The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-07-25
cyrus w. Fisher's letter.
Pine Grove, colo, Jolly !, leon

inst, addressed to me at Bucyrus,
Ohio, was duly forwarded and reach
ed me here in the due course of mail
delivery, where am leisurely vast
ing my time, safe from "heat pros.
tration." / am sorry that l cannot
be with you on the 18th inst, for
am sure it will be an occasion OF
much interest, and should enjoy
the meeting with old friends and the
recounting of "reminiscences OF the
days when was Editor of the HER
AID" A whole generation OF men
have passed away since those days,
and with the lapse of time the meth.
DDS of doing business on the farm, in
the store, DOCTORS office, lawyer 6
apartments, and the editors sane
tum sanctorum have been so changed
and so improved, that an old editor
of 1866, in looking them over to-
day, feels something like Rip Van
Wrinkle must have felt when he awak-
ened from his 20 years. nap. The
steam pillow, sulky cultivator, the
harvester that cuts, binds and thresh-
es the grain in day, the wire car
riers in the store which handle the
packages and your money so deity
that your purchases and charg' are
ready almost instantly after your
selections have been made, are i'm.
portant and wonderful improvements
on the old methods. The antisep-
tics, X-ray electrical machine, the
pain killing chemical discoveries and
many inventions of surgical instru'
ments, have robbed the surgeons
operating table of most of its hor-
rors; while the many new remedies
for human ailments extracted from
petroleum and other treasures in
natures storehouse, have made it
possible and easy for the physician
20 administer aid and comfort to thu
sick without the use of the lancet
and disgusting and embedding po-
lions and drugs. In those days the
lawyers office, with its cupboards,
boxes and shelves loaded with man.
uscripts of petitions, answers, de-
murrers, briefs, ETC., ETC., the most
of which were written in most exc
cradle scrawl, almost illegible to any
one but the writer himself, was sim
ply holy terror to the student be-
ginner, or the honorable judge, or
anyone whose duty or interest it
might be to get the information sup
posed to be stored away in those
musty and poorly written documents.
The lawyer himself was compelled
to spend hours, days, nights, weeks
and months in putting his cases on
paper, with poor pens and miserable
ink, for his brother lawyer and the
court to puzzle over. 1t has been
said that there are no two human
faces alike, and so it is with Oh r.
ography, no two handwritings are
alike. The lawyers apartments and
methods of today are wholly differ
emit; the roller top desk with pigeon
holes, letter files and compartments
neatly labeled for appropriate con,
tents; the documents, of whatever
kind, all in order and beautifully and
legibly typewriter; the latest type
writing machine a few feet to his
left with an expert stenographer at
the keys, the lawyer leans back in
his leather covered revolving chair,
closes his eyes and dictates to the
stenographer all he desires to say
upon the case in hand, and in a few
minutes it is on paper; not word
misspelled, no grammatical error,
properly punctuated, ready for his
inspection, signature and transmits
mission, and he has disposed OF bus
mess that would have require d of
him a day or nights hard labor.
The editors sauctum of those early
days would be worthy of place in
the Worlds Fair museum or Smith
sonian Institute. A broad, fat-top-
ped desk, covered with communica-
tions of one kind and another, clip
pings from newspapers, large pair
of scissors, a pot of four paste, the
subscription book, several sheets OF
editorial-the work of the night be-
fore, copy for new advertisements
for the next issue, and several or
ders for q, 4 and g sheet posters.
In one corner of the room hangs
specimens OF tall wheat, rye, oats
and barley with a penciled note tied
to each giving the location where
grown and the name of the farmer
who presented it to the editor. In
another corner a big pumpkin, Hub
bard squash, mammoth cucumber,
and on the window sills of the two
windows in the room were ranged
fine specimens of eggs, tomatoes,
potatoes and other evidences of the
wonderful fertility and fecundity Of
the "richest country in the richest
and most glorious state in the
Union"
The duties of editor were very nu-
merous, occupying pretty much all
his time day and night. During the
day he was expected to be on the
alert for all local news, to report the
proceedings of all public meetings
whether political, religious, temper
ance, social or sport. Il well re-
member the first baseball club Of Os-