Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-05
THE TOPICAL TALKER,
"Reminiscences of n GIorions Fourth Spent
In the shadow Of q Printing Press and

A "Reminiscences of GIorions Fourth Spent
In the shadow Of Printing Press and
Patriotism.
"SEE If you can give patriotic tone to every
blessed thing that goes into to-morrow's
paper" said the managing editor to lis subor-
dinates, as they came one by one into the
throne room under the back stairs on the after
noon of the glorious Fourth. Not man de-
INJURED. 1t is not considered good foim to
demur in such cases. The editorial writer
really had no grounds for kicking. He knew,
as everybody knows that there's nothing easier
in the world than to rattle off six or seven edi-
torials and score of paragraphs on patriotic
subjects. He added certainly" to his 'yes"
when the chief made the suggestion.
Another man who had a snap was the market
editor, He had no market to report, and he
rang in little patriotism into the few lines he
wrote ssThere are no more patriotic citizens
in this CITY," the market man wrote, than the
bulls and bears who make things lively at the
Exchange Yesterday they were all bulls
They wanted to see things go higher; and their
wishes were gratiied by the rockets in the
evening""
THE poet of the establish ment-for one was
kept, or at least he stayed, sweeping out
the office and picking out quotations for the
living-the poet, be it said, was writing an ode
to the Chicago Exposition, which he proposed
to send betmes to Garper's Magazine, when
the order reached him to celebrate the day in
rhyme. He laid the ode by with sigh, and
took up the new subject and pointless pencil.
The pencil was the one OF whicn the stan
humorist had said in an unguarded moment
day OF two before that it resembled the poets
effuslons in being normally pointless. In spite
of all these drawbacks the following gem ap-
peared in an appropriate place-over the death
notlces-next morning:
STARS AND STRIPES.
"You are my az. - he whispered her,
'Your eyes the stars that shine
Upon our Union-Do not stir!
But say you will be mine"'
''You wish to turn my little head
With fattery apace-
But you forget the stripes. )" she said
With that she slapped his face.
THE religious editor was not on duty on the
Fourth. His gious observance of holi-
days is his chief recomm endation for the place
he occupies. But the sporting editor did not
escape. He had no desire to, either. 1t was
nothing new to him to ring in irrelevant matter
into the account of baseball game or horse
race. He went straight to the Declaration OF
Independence and discovered at once that
baseball was inalIenably decided to American
citizens in that splendid document.
1.-THE pursuit of happiness" he wrote as an
introduction to a history of the memorable
contest bet ween the Beantowns and the Gass-
ers, sis but modestly veiled definition of the
national game. The fact that the Declaration
of Independence was made a few years before
baseball fred the national heart brings into
prominence the foresight of the Revolutionary
statesmen"
He did not stop at this, but we as well may.
THE reporters hardly needed the city editors
reflection of the chiefs desire. Everybody
is a patriot on the Fourth of July, whatever he
does. The artists who pictured the day within
the city limits would have all resigned In
body if the privilege of trotting out the dear
old patriotic phrases had been denied them.
Even the reporter who wrote the blood
curdling story of the "most diabolical crime
that has been committed in this community for
a quarter of century," eked out the horrors
and blood with little decent protest against
the proclamation of a day sacred to liberty and
patriotism.
Those ingenious interpreters of ineglble
copy, the telegraph editors, obeyed instructions
with their usual fidelity. The patriotic flavor
was to be found in all the headlines, displays,
stepladders two liners and one liners. That it
was to be found in the news itself was not al
ways so certain. But the alliterative triumphs
of this department saved them anyhow.
WAS there patriotism in the paper oD July 81