Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-16
Good Times Passed Away.
From the New York sun.

From the New York Sun.
There was a time" said the editor. pub
Usher and proprietor of the Jrn,orfo,ra Banner
and American Watch Toner when my coun-
try subscribers brought in apples, potatoes,
turnips, carrots squashes, eggs and lots OF
other stuff as free gifts 10 the editor, and when
set aside the second column of the third PAGE
for notices that Farmer Smith and so forth had
laid on our table So and so, for which he would
please accept our thanks. 1t has been three
years since even tomato was brought into the
Office"
What has broug hit about this change"
The daily papers. They have heaped ridi-
cule on the good old custom until thew have
given il it's deathblow. And there's another
thing. Up to four or five years ago some OF
my subscribers were certain to put from 800
to $500 in the rag bag for safe keeping and
then sell the bag TO the peddler without re-
membering the money. 1 could always count
on at least two items of this sort every year,
but they gone forever now"
''And do you blame the dailies for this also?'
81 do. They poked fun at and heaped ridi-
cule on the farmer until he felt obliged 20 de-
post his money in the bank. Don't you re-
member those good old DAYS when the wife
used to put 200 in the parlor stove for safe
keeping and her husband used TO build a FIRE
without her knowledge"
well, it's fully four years since have had
such case. The daily papers are 20 blame for
IL. There was time when L could count on a
straight column a week under the head OF Ter
rible Accident-Another Farmer Dragged to
Death The farmer had a way. you know OF
hitchIng the lines around his body when he
was breaking colt, or tying the rope TO his
arm when leading fractions horse TO water.
He doesn't do il any more. The daily papers
have had so many items headed Another Idiot
Gone to His Reward or Another Fool Farmer
Heard From that the practice is dead"
Eyes. / know"
"And could. in those good old times, regu-
larly count on what was known as the pitch
fork accident Why, i used 90 keep the item in
type on the standing galley and simply change
names and dates. You remember how it used
to run? Farmer, or his son, or hired man stack
ing hay or straw and then sliding down on the
fork 1t was sometimes q haystsck and some
times a haymow, but they always managed to
hit the fork when they slid down. That Fat
take has gone with the others and the dailies
are to blame"
1T seems sad"
1T is sad. You know how we used 10 make
up the editorial pager We'd cut a leader from
the Sun. Chicago Times, Cincinnati Enquirer
or Buffalo Courier and lead her right out SIM
ply saying as a preface: That able and WELL
conducted journal, the -, says had to
drop that style three years ago. The daIlies
began to kick and my subscribers TO find fault
MANY a time have sheared out four columns
of editorial in less than ten minutes and 10
makes my heart ache to realize that can
never no never, do 30 any more. One OF The
saddest changes, however, is the last"
what is thRt?"
Forcing us to drop the we which was 80
long the power behind the throne. You can
look back TO when we called into Browns
grocery; when we took run into the country
the other day; when we did thus and so and
the other thing and were the biggest man in
town. All gone now-gone with the other per-
quisites and privileges. why, only last week.
when chucked in three columns Of dead ads
to I'LL up on the fourth page, half dozen sub
scribers came in and complained Of n lack Of
reading matter. Its change, great change,
and am afraid some Of US will die trying "a
get used to it."