The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-01-28

to the items and commenced that oft
repeated, stale, fiat and Improbable
talk, both metropolitan and rural, report
ers hear so often, about how such anG
such things should not be printed, they
are so damaging to the good name of the
village from whence they come.
One lady said, "to mention such things
in the paper was just horrid.' The fact
that two women got to pulling hair in
the public streets, and finally got right
at it Corbett and Fitzsimmens style, and
delivered at eR CD other few solar-plex.
us blows to the great dedication of nu.
merous spectators or that three dances
occurred in one week, Offset by only one
prayer-meeting, to me Is not detrimental al
to our up to.date village at all. Such
things, and good deal worse, must be
expected in this wicked world. Would
that nothing worse than those things
mentioned above did happen! But every
body knows who knows anything at all,
that worse things do happen, and they
also know that they happen just so every
where where human beings congregate.
It's the nature of the beast. Look at
the great metropolitan dalies. They are
full of "Crimes and casualties" Is New
Preston worse, according to its size than
the great cities? No sir, it isn't 30 bad,
and every body knows 1t. The greater
the crowd the larger proportion of wick
edness and crime, always. But what
want to say Is the world at large, since
its beginning, was never so hypocritical
as at the present moment. The great
public desire is to cover up all wicked
nesses, veneer them over so nicely with
good appearances that it is impossible to
tell virtue from vice. Everybody
breaches the doctrine more or less and
tries to live up to it. Never mind 80
much the elimination of wickedness, but
do, for heavens sake, cloak it with fine
appearances. That's the idea. have
been told many time by citizens, l
ought not to mention that the man was
drunk who did thus and so. ought not
to mention this and that. II a fight,
church or otherwise, or low-lived law
suit, or any kind of a scandal occurs, ETC.,
etc, 80, don't mention it in the news
paper, don't, it gives our village bad
name" The badness itself ia no. so
much lamented.V Oh no, but to have it
known is horrible l have had people
whose horses ran away, come and request
me not to mention the fact in my cores
pondence, because, you see, il should
want to sell them it would destroy their
sale" That is called business, having
an eye to the main chance. But It's de-
ception, also, and that's all right in this
age of the world.
Now, right here, would like to give
your New Preston correspondent in par
ticular, and all other correspondents in
general, little good advice. The would
be aspirant to reportorial honors should
seat himself in his fauteuil and draw up
to his modern, elegant and convenient
writing desk. He will find these COM
Portable accessories wonderful stimu-
lus. After procuring paper, pen and
ink or pencil, the rest is comparatively
easy, tho few things must be remem-
bered. First of all remember, don't for
get it for a moment, that we are living
in the TartuffIan age, and nothing must
be told just exactly as it is. If it was
no one would read 1t, and the owners of
the property described would be inap.
peasably mad.
To illustrate. Suppose John Smith Of
your town is building a pig-sty and a
hen-house. Such a fact must not be
mentioned in a prosaic manner as above,
but the good correspondent will put IL
something like this IA force of car.
penters and joiners are busily engaged
in erecting large and eommodious build
ings upon the premises of Mr. Johr
Smith, one of our most influential anG
progressive citizens" ETC., etc., ad. lib
Again. Family row. Husband beastly
drunk nearly kills his wife. For thu
good of the village and to shield tn,
gentleman ~, who, sometime, is ''wel
Connected whatever that means,
will never do to tell the truth about tin
affair, but lie straightforward and will
all the appearance of the exact truth
Say severe.contusion accidental. Ply
sician In attendance, and all that th
best skill can do is being done for th
unfortunate woman. Recovery probs
ble," etc, etc. Then say something
like this 1.-THE poor husband has tn
heartfelt sympathy Of the entire com
munity In this his dire affiiction,a etc
ETC.. and the villagers win rise up an
! cali you blessed for refraining fror
injuring the excellent reputation Of thel
village.
Or, again, IL citizen Of wealth an
influence, it may be, goes off on q Sunda