room. and a bit of poetry to
please the young folks who are in love,
and little news, are all we'll enough,
but il you want TO make a village paper
q success. you've got to let yourself out
on local matter. Give the news of your
own community, and let the big dailies
take care Of the rest of the world. And,
by the way; if you are little short on
local matter this week, you might say
that have invented and patented the
most cOmmOn-sense churn that has ever
been introduced to the people of this
State. I'll be in again in the course of
a few weeks, and will then pay YOU
my subscription for last year; good day"
The village editor was just sliding
under the table, a crushed and mentally
demoralizcd man, to hide his head in
despair or the waste basket, or both,
when q loud knock at the outer door
brought him from his dreams to his
waking senses.
"How are you, old fellowp" cried a
CHEEKY voice, and the Old Subscriber
from up the creek took the village edi-
tor by the hand with q hearty grasp.
and shook pain in the editors shout |
der-blade. And then the Old Sub
scriber from up the creek seated him
self in the vacant chair and merrily |
spoke thus: -
well. old boy, you're giving us the
very best paper we ever had. A good
story each week, some poetry to please
the women folks, column or two Of |
fresh humor to make us laugh and keep
our lives running on regular schedule
time, just about enough OF politics, all
the news that is worth q busy mans
time to read, every important local
event written up in breezy, readable
style, and advertisements of all the
public sales and of the stores and shops
that offer us bargains. Yes, sir; your
paper is good enough for me-worth
twice what you ask for it-and want
to pay you years subscription for
myself, and here are four dollars
more for which you may send your
paper to my son out West, and
INV daunhtar down Cnufh for ALax- |