The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1886-05-15
An UlEs;iE.ENED CONTEMPORARY.
BY GEORGE c. jerks.

Everybody IN HOpeYIlIe SAID That
Henry Petit was just the man to be
editor OF live, progressive, newspaper,
and the everybody holding this opin-
ION Included very decidedly Henry
Petit himself. Mr.. Petit was editor
and proprietor OF the Hopeville Mil
lenlum. Why he had chosen this name
for his paper no one knew exactly,
though 1t was supposed, from the Incl
dental remarks of the editor, that it
was prophetic, In modest way, OF the
state OF things to which he would ulti-
mately bring Hopeville and such of its
population as were subscribers for the
paper and paid for it promptly. Mr.
Petit was small IN stature, sharp OF
feature and loud of voice. Journals
tlcally, he was In perpetual rage, a
rage varying IN it's intensity from the
spItefully sarcastic to the blood-thirst-
lily teroclOus. There seemed to be a
fantastic connection between his de-
grees OF aggresslveness and the STYLES
OF type used in his journal. THUS,
when treating of a subject compare
lively unimportant, he contenteG him.
self with the light musketry of solid
nonparell, the smallest type in his Of
hce. matter for more forcible de-
nunciation required minion or bre-
vler to give it proper weight; from
this he sometimes passed to bitter in
vectlve and the large type yclept long
primer, and he had been known, after
valnly trying to relieve his outraged
feelings through the medium OF double
loaded plea, bristling with exclama-
tlon points and distorted by italics, to
set all typographical precedent at de-
hance, and lombard his readers with
rhetorical and maledictory cannon
balls, manufactured from the largest,
heaviest and blacklist advertising let
tiers In his profession. He believed
thoroughly IN aggressive journalism,
and he always had a fight on his
hands. He disproyed the old adage
that "It takes two to make quar-
rel" by maintaining a perpetual dis
pute with the world at large, without
even requiring his adversary to say a
word or add a single spark to the fire
OF rage that kept the quarrel at boil
ing point.
The Millennium was power in Hope
vile, and Henry Petit enjoyed the
proud consciousness that he had
shouldered himself and his paper into
the front rank by sheer force OF ener-
gy and display OF that fighting tenn
permanent which never fails, sooner or
later, to win the respect OF a commun-
ity. As a result he was reaDing both
fame and good income from the
Millennium. He could perhaps have
got along more peacefully and quietly
than he did, had he chosen, but attri-
ton with the world seemed to be es-
sentlal to his enjoyment of life, and
ne was always denouncing real or i'm
aglnary evils, and lamenting that
there were not more OF them against
which ne could couch his lance in dead
ly assault.
Mr.. Petit was entirely satisfied
with himself, and never took the
trouble to inquire into his neighbours
business. 1t was said of him that half
the population in the town might be
carried Off by an epidemic, and unless
the death notices were sent to the
Millennium for publication at regular
rates, he would never know that there
had been a funeral He rather prided
himself on this INSTRUMENTATION, and
declared that he despised curiosity
save when Its indulgence was necessa-
ry Tor the successful prosecution of
his business. In that case, he added,
1t ceased to be curiosity in the true
and offensive sense of the word.
One day an event took place in
hopeVllle, which, for the moment, lit
orally paralyzed the editor of the Mil
Ienlum with astonishment. Then he
recovered his breath and retired to
his little office to try and realize the
situation.
4 man had actually come to Hone
vile to start another paperr Mr.
Petit at first could hardly believe
that such temerity could pass unpun-
lshed by supernatural powers that
watch over the interests of neWsna-
pers To think OF q mana stranger
an lnterloper "a fellow from, no one
knew where At It was no use
Mr.. Pettit's breath had gone again and
he could only lean back in his chair
and gasp his amazement at the new
mans unparalleled presumption.
Meanwhile the new man went on
quietly with MS preparations. He
looked over the ground, satisfied him
self that Hopeville needed his paper.
Drought type and press and other
material to the house he had rented
convassed the town for subscribers and
advertisers with satisfactory results.
and published the first number of the
hopevule independent, takingno more
notice OF Henry Petit and the Mil
lenum than If neither had existed.
contrary 10 Mr.. Pettit's confident
predlctlons, the new paper was ably
EDITED, neYsy and bright, and was ra-
celFed 10y the citizens with as much
favor as the Millennium itself. Mr..
feIIlt came across the Independent In
the homes OF his friends, in stores. Of
noes ana places OF public resort. aud
ne scowled darby He would show
lhls rival editor that HopevilIe needed
ohly one paper-the Millenium-and
InaL an attempt to establish another
would DE at the expense of a continue,l
ana oltter STRIFE. SO he went TO his
once ana wrote the following. which
appeared In the next issue OF the NH.
lenium:
I'VE have been asked whether the
rumor that there IS another weekly
paper IN Hopeville is based ON fart
We cannot give g positive answer.
= ~ nay HoilcEd a SlCkly-IOOk-
ing sheet pasted on a bulletin board
OUTSIDE q mousse on -- Street. As
ms particular sheet Is the only one
We ever saw, We presume it represents
me whole circulation Of what our cor
respondent has perhaps heard called
a weekly paper. It is doubtful whetb-
er another issue viii appear, as we
understand the alleged editor has al
ready become disguised with the want
OF success that has attended his efforts
to force his dreary rubbish down the