Year: 1879

How to make a paper that will


please everybody is one of those co


nundrums impossible of solution.


The world is composed of all sorts


of people, of all sorts of tastes, of


all standards of opinion, all shades


of intellectual thought, all kinds of


religious belief, all sorts of national


prejudice, all degrees of supersti


ton. What is one mans meat is


another mans poison. A journal is


never of uniform eXcellence-good


last week, bad this, better next.


The story in prose or the poe IN


that will please a young girl, or a


romantic boy will not suit the dig


nified old pater familias who de
lights in solid facts and the inexor-


able logic of figures that never lie.


II there is in it too much of fun it
does not suit the sedate and grave.
Ii it is too solid and severe it does


not suit the gay and thoughtless.


1t too political, the non-political


grumble. Ii it does not explain all


the complicated diplomatic ques


tions and eiucidate all the subtle


points of international compiica


tIon, 1t is Incomplete. If il does


not grapple with every abuse and


boldly endeavor to- reform the world,


there are philanthropists who will


criticise. Ii it does not contain all


the news AID all the sensations of


the world, it is imperfect. Now,


journal is like an individual. 1t


has its peculiarities We have &C


quaintances who are not altogether


clever fellows, not always compan


ionable, and yet, because of their


idiosy we would not alto


gether dispense with them. They


are in variable moods-pleasant to-
day, disagreeahle tomorrow. Not


unfrequently they wound with their


wit, or sting in malice, and yet on


the general average are worth hold


ing on to. We have some friends
who are specialists and bore us with


their one idea. Some are stupid,


but genial. 1t takes AL sorts of
traits to form a character. all sorts
Of people to form a world, all sorts
of actors to play piece. Ones
best friend is grOuty in the morning
and good-natured after dinner. He
is in an amiable mood at one time,
and in a devilish humor at another;
he is flush and generous, he is in q
corner and shabbiH mean; he is
and i'll tempered, he is at
ease with himself and all mankind
and is a splendid good fellow. So
with newspapers; each one has its
each has its peculiarities.
They are to be estimated as one es
Inmates an acquaintance. They are
to be endured, put up with, avoided
at times. Sometimes we "shake" a
friend; we have a right to ''shake"
a newspaper. Sometimes we cut q
friend dead and ignore his exist
ence; just in this way a newspaper
ought to he treated. As one is not
justified in dropping an acquaint-
ance unless he becomes utterly un-
bearable, so we ought to hang on to
our newspaper until it commits
some objectionable offense, and
then 1T ought to be kicked. Cur
friend may differ with us IN opin
ion, but he must do it courteously; |
so must a newspaper. Our friend
may bore US at times; so may a
Our friend may be dull
and undressing; so may news
paper. We have written ali this in
nonsense just for the opportunity
to say that a person who stops his
paper because it contains an opin
ION he is not in accord with is an
ass. = The ArgOnaut.