Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-04-24
ured tones, and with fixed and critical

am very sorry to notice that you are
giving in your columns 80 little atten-
ton to the cause of prohib;tion-the
noble cause Of prohibition You must
rouse yourself upon this great question,
and give your readers page of II week
ly. am not a subscriber TO your paper,
but | borrow 1t every week from my
neighbor and loan him the Banner Of
Truth in exchange. So you win observe
that l have been one Of your faithful
readers, and know just where you fall
short Of making a good newspaper. l
will leave you a few tracts from which
you should 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 | come
across anything particularly good in the
columns of the Banner of Truth III cut It
out and seEd it around to you. You have
a grand opportunity to make your paper
grow In circulation and influence, and
hope you will come boldly to the front
on the right course and no longer con-
tinue to devote your valuable space to
trivial matters. By the way, have you
a few exchanges that you are done
with? All, that will do; thanks. Good
day"
In the door the man In the shawl
passed person with a merry twinkle
in his eyes.
al like your psper-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 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; ts, ta."
The next person who took the vacant
chair had a countenance as solemn as n
second hand hearse. He didn't look as
If he had smiled more than once in
years, and the village editor took him
e., rtal L h@t sa1 m .Apar-
tise 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 recently per-
vaded 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 ca
lamity and woe and that spirit of lev
ity in the press is unseemly, and tends
to draw attention from the solemn real
tiles of life and the near proximities OF
death. Last week you declined to print
INV article entitled Reflections on the
Grave alleging that you did not have
room for it, aud then gave up nearly
column Of your paper to frivolous jokes.
do not intend to read anything light
this year. That is all 1 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 SEEM
ed to indicate that he wanted something
he had never had and never expected
to have.
"I merely came In to remark" he be-
gan, as lie took the vacant chair, "that
you are sadly neglecting the literary de-
partmenr Of your paper. not only have
noticed 1t myself, but several Of my
friends have called attention to 1t. You
should by all means run q continued
story and have from two to three short
stories In each issue. Good stories Ia the
thing that is wanted 10 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 anything crowd out
the stories. don't take your paper, but
my brother-in-law does, and / borrow
1t of him. have intended for some time
to mention the matter to you, but could
never think of 1t when l was In town
before. II you think that these sugges-
tions are of any value to you, you may
send me your paper gratuitously for
year. Allow me to bid you good day,
sir"
The dreamy-eyed sman went out as
softly as a sixty days note falls due, and
a moment later another style Of person
dropped into the vacant chair, and spoke
thus in tones that we're sharp and quick: |:
81 dou't think that shall take your
paper another year. You are not max
ing it as good paper as you should
with your opportunities. You are not
giving your readers enough local mat
ter. Local matter should be the chief
feature of the village paper. Every
thing else should be made to give way
to local matter. A story now and then,
when you have plenty Of room, and bit
of poetry to please the young folks who
are in love, and little news matter are
we'll enough, but II you want to make a
village paper a success, you've got to
let yourself out on local matter. Give
I the news Of your own community and
let the big dailies take care OF the rest
of the world. And, by the way, II you
| 80 a Httla shnrt ~ lnnal rnstfor thi,