Mary, the article by the Editor had to be the most hilarious bit of tongue-in-cheek writing I've seen in a long time. I can just picture this harried man, trying to read some of the correspondence and throwing up his hands in disgust. So, taking pen in hand, he was going to show them the error of their ways. Just wonderful! Thanks for printing it. Terry Bora in Michigan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Heaphy" <[email protected]> Nenagh Guardian. .17th March 1879. <<<<<To Prospective Correspondents. "Never write with pen or ink. It is altogether too plain, and does not hold the mind of the editor and printer closely enough in their work. If you are compelled to use ink never use that vulgarity known as the blotting pad. If you drop a blot of ink on the paper, lick it off. Don't *puctuate*!. We prefer to puctuate all manuscripts send to us. And don't use capitals. Then we can pucuate and capitalize to suit ourselves, and your article, when you see it in print, will astonish, even if it doesn't please you. Don't write too plainly. It is a sign of plebian origin and state school breeding. Poor writing is an indication of genius. It is about the only indication of genius that great men possess. Scrawl your article with your eyes shut, and make every word as illegible as you can. Always write on both sides of the paper. Lay your paper on the ground when you write: the rougher the ground the better. Coarse brown wrapping paper is the best for writing your article on. If you can tear down an old circus poster and write on the pasty side, it will be still better. When your article is completed crunch your paper in your pocket, and carry it around two or three days before you post it. This rubs off all superfluous pencil marks and makes it lighter to handle. If you can think of it, lose one page out of the middle of your article. We can easily supply what is missing, and we love to do so. We have nothing better to do". Editor.>>>> _______________________________________________________