The Elk County Advocate

The Newspaper.

I am a farmer. My farm is named Pasturefield. I take great pride in it and work as steadily as I can, for I am sixty-six, and was not inured to farm labors in early life, but trained to the dry goods business. Well, no matter for this. I work and enjoy it. Then I get tired, then I smoke, and then I sit down to the newspaper. Ah, then my fatigue is forgotten; I revel in enjoyment and am recreated. The great, good newspaper! I used to read books, but neglect them now. What becomes of all the books published? I used to take agricultural journals, but there was too much agriculture. I get hints enough in the home newspaper to satisfy me.

All around me are men who work hard and are honest and faithful in their aims and ways, who take no newspaper. How do they do to live? I should have died twenty years ago without them. I lend and give mine to my neighbors. And the newspaper grows and grows, and will continue to grow. Better and better men continue to go into its labors. The best only will live.

Oh, men of the newspaper, great teacher of the people, accept the law that 'honesty is the best policy.' Cast out the cowardly, the weak, mean, and wrong headed, and let but the brave, the manly, the clear-eyed, and courageous help in making this great, growing gospel, this big book, this daily teacher, this household preacher, this hope, comfort, help, and enjoyment of the common people, the American newspaper! Make it clean and true, and faithful. As I believe the newspaper has already lengthened my life, I doubt not it will still lengthen it, to the extent, probably, of twenty-five years, which will give me a quite respectable span. And I think of what its character must be to me! But then I know the strong, the true, the brave will live and flourish, and that the puerile, foolish, and false will soon die.—Sun.