Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-06-29
Lie countrv EdIfor,a -


and eyes glazing refiectively on tn
ceiling, Eyes, the life of a countrl
editor has its attractions. It also
has its drawbacks. spent about q
dozen years in a country printing
4 Office. beginning as a devil and gradu.
ally drifting downward until I became
editOr-in-chief, business manager, ad.
Yertising solicitor, collector, and re-
porter for q country daily.
my first venture on my own hook
was with a paper that had died on
fellows hands in town about as
big as a circus tent and about as
rocco as an Egyptian mummy; and
during the two or three years Of my
struggles there I got enough expert
ence in the trials and tribulations of
journalism to make me old before my
time.
Il printed the paper from old nails
on an army press, and four impress
ions were required for every sheet.
As the paper had about FIVE hundred
subscribers the work involved was
simply frightful, particularly that
part Of it, which did as a sort of re-
lief from the strain Of editorial effort
which I sustained while not setting
type or chasing delinquents."
What part did you do?"
"Well, 1 worked therOller. Turning
a grindstOne is a holiday dream of
Slclllan rest by comparison. I had
my hands as CallOused Us the frog Of
a horses foot after the blisters wore
away. The physical sufferings that [
bore were trifings when compared
with the agOnies OF doubt which
racked my mind when l let it run
upon the future. Upon my shoulders
rested not only the heavy response. |
Dlllty OF pleasing all the people who
read my paper, but the burden OF q
large family dependent on my efforts.
Starvation was the alternative of
success, so you may we'll believe that |
1 UrOd the thorny way regardless of |
my bloody feet and the jeers of the /
enemies that added difficulties where |
they could not accomplish disaster. !
''Ah! those were hard and cruel /
days OF grinding toll followed by |
nights full of dread of the morrow. |
But they were not wholly dark. In /
deed, in looking back upon them |
remember the shadows that |
lay across them. AS a child boards /
up only memories Of summer days
and birds and flowers, forgetting the
ong winters and the leafess trees, so
[ treasure only the brighter and
happier features of that varied ex.
Oerience.
Generally speaking, the country
a nF J
n his community. His position it
matters not how precariOus it may
Do from financial point of view, is
such as to command a certain social
recognition. He finds himself invited /
10 all the parties and balls and pic
llcs and weddings. He is q mOurner /
1t every funeral, a guest at every
east; he is the secretary of every |
public meeting. the receptacle OF the
condolences of all who aspire; his adj /
vice IS sought by the young, and ne Is
he especial prOtege Of all the old.
bis trousers may be baggy at the |
Inees. but the big man OF the vii age,
mindful OF the power Of the press,
stops to talk with him III front of the
JOstOttice and shows him about town
n his carriage. The Hon. John
quincy Adams Smithers, NJ. c., comes
Town from the city to look after his
ences around POdunk, and he makes
q Decline for the editors sanctum.
where he cracks n chestnut and passes
;round lat looking cigars that exhaIe
he very OdOr Of luxury. The presid-
.ug elder also hOnOrs the editOr's'
iingy den with his pious presence, the
president OF the local railway COMPANY
sends him a Dass-that is, he used to:
all the farmers fetch him the biggest
ear OF corn, the first watermelon, the
the prize pumplun, or the banner
sheat or wheat; and, more than all and
better, the village beauties call in the
oevies to view the mysteries Of the art
DreserVative and fiirt with the edi-
tors assistant. That is the treat of
all treats, and what wonder if the
editor gets to dreaming dreams and
weaving fancies with a wool of golden
hair?
mo; didn't fell victim myself,
but I'm an exception. The average
county editor marries young. The
pressure is ali that way and so the
editor one day leaves out the we'll /
known personal that Miss Mary lib
bits, the bewitching blue-eyed daugh-
ter OF Col. Ezra Tibbits, illuminated
our sanctum with her bright presence
for a few minutes yesterday and In
us place We reau the announcement
that we were married last night, at
the reslhsnce of the brides parents
to Miss Mary Tibbitts, daughter OF
Col. Ezra Tibbitts, in the presence Of
a brilliant assemblage OF relatives
and friends, etc.
by and by he succeeds in scraping
tOeether fttle money, and he branch
es out. very kelly going to the county
town as q partne in one of the organs.
If ne has developed the right sort of /
stuff he succeeds fairly well u mis-
larger field and makes money, Per
haps as years 90 by he Is elected to !