Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-06-23
HIS LAST COPY
3. c. Ashcraft Hangs His Last Writ
ina on the Copy Hook.
Monroe IN. C) Enquirer.

fThe following was found only
few days ago among a lot Of manu-
script of the late B. c. Ashcraft. we
rerret its not being published at a
more timely season-but we did not
rnow he had written such an article.
The Publishers)
Many a time during the years gone
nv have I answered the call OF the
man at the type-setting machine, OF
ot the ease" for copy" This IS my
last answer to that unstaying call
copy"
The ewes of him who hangs this
COPY on the hook will not, atter II Is
set read the proof for they VIII De
death dimmed. The, hand that wrote
il will not mark the errors on PROOF
sheet. for before it is set that hand
will be cold, numb and cunningless IN
the grave.
The thought of laying aside my pen
and that forever-iss a staggering
one, but there is no use to VINCE nor
crv aloud, not n bit of it. About the
thest thing to do is to he reconciled-
arnd ~ am not reconciled what's the
difference.
"Was your uncle reconciled when
he met death?" long-faced prsacrei
q ,ed n how whose uncle had died.
The boy replied, "Reconciled, HI
he had to be-"
Now this contemplation of unbucK-
iine the harness, of quitting the WORK
I love, is calculated to bring on some
sob stuff and it may be that some OF
Won like to read that kind OF stuit-
but 7 do not like to write it.
For many years I have written copy
for The Enquirer. 1 have told OF the
successes of our people. | have Slad-
" told of their joys and it has been Il
delight to me to chronicle the fact that
for them the banner of success hoateo
full mast and that for them the bugle
of victory was sounding sharp ana
| clear Sorrowfully, | have told OF the
Sriefs of our people. Win Il heavy
heart and an unwilling hand have
told of death entering the homes ol
orr people, of pain, sickness, suffer-
ing and loss coming to the people
whose servant ! have been in the wa!
Of furnishing them with the local
news Bus no more will | talk OF the
events, good or bad, cheering or sor-
row-laden, in our community.
| pass my pen to another hand'
wish I knew who will take my place
here in The Enquirer office. might
tell him a few things that would DC
of interest, if not of benefit to him.
NV work, as | have minated has
been pleasant. There have been' ol
course, times TO gloom. The paw oil
old hard times" has, now ana theh
pressed painfully hard on over-bnr-
dened shoulders, but there has no'
been time when that hard old paw
pressed down hard enough TO crush
TO earth. The night has not been Sc
| dark lIll lIclt was iiO' '''" '
between the clouds, the glimmer OF
the star of hope. l.
NV relation with the public has
been pleasant. The public is not as
good as the candidate for office tells
it that it is, neither is it so absolutely
bad as the defeated candidate THINKS
it is, and. taking it year by. year th'
public is pretty fair in its 'sdealinl
with the individual, at least ] havt
found it so.
have long since come TO the con-
clusion. however, that the editor who
pets the public is n fool and the ed
itor who fears the public has broad
streak OF cowardly, yellow cur in his
makeup.
+ have mingled with our people II
public gatherings of about all kinds
from preaching services To stree
brawls-but the thought comes tina
lat the next gathering of the pcoplt
where | will be one Of the numbe
| will be the "Silcnt party at th'
gathering. and at that gathering III
matter what is said or done / vii
make no objection. but | do hope tina
on that occasion no sclf-appointCt
saint. who claims to know all ahnu
the other world and knows so littl
about this world that he wcarics
part of it's inhabitants almost to .dcatl
when he speaks, will make an ass o
himself by Illuminating" over IN
land airing my many failings-a thinl