The Van Buren press., 1898-01-29
THE CARRIERS MESSAGE.
Many Old Men VIII Remember This
Custom, Which Is Now Dying.


Custom, Which Is Now Dying.
There are thousands who have been
born and reared within the walls of
city who have never heard of car
rier's message The words signify
nothing to them; in fact, in many of the
smaller towns the carriers message is
thing of the past. But there are thou
sands of business men in middle life who
well remember the days when every
country paper had carriers message
to go with the New York edition of the
paper. 1t was supposed to be the per-
quisite of the carrier of the country
weekly. In many cases he was the
"devil' of the office, and his small wages
were made to assume respectable size
when he was through with the delivery
of his paper on New Years day
He stopped at every home, and woe be-
tide the selfish subscriber who refused
TO buy copy of the message. The next
time the carrier came that way in a
beating storm he took no pains to put
the weekly in dry place. 1t had to
the subscriber got his paper 1t was in
damp, bad condition.
OF course, the price to be paid the
carrier rested with the generosity of the
subscriber. The rich people of the town
gave one dollar, and sometimes even
more. The enterprising merchants
gave so cents, and the average gave a
quarter, while the poor gave a nickel
or dime. Sometimes a good motherly
old woman would think of the hard lot
of the poor little carrier boy, and to
protect him against icy days would knit
him a pair Of mittens and good, long
warm muffler. Sometimes a pair of
shoes was his portion, and occasionally
an overcoat made over. In fact, any
thing and everything was right and ap-
propriate.
The amount that a carrier would get
from a paper with a circulation of
1000 in a prosperous town varied, but
a gentleman who at one time ran a
country paper says his carrier boy
would occasionally get as much as $780,
putting cNCl y thiiiB oii q Naoh po9io'
There may have been times when
money was plentiful, when the carrier
boy would reap a reward even greater
than the amount here given.
But what did the message consist of?
Almost everything, in fact, but in the
great majority of cases It was a poem
dwelling on local happenings of the
year and winding up with good hopes
for the future and CHEEKY wishes for
every subscriber to the Bugle.
Most generally it was printed on a
single sheet of paper, about IL by 10
inches, and in some cases very much
larger, handsomely bordered with
scroll work, The pride of the foreman
of the office. Sometimes there was a
border of advertisements, and some
times it was gotten out in four-page
shape. Occasionally the carrier would
be very ambitious to outshine every
thing that had gone before, and he
would get out quite a pamphlet, with
several contributions by local poets,
prominent ministers and lawyers. In
fact, the poem was generally the prod
uct of some one who could rhyme apt
ly and touch off the happenings of the
year in a good-natured and laughable
way, even congratulating young
mother on the advent of her first boy.
As type of the poetry, here is verse
that is recalled upon the spur of the
moment:
1.-The carrier boy hopes next year will bring
us plenty that's good to eat,
And that our high school foot ball team will
quit from getting beat
And that all the children will learn their
lessons and babies never cry.
And the town have plenty of fireworks on
next Fourth OF July"
OF course the carrier boy had to have
q few verses that set out in graphic
way all the woes and troubles that be-
set him on his route. Especially would
there be a verse that would run thus:
Through rain and hail and sleet and snow.
The Bugles carrier boy most faithfully
has worked.
Oft-time when freezing, on and on he's go,
Rather than have 1t said his hard work
he had shirked."
At the close there would be verse of
q pleading nature, something to let you
know that he expected something more
than your blessing or good wishes. 1t
might run thus:
Reward him well, all those who have
been served,
And from your door turn him not empty
away.
Each week he'll come to brighten up the
home
And leave behind more than a passing
ray"
Perhaps the custom is still observed
In some of the smaller towns, but in the
minor cities it is passing away.-Cincip-
natl Commercial Tribune.