The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-12-13
BEING DISLIKED


BEING DISLIKED
We sat in the big comfortable Office
chair the other evening after all
others had wearied and gone. grind
ing out a few yards of the stun that |
helps to make 2 newspaper and
specializing about people and things.
A bulletin from the United States !
census department which had just |
arrived lay on our desk and our At
tention was attracted by one Of the
statements therein contained-that
there were three dnnkeys In St. Louis
county. Naturally we thought of
Brother Cuppernu}l and 1.-THE Old
Man Hereof" OF the Mesaba Ore, but
for the life of US we could not
enumerate the third one of the trio.
Then we took. : a mental stroll
through the years of, the decayed
past. digging up "reminiscences Of a
quarter century and more in the
editorial chair, and were struck with
the idea that a man who could run
a newspaper and not make enemies
had higher calling laid nut for him
by the supreme ruler, finding that
We had made few-just few
through. our peculiar trait Of .hew-
ing to the line and caring not where
the chips might fall. The first ex-
friend we met in our nominations
was gentleman who once ran for
office, and who failed to see how we
could resist the appealing qualities
of his eternal fitness for the position
and lend our support to his oppon-
ent. He took our measure and has
devoted much of his spare time since
to informing his hearers what a
crawling serpent we are.
The next man we met was I gentle
man who at one time conducted q
business in his own building, but
who did not have the usual procliv-
tiles Of the man who is able to do so
paying his bills promptly. AS a
result an attorney was given the tip
that fee was in sight, and though
but few hours before the account
was squared the gentleman had
begged of on the hard times plea
and had even remarked that it was
pretty hard to. draw blood from a
turnip-to which we replied that it
was also hard to draw blood from a
beet, a dead4beat-the coin Of the
realm was forthcoming and likewise
the eternal dislike of''the debtor,
who upon paying up graciously re-
marked that he was through with
us forever" decision that was per-
fectly agreeable to US, as we never
had great amount Of hankering for
the acquaintance of any man who is
so low as to be able to shake hands
: with a snake without bending his
knee.
Then we met an old delinquent
subscriber-from the years before
we knew Virginia. or before there
was any Virginia to know. He paid.
but it cost him two jobs. He never
forgot the circumstance, but never
attempted to square the account but
once-in a poker game, in which we
walked out with plenty of interest
over and above the costs of the little
Transaction and journeyman's wages
for our days OF worry.
Next came half score who had
got edgewise because of things we
had said and as many more who had
got peeved at what we had not said.
In all the list was a long one and
comprised lot Of men whom we
would like to have as friends, as
we'll as a paltry few whose friend
ship would be valueless to anyone,
let alone a self-respecting country
editor.
All of which led to, the muslns
that man really has mighty few
friends in this world-friends who
will stick. who will rise up on their
launches and deny the allegations
Of the scandal-monger and char
acter-assassin when he ia fabricatine
venom.
When a man dislikes you he is
. usually busy fellow, putting in
double shift in informing others OF
your shortcomings, making it nee
+ essary for ones real friends to put
in lot Of time on the Job az an
antidote.
But thanks to the benifIcent laws
of an An-Wise Providence this dis
! like business, when carried to the
extreme, gets rather winded in the
running and usually reveals the true
nature of its inception. A man in
the newspaper business. especially in
+ the country newspaper business, gets
q whole lot of it AZ the years roll
by, but the different ones have auch