The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1890-05-31
The press.
WOES OF A NEWSPAPER MANS LIFE.

'OhGtoys GdyO 6u0 hSWOh
Post. It's friend to-day may be its
enemy tomorrow; its enemy to day
may be its friend tomorrow, but the
newspaper goes straight on working
for public good, disregarding
neither.
But right on top Of this sky full
.of summer rainbows comes our es.
teemed friend Of the Tyler 1Texas)
Record, and sends US the address
which we mourBfully ascribe to .
,press convention in the merFy month
of May.
My dear brothers, lam going TO
ask you some questions. | do so
because Il want to find out some,
thing that perhaps you know. In
my meteoric newspaper career i
have flushed some things that [ am
not acquainted with, and being of an
inquisitive nature, / lay the matter
before you for solution.
Here are some OF the peculiarities
of the business which / have noticed
and / want to know if yours have
been Of q similar nature.
The newspaper man does more
sgratuitous work than a charity hos.
;pital.
He is a man of whom only an or.
binary citizen would have no hest
fancy to apply for assistance in run.
ming for Office, booming private pro
perty, killing hogs, or working a
large garden. And the aforesaid
scitizen would get mad, howl, tear. up
abe earth and stop his paper if the
editor refused to lend the assistance
demanded.
When a railroad meeting is got.
ten up 10 order to boom the real
estate Of q town, did you aver know
of an editor failing to receive an
argent invitation to be present?
And have you ever noticed the
absolute certainty Of every editor
On town being unanimously" elect.
ed secretary2 And after this
Noachian deIuge OF honor has been
conferred upon the humble disciple
of the "hell box" he is not expected
to devote $25 worth of space and
money in blowing. putting and lying
about the town, and advertising the
property of some rich man, who
doesn't care a galvanized CUBS
whether the editor wears socks 10
winter or just plain feet.
Then when the editor has studied
and labored and done all Ia his
power to induce capital to reach
one hand out of its den and take
hold of its enterprise, and the new
road comes blowing and snorting
into the city, and the citizens arc
going out of one ft into forty more,
did you ever know the editor to gel
anything for his work and money
except a complimentary pass" over
the road which be is expected to
give twice its value in advertising?
The town then gives a banquet
to a crowd of visiting railroad men,
and all The prominent citizens are
invited, among them the editor.
They eat and drink, and no one is
charged q cent for the little food he
eats or the little he drinks, except
the editor. If the next issue of his
paper does not contain a write-up
that costs the editor not less than
SO in cash and SIS in labor, be is
at once branded as a miserable, un.
%appreciatiye ,cuss, who ought to be
knocked over the dead.line Of good
society.
Then some rich men Of the town
get together and go into the mann
featuring business. The editor, who
lis always in the lead to honor and
encourage every good work. gives
them q big send off in his paper,
and in return they buy two extra
copies of the paper to send to two
foreign stockholders, and then give
the editor a ''seDd of" BY sending
off to St. Louis for every bit Of
COB work they need. Or perhaps
10 a fit of extraordinary generosity
some aember of the firm will invite
the editor into o drug store and set
up the nickle cigars ldrug stores
only keep Scent cigars, but of
PARRY MFG. &C