The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-03-26

paper factbry rolls into an avalanche. and
the printers refuse to work until back wsges
are paid ~ and the compositor bows TO the
managing dditor, and the managing editor
bows to ihf editor-in-chief. and the editor.
in-chief bows TO the directors, and the direh.
tors bow 70 the world mt large, and all the
subscribers wohder why their paper doesn',
come. The world will have TO learn that Ia
newspaper is as much OF an institution Ia
the Bank OF England or Yale College aud Is
not an enterpfise. II you have the afork-
said agricultural or scientific or religious or
political idea 10 yentilate, you had better
charge upot the world through the columns
already established. II l. folly for any ono
who cannot sueceed at anything else TO tiny
newspaperdout. IL you cannot climb the
hill back Of YOUR house IL is folly to try the
sides of the Mhtterhorn
To publish 2 newspaper requires the skill.
the precisipnj the boldness, the vigilance,
the stratea' 5t commander-in-chief. To
edit n ntfsHapcr requires that one be n
statesmauf ap essayist, a geographer. n
statistical fidin acquisition encyclopaedia.
To man, = pvern, to propel newspaper
until IL ST. be fixed institution, a Ma
tional fac 3mand more qualities than any
business q arth. II YOU feel like startlnl,
any news OF, secular or religious. uBder-
stand thg ou are being threatened with
softening the brain or lunacy, and. throw
ing your ieketbook into your wife's lap.
start for he insane asylum before YOU do
something desperate. Meanwhile, W the
dead newspapers, week by week. are carried
out to the burial, all the living newspapers
give respectful obituary, telling when they
werc born aud when they died. The best
printers Ink should give at least one stick
ful OF epitaph. II IL was "a good paper. say,
peace 20 tho ashes" II IL was {. bad paper
I suggest thle epitaph written for Francis
Chartreuse. Here contlnueth to rot the
body Of Frahcis Chnrtreuse. VINO. with an
inneNible 'o1stancy and uniformity OF life
persisted In the practice Of every human
vice, excepting prodigality and hypocrisy.
His Unsuitable avarice exempted him from
the first, his inatchless imprudence from the
second ! say this because | want you to
know that q good. healthy, long lived. enter
tanning newspaper Il not an easy blessing
but one that comes TO us through the fire.
First Of all, newspapers make knowledge
democratic and for the multitude. The pub
lie library Is b haymow so high up that few
can reach II. .lwhile the newspaper throws
down the forage to our feet. Public libraries
are the reservoirs where the great floods are
stored high up and away on The newspa-
per Is the tunnel that brings them down to
the pitchers OF all the people. The chiefus
Of great libraries Is 20 make newspapers out
Of Great libraries make few men and wo-
men very wise Newspapers lit whole Ma
tions into the sunlight. Better have 5OD.-
100000 people moderately intelligent than
l00. 900 solons.
A false impression Is abroad that newspa-
per knowledge is ephemeral because perlodi-
Gals are thrown aside. and not one out Of ten
thousand people files them for future refer.
cnce Such knowledge so far from being
cphemeral, goes into the very structure of
the worlds heart and brain and decides the
destiny OF churches and Nations. Knowl-
edge on the shelf Is Of little worth. II is
knowledge aiyJt, knowledge harnessed,
knowledge In revolution. knowledge
winged knowledge projected. knowlcd9e
thunderholted. So far from being ephemer-
al, nearly ali lhe best minds aud hearts
have their hands ON the printIng press
to-day and have had since II got emancl.
psted, Adams aud Hancock ard Qis used
to 60 TO the Boston Gazette and compose ar
ticles on the rights Of the people. BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN, De Witt Clinton, Hamilton, Jeler-
son, Quincy, were strong in newspaperiom.
Many OF the immortal things that have been
published in book form first appeared in
what you m,y cal, the ephemeral periods
cal All Macallays essays first appeared In
Il review. Al Carlyes. all Ruskin's.
all Mclntoslcs all Sydney Smiths,
all Haaliitssutl, Thackerary's, all the ele-
waited work, h.action H. dur day are ro-
prints froma q nbdicals 2 lShiep' thew az
-peSrsd Is sds!aE. iigadyson sfpoems, Burnss
poems Longiellow's poems, emerson's po-
once fugitive pieces. You cannot find ten
literary men In Christcnlom, with strong
minds and great hearts. but are or have been
somehow connected with the newspaper
printing press. While the book will niways
have its place. the newspaper is more potent.
Because the latter il multitudnous do not
conclude il is necessarily superficial. ia
man should from childhood 10 old age see
only his Bible, W"1stor's Dictionary and his
newspaper. he could be- prepared for all the
duties Of this life AMI all tie happiness OF
the next.
Again, = good newspaper is n useful mir
ror Of life ns Il T.. II IS sometimes COM
planned that newspapers report the evil when
they ought only 10 report the good. They
must report the evil ~ we'll rs the good. or
how shall We know what Is 10 be reformed.
what guarded against, whnt fought down?
A newspaper that pictures only tho honesty
AMI virtue ~ society j. a Misrepresentation
That family is best prepared 'or the duties ot
lie which, knowing the evil. is taught 30
select the good. Keep children under the
impression that ali L. fair and right in the
world. ana when they 60 out into It they
will DE a. poorly prepared T. struggle with
il as child who Is thrown into the middle
OF IN" Atlantic ami told 10 learn how TO
swim. our only compliant il when sin Is
made attractive and morality dull. when vice
II painted with great headings aud good
set NJ in great primer and righteousness in
uonpar,rl. sin is loathsDme, make IL loath-
some. Virtue IS beautiful; make 1t beauti-
full
II would work a vast Improvement il ali
our papers reiigious, political. literary
should for the most part drop their imper-
sonality. This would do better Justice to
newspaper writer's. Many OF the strongest
and best writers Of the country live and die
unknown and are denied their just fame. The
vast public never learns who they are. Most
OF them are on comparatively small income,
and after awhile their hand iorgets II cum
nmS. and they are without resources, left TO
die. Why not, ~ least, have his initial at
taehed 20 his most important work? II al
ways gave additional force TO an article
when YOU occasionally SAW added to some
significant article In the old New York
Courier and Enquirer j. w. w., or in The
Tr,hun" II. g.. or in Tue Herald j. G. b., or
in The Times II, J. r.. or in The Evening
Post ", q. H., or in The Evening Express
T., u.
While this arrangement would be fair
and Just thing iornewsprper writers, II would
Dee q defense FOR the public. II h sometimes
D 81 4.