The Cecil Whig., 1885-12-05
:
J. CLINTON SELLERS.
MIDDLErowS, DEL, Nov. 30,' 1885.

President tie PQthiau Journalists Cluj:
Dear Sir-Your kind note telin. me of
my election as an honorary member of the
'Pythian Journalist Club gives me great
pleasure, and yet to be ala honorary mem
Der OF such an excellent organization, OF
which the cougenial active spirits meet
once month about an inviting banquet, Is
only half satisfying. II decide to remain
on the Peninsula beyond the next month or
two | shall ask the club to take me in as an
active member. l have always been great
success an active member at a banquet.
Indeed, | am freq to say, let me be active at
the banQuetS OF the land and | care not who
has the honOrs.
1.-The Pythian Journalists Club strikes
me as heing good idea, and | have reason
to believe there are more than enough bright
and genial fellows of the newspaper profess
sion on the upper Peninsula to insure the
success o your organization in the way OF
atfording profit and pleasure to its active
members. The life of the village new spaper
man is dull enough at best-there are So
few double-column circus ads. at $40 and So
much obituary poetry Gree g1atis''-and
such rubbing up of his mental works as
he is likely to have while in contact with
his brother opinion moulders at your month
ly meetings, as we'll as the filling up of his
capacity with the savory viands thereuuto
pertaining, is sure to do him il great deal
of good and cause his jOyouSuesS to be re-
tiected in the columns of his paper. The
village newspaper man is almost constantly
in danger of becoming rust-corroded, mel
ancholy, misanthroplc and hungry, and it
seems to me that ''rhe I'ythian Journalists
Club" is just the sort of thing he needs to
belong to so that he may overcome this ten
dency and be more hopeful and CHEEKY and
able now aud then to break forth IN "A gay
snatch of sOng-when no one he loves is in
hearing. | am glad to observe that the
petty ,jealousies and hearty hatreds which
have tilled the souls of village newspaper
men in the past have given way to a better
feeling. Editors still now and then cali
one another Glars, mbecles, ""thieves' -
and body snatchers," but the practice is
| not near SO common as it WAS years ago.
Slch practice cannot be too strongly con-
dpmned by newspaper men who have re-
| SpeCt for themselves and their profession
| Tor many persons, good souls, believe every
thing they see in the newspapers. The ct-
| forts of the true journalist should be always
| TO build up his calling and make it one that
| this public can respect.
y one time, believe, it was common
| for the village newspaper man who got the
worst of Il controversy with ap esteemed
| contemporary over the way, about cirCula-
ton or the county printing or something,
| 10 90 oyer anu SbOOL Tue itilON W no Wlcluei
| the more vigorous pen. That is, if the fell
low Who welded the more vigorous pen did
not see the ether fellow coming and shoot
| fist. That is all changed now, in the East,
at least; instead of shooting the person who
| gets the better of Us in an editorial contrn-
versy we now go over and borrow a dollar
from him. like the new way the better
Through the eight rather happy years in
which ! edited a village paper | did not
| how 70, l.
editor. 1t may surprise some members OF
| the Pythian journalists Club ID hear it,
| but have no persons blood, not even IL
| book agents, on my hands. | often sit and
| think OF how much sadder than it is might
| be my life had | in moment of passion
| killed some journalist for saying i'll loaded
| long primer that didn't know enough to
steal an umbrella when i: rainei, or for
whitening me with some similar sarcasm.
l am glad that lost in straw-stacl;
when was boy the only pistol ever
owned, and yet it was not Il dangerous
weapon Tor it had no lock.
| am the more pleased to b. admitted to
your honorable circle because it has had its
beginning not only in my native county
| but in the sanctum of the newspaper upon
which was inflated in the ''art preserv-
| ative.'
Wishing the "Eythian Journalists
| Club an evening of good cheer and
mental relaxation, after this letter is read
am traternally yours,
| SCOTT WAY.
| AT the conclusion of the reading OF
the letters a toast was offered to
the honorary members by James l..
Nallandigham. 1t, of course, met with a
| hearty response, as did also the vote OF
thanks proposed to Scott Way for his
thoughtfulness and Kindness in sending
such lengthy and excellent letter, much