A SIN OF OMISSION

ALLEN

Posted By: David (email)
Date: 1/9/2005 at 23:15:02

The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa
Thursday, October 3, 1907

In deference to the family, sometime ago, when a young farmer near town,
took the axe and demolished the piano, the Leader said nothing about it.
But according to the following, this "sin of omission" was not appreciated
and it gets the credit for it just the same. A newspaper seldom gets thanks
for suppressing news by even those it tries to befriend. The lady of the
house comes to the defense of her husband in abating the piano nuisance.

Chariton, Ia., September 24, 1907.

Editor Leader: I wish to praise the author of an article headed "Man Chops
Piano," for the strength and elasticity of his imagination. The destruction
of the piano occurred in the morning after breakfast, before my husband went
to the field. A number of causes led to the trouble, namely: The
instrument was never moved with less than fifty cents expense; was taxable;
needed tuning; was showing the effects of being moved and last, but not
least, I very seldom touched it. Housework or domestic troubles had nothing
whatever to do with it. We owned our home when it was purchased and paid
cash for it. "Truth is stranger than fiction." So if the facts are not so
dramatic as the way it first appeared in the Chariton papers and if you
think our affairs concern the public -- most of whom, if they could spare
the time from looking after their neighbors' business, would have plenty to
do to take care of their own -- you may again allow this catastrophe to add
to the columns of your paper. I don't profess to be a first class
housekeeper and if the author of the aforesaid article is, she has certainly
missed her calling, for such an imagination might well be used to fill the
columns of story papers. Those who take so much care of their neighbors'
business, generally are the ones to neglect their own most.

-- Very respectfully,

MRS. CLARE G. ALLEN.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
January 5, 2005
iggy29@rnetinc.net