The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1890-07-19

iVttih "a aNAefir3N IAAoAAp9AtIfA OAiAg tAAN
week.
shall tell no one where it is hidden;
II had heard all the chatter men careless
ly speak,
And it talked, like n gossip, unbidden
Twas center where all the towns tattle
was caught,
The markets, the tariff, the lobby;
One had but to listen to find what he
sought,
And discover his neighbor's pet hobby
had promised some verses to read here
Tonight,
Yet found myself weary, or lazy;
And when l would be most especially
bright
All my mental horizon was hazy.
Just then discovered my strange phono-
graph
And SO all apropos was the matter
found it repeating could not bnt laugh
And say, | will copy its chatter,
So no ono will think have had aught to
do
But to listen and play the repeater;
For what it is worth | report it to you,
The reason, the rhyme and the meter.
The Pulpit AM Press, in contention that
Each claimed that the world was its
debtor,
Thatit, and il only, had found theone way
For making society better.
The Pulpit no doubt was of the old kind;
Anl the Press has not always been
hawless;
So you will not wonder that each spoke
its mind
In words that sometimes sounded law
less.
The Press with modesty ever its own,
Spnkc first, and said: "In Revelations
1t tells of tree that's celestially grown
With leaves for the healing Of nations.
"Its plain that the seer upon Patmos
ioresaw
The leaves from the printing press scat
tered,
Willie newsboys turned angels, with gos
pei and law
The people bcsprinked and shattered.
..King Solomon also foretold this great
age,
The spread and tho increase of knowl-
edge,
When reporters should run 10 and fro in q
rage
70 outstrip both the church and the
college"
The Pulpit, accustomed 70 hive people
take
In silence its doses, though drastic.
Content if they listened and kept half
awake,
Not expecting reply, grew sarcastic.
As thus it broke in: "The devil, It's said,
Is handy and apt at quotation; !.
But, perhaps, If he practieed one-half
that he read
Sensation might turn to salvation.
ooh, YES It is true that you run to and fro,
Bad and gooh you heap mp all together;
But when one has read it how much does
he know!
yris as certain as-New England wealth
er
4.You rake all the slums, and you spread
out the crimes;
What's wicked is news; but behaving,
Though it outnumbcr wickedness thou
sands of times,
Is too commonplace for the saving
oPray. tell where the healing comes in,
from such leaves
As leave every reader persuaded
That each man he meets steals, cheats OF
And ali the vide world is degrsded'
"But," broke in the Press, "yon seem not
to like
Your own doctrine when newspapers
teach it;
Iftotal 4. pravitys false, why, then, strike
The thing from your creeds and don
preach il
sAnd then we but publish what readers
demand;
Find fault with the readers; thesharpers
Ofevery Journal throughout all the land
Are the people that purchase the papers.
owe furnish what's wantedr' eyes, yes,
Said the Pulpit; ''and do the name
The underground caterers in gin shop and
stew,
The mention of whom we count shame
less.
"You must live, do you saya' Dr., John
son once said.
The necessity was not admitted.
'ris better to sleep with the noble, though
Than to live tolerated or pitied.
"rhen,r added the Pulpit, syour columns
yOu sell,
To the seoundrel, il rich. or his minions;
What you really think there's no fellow
can tell,
Webut know youhold golden opinions
The lips of the Press curled a little just
there.
As he said, with the touch of scorner,
The Pulpit itself has been known to
take care
For the pie with the PLAIN, like Jack
Horner
lis ssnfpl are sometimes suspicious that
calls
Often lie not where work is the harder,
hut in the direction of worldly winslfalls
In the shape OF rich church or fat larder
''lle says its a call, when it's only raise,
SO innocent off is the preacher;
And then he's content if the people bnt
praise
Not the truth that is tanght, hut the
teacher.
1T has ever been said--by the wicked
It's true
That the pews, if their owners arr
wealthy,
Are reproved with millness Shat still
keeps IN view
That q shock 10 tie weak S urheai ny