The Tupelo journal., 1903-08-14
Some Friends Of the Paper.

the average mans eagerness for"l
the news of yesterday and last
night. He is in a 'sstew'' until he
gets it. Frankly, shouldn't we be
in a sorry fix without the morning
paper? Imagine a car full Of people
without a scrap Of the magic white
messengers; a car full OF people
twirling their thumbs, staring at
the grimy facade of, say, Olive
street or Laclede avenue, and won.
dering what the market did yester-
day, what happened in the courts,
what burst forth in politics, who
pitched and what was the score
The morning paper falls like man
Ma on the famished.
Deuce take the grumbler who
goes through life without appreci-
alton of the ~satisfactions! And
especially deuce take the rapacious
gourmands who, day by day, all
their lives, gorge themselves with
a paper and then complain of indi-
gestlon-of not liking it? Wad
some power the giftie gle this
kicking contingent to see their
fasities, their gnarls and kinks, as
the record shows them. Out of
their own mouths they may be
judged, since the biggest part of
the days conversation is but a
dwelling upon, a coming over, a
retailing, an echoing and re-echo-
ing of the accursed print.
If print possessed the power of
voice it might be heard to reply to
the faithful and devoted complain
ant: Tut, tut, my good sir, you
sought me; yon scarcely touched
your breakfast, you hardly spoke
clvllly until you got me; you clam
ored, elbowed, pushed and fought
for me; you bought me with cop
per ransom; your heart glowed as
you sat yourself down to enjoy me,
you thumbed and caressed me and
hung upon my words, and rejoiced
and wept with me; you took of me
my all. Is it possible that you do
not love me?"
"Why does one always explain
that he takes the Herald for it's
shipping news?" asks Life. And
"Why does Il always explain
that, though he takes the Sun, he
does not agree with its opinions?
Why does a reader of the Tribune
explain that his father took it dur
ing the Civil War, and so he takes
it nov? Why does a man with a
Times always explain that he
bought it just to see what the new
management was doing with it?
Why do the men with the journal
and the World explain that they
bought them just to see what vel
low journalism was likes
The man who doesn't admit he
likes his paper resembles those ex-
cellent husbands who, for some
inexplicable reason, decline to
manifest affection for their wives.
There are some mel who apologize
for smoking their accustomed
brand of cigars, or for wearing
Congress CATERS, SLOUGH hats or
turn-down collars. Apology is a
sort of self-imposed penalty for en-
joyment. Human nature is a ver-
liable old jackass at times.
The newspaper is a great, If not
the greatest, human agency. 1t
contributes more to the sum total
of everyday happiness than any
other one thing, more than many
other things things together. 1t is
legislator, statesman, diplomat,
General, politician, Judge and
jury, doctor and lawyer, Mayor,
policeman, constable, street sprlnk-
Ter, dog catcher and mosquito ex-
termination all IN one. lie is the
c%onservator Of rights big and little
and the everlasting enemy Of uni
versai wrong. 1t is preacher, in
structor and entertainer. 1t is yoX
popull, and therefore supreme. 1t
is human and therefore falIible
and therefore lovable - and the
man who is ashamed to confess af-
lection for his never-failing COM
panlon, friend and faithful servant
is simply at outs with life and life's
motives. There is no warmth and
no virtue in him.-St. Louis Re-
public.