Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-01-06
BLUE PENCIL.
Reasons Proving That IL Runs the
World"


to be expected. 1t would be unfair TO
look for pefection in the Office of a
newspaper which sells for two cents a
,opy. 1t would also be useless. So it
happened one day that pen, pair of
shears, a pot Of mucillage and a blue
,encl found themselves on the same
fesk. This certainly should not have
occurred, for these potent factors of
journalism belonged to different per-
IONS. The pen was the possession of a
writer, the shears and mucillage were
the property of the exchange editor and
the blue pencil was owned by the mana
ging editor himself. How they came
together it would be difficult to say at
this late day; it was probably an over
sight on the part of the Office boy. or
perhaps the owners had been careless
but they were there, and nothing WIS
left for them but to make the best of
the situation.
"Well," observed the pen through
the layers OF ink which corroded its
once bright golden surface and mulll9d
its voice, ''how are you to-day?"
Pretty well, thank you," replied the
blue pencil, affably 1t could afford to
be affable, could this little stub Of a
pencil, with its thick vein of blue crayon
worn smooth at both ends.
"And how are you?n asked the pen
of the shears.
''I'm all right" replied the shears
with snap, for the shears fels the i'm
portance OF its position and was fat
from being humble. 4 large portion of
the paDer was cut out with its sharp
edges, and it felt with some slight de-
gree of justice that it was indispensl-
Bile.
"Well," remarked the pen, after
these fraternal greetings had been ex-
changed, ''I'm pretty well myself. l
am little overworkei. That is al. l
have had rather hard week of it. l
have been moulding public opinion, L
have.n
"Not any more so than /" answered
the shears, with pardonable vanity.
''That Washington special which crea-
ted such a sensation yesterday vas done
by me. cut it out Of Boston paper.
If it hadn't been for me | don't know
what the paper would have dOne.n
81 think had something to do with
that special myself" interpOsed the
mucilage, thickly, for the first time OBJ
truding its voice. ~ stuck the extracts
together and put them into shape for
the foreman of the composing ROOM
For that matter" answered the
shears, with neat sarcasm, ''the office
boy who carried the copy to the copy
box, the editor who saw it, aud the man
who wrote 1t for the Boston paper
might as well claim some share in the
deed"
"Why not, indeed?" retorted the mu-
cillage.'
$50 you think SOP" answered the
ctears. 'Well, would like to know
how they would ever have got their
work into the paper had 1 not cut 1t
out?"
Eight it out between you," inter-
rupted the pen. That's right, fight it
out; but would like to know how your
special would have looked if l had not
written the mead lines, changed the date
and put in few words credIting the
to our own correspondent L
tell you," went on the pen fiuidly; as
was its wont, sit is l who make the
paper. Haven't you ever heard that the
pen is mightier than the swOrd?' Well,
that includes shears and mucillage
both.
Against this iNdisputable argument
there was nothing to be said. They had
been long enough in the newspaper bu-
lot Win
they saw it. So after long silence,
unbroken save by the evaporation of
the water in the mucilage, the pen re-
marked with a little petulant sigh:
81 was not always employed in a
Office"
"No?" queried the shears. rather in-
mo, indeed l have had a varied ca
reer. l was first bought by a young
man who thought he was a poet. You
ought to see what | used 10 write for
him."
81 shouldn't like to-" observed the
shears. sageIy. 81 see enough bad po-
etry in the exchange"
81 should say so," added the mucIl-
age.
"What do yOu know about it?'' re-
.orted the shears. "YOu see only the
other side of what 1 cut out. You
always want 10 stick yourself forward"
AT this rebube the mucillage changed
color, but before it could recover its
voice the pen continued:
s'He couldn't make half living. At
asst he had to give it up. He is now
Try goods merchant, and l understand
he is getting rich. l was next owned
Dy q young man who wrote comic stO-
-ies for the weekly papers. He thought
hey were funny, but III give you my
word they were not. They always af
'ected me to tears, an,, often felt like
, grave digger's spade. | never was so
A man ought to have some
for the feelings of bis pen.
If he did," continued the pen with rare
md radiant wisdom, ''It would be bet
er for him in many cases. After stand
ng this sort of thing until my points
.ched, he was offered the position OF
i've stock reporter on a newspaper. and
was relieved of further misery. Next
was owned by young novelist. He
lSeU 10 WTlle IOLudICco NhiCH iutuc us
eaders weep. He had lived in many
places and was old for his years. When
le wrote he put his own lie INTO his
,ages. He expressed his own emotions
md told his own love story"
sit was sad, was it?' asked the
hears.
THAT depends upon the way you
ook at it. She didn't marry him, and |
le alwgys felt that his life was blighted, /
md every story he wrote bore that i'm
,ression. But have no doubt he was
ust as well off without her. | have /
+" continued this wise little pen,
that most men are about as well off |
their particular Her as with |
Ter. After 4 while he gave me to a .
lramatlst and l used to write plays that |
make me blush to this day to recall. |
lie made more money than any of the |
previous owners. He has made as much I
S three thousand dollars out OF one |
.bsurd play flied with stuff and rubbish /
han l wouldn't like TO repeat. That /
yas ages ago, though, and have be-
onged to newspaper writer for /
months and months. Since then | have |
,een doing great work. l have advised /
he President about his duties. have /