Greene County herald., 1908-08-21
THE SUBTLE POWER OF PRECEDENT.

our head as you travel foot-path
nd observe its serpentine course:
Iere it curves little to the right
lccount of an overhanging bush,
here it swings away to the left to
avoid an over-average size tusset
If grass, on further it stretches
away in another direction to es-
cape a slight depression, and
next a gentle rise causes it to de-
ect into another slight coil. So
it is to some extent to nearly if not
all of us.
This somewhat roundabout ram
BILE brings us up what we wanted
to say in this article. Why is 1T
thai most Country Correspondents
choose to write under fictitious
name? But little if anything is
gained by it. The eagle eye of the
editor will hardly ever let you slip
in anything that you would not
say over your own signatures, for
he knows his name at the masthead
of the paper holds, him responsible
for every article not bearing an
open signature, and besides he
makes you make him a confident
as to your real identity when you
assume an alias, thus hitcthing
onto you anyway portion of the
responsibility as to facts and fig
ures, and this rule operates 10
make the contributor cautious, be-
cause he knows in case of contro-
versy, his manuscript may be de-
manded of the editor by any 1T
Nigh offend or do injustice, and
produced to clear the newspaper
man of blame.
News can hardly be gathered any
better by the correspondent cleo
ting to keep his neighbors in the
dark as to who it is that writes
down the locality's happenings.
On the contrary, comparisons show
that in most cases, he or her who
furnishes the best letters are the
ones that are known The folks
take interest then in carrying the
items to such writer. Often
times, yea more often than not, the
secret has leaked out anyway so it
is usually the case that the mys-
terry is hoax, a secret that is no.
body'S secret because everybody
knows it. And in about IS per
cent of such cases the leakage
can be traced to the prrson
himself or herself, who pretends
in print to be so deeply incog
n:to. What little pleasure might
come to the modest writer who is
adroit enough to keep undiscover-
ed, when delivered in your pres
ence by some who suspect not your
authorship; does not compensate
for that full need of praise and
helpful criticism, lost to you, by
not being out in the open
and thous freely known and ap-
proachable.
Then the sentimental side makes
poor and disappointing returns.
The girl who chooses some flower
garden appellation or some sweet
heart term Of endearment, is not
near so we'll rewarded by the print
as she would be to have some hand
some young fellow use the pet
name she seems to have a fondness
for, and there is always some ad-
mirer who is most-willing and
needs but a half-hint to do the lis
ping act, right in your home
neighborhood, = without handy
ing the affectionate cognomen over
a county or TWO. Same applies
to Mr.. Young man writer, with
reference to the opposite sex.
Don't anybody punctuate here with
a giggle.)
Now fnr the funny signers.
Of all the concealed penmen,
these come nearer getting
compensation for their pains in
keeping behind their improvised
name screens, than any other class
Possibly because the quaintness or
laughableness of the name drives
the curiosity of the readers to find
out the personality behind it at
once, and it thus becomes forsooth
an open secret, in all the regions
round, the person himself join i'm
modestly in telling it. That makes
the wearer practically well-known
and he comes into an enjoy
ment of that freedom which ac-
crues to those who are on the
straight out open plan. He gets
and kepes in touch. Usually the
selector Of a funny name is a char
acter whose pen sings off writ
ings having tinctures of wit in
them and hence are watched for
and pounched upon account of the
quality. This too has its disadvan-
tage, however, for when a reputa-
tion is made, the owner of the fan
ciful name finds that it has be-
come fastened upon with hooks of
steel along with the honors; with
out the non de plume he is not
recognized as an author, and all
attempts to shape it off and return
to the real one are abortive, it
sticketh closer than a print, in
print and in the literary world he
will always be Mark Twain and
not Samuel Clemens, speaking
illustartively.
Better stick to your birthright
designation. Now for the answer
to the query in the first clause
of the second paragraph of this
article and for the general link
ing of it up. PRECEDENT. This
single word both answers and ex-