The Petal paper. [volume] (Petal, Miss.) 1953-19??, 1956-11-22

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Baton Rouge, La.
Nov. Is, 1856
Editor,
Petal Paper
While here on a visit this week
a friend of mine showed me a
copy of your Petal Paper. In fact
when / showed my enthusiasm,
the friend produced whole stack
of them for my perusal. After due
EXPLANATIONS of disbelief that such
as this could come out of Missis-
sippi, (you will understand that
up North we have a perhaps
somewhat different impression of
the spirit of Mississippi than that
put forth in your paperD my
friend convinced me that you
were indeed alive and still in
business and that somehow you
also were able to find people who
were willing to use your paper as
medium for advertising.
Since l believe this is a point
of view we ought to know about,
may l ask you to add my name to
your list of subscribers?
enclose my check for $500
and with it go my blessings on
you as well as my unbounded ad-
miration for your courage and
your professional ability as a
writer.
Cordially,
Mrs. Thelma w. Babbitt,
Philadelphia, Pa.
4 X 4
Cathlamet, Wash.
Nov. II, 1856
Editor,
The Petal Paper
Dear Sir:
In a previous communication
addressed tC you, ] was gcilty of
linguistic error in that | referred
to the Weeiens as SWedeS.
This occurred in consequence of
a current error among native born
Americans of calling ali Scandin-
avians Swedes though it is well
known fact that Scandinavians
are of three distinct nationalities
who do net esteem each other
very highly. A Swede says that a
Norwegian is Swede with his
brains knocked out and the Nor
Wegian 1eve1ses the compliment.
l once asked a Dane which was
right. Brains is it?" he said, Il
never heard of their having any,"
All they know is what w Danes
taught them ard We had to use a
cold ohisel and top-maul to set
it in.
Some forty years ago, the pas
tor of the Methodist Church at
Skamokawa, which is by way of
being the second city in Wahkia-
kun County, State of Washington,
ran out Of hard cash which is not,
as | understand, a not unusual
experience with the Methodist
clergy. Some of the brethren are
inclined to take this lying down,
but this one resolved to try to do
something about it and it occurred
to him that he might be able to
raise the wind, financially speak
ing, by selling Life and Accident
Insurance to the Logging camp
hands.
Well, he sailed forth and the
first man he met was standing
guard at the railroad highway
crossing. He greeted the guardian
and, when the man replied, the
preacher said: 81 observe by your
accent that you are a Swede."
Il used to be-" said the guard
ian, "but l am now an American
Citizen"
All ha, an American Citizen
and proud of it.
In the course of time there came
into existence a quasi-politico or
ganization known as the |. w. w.
of which the war cry was that
everything is rotten in society and
government, and that the only
way Of escape from ultimate and
complete putrifaction lay through
the open door of the l. w. W..
Their language, ordinarily was
quite lurid. Now it happened that
during the progress of the l. w.
w. aforesaid, that one of their
apostles held forth in the bunk
house of logging camp on the
iniquity of all that is and, that
having exhausted his vocabulary
IN his denunciation of the State,
the Nation and Big Business, he
gave attention to the symbols of
the same and in due time arrived
at the point of considering the
American flag. at makes me
sick,' he said, ito hear people talk
about the great and good things
that the flag stands for. The truth
is that it stands for everything
that is rotten in State and So
ciety."
ut is D. d rag and if I
had specimen of it before me, I
would spit on it.
At this moment SWede arose.