Newspaper writing: A lost art

The Bovina History blog has a tidbit today proving that -- alas -- the fine art of community newspaper writing has suffered since its nineteenth-century glory days. Ray LaFever writes:

In February 1880, the winter was the subject of discussion, as it is this year.  But in 1880, it wasn't the cold and wind that was the issue.  The Delaware Republican reported:  "The weather is very 'child-like and bland,' and how we are to tell when Spring commences, if this style of winter continues, is a question that perplexes the strongest minds, and all the reliable old weather sages, who in vain have prophesied the commencement of a hard winter at each change of moon for the past three months, have at least agreed that 'we will catch it sometime,' which remarkable conclusion is probably correct."

What a sentence. Truly, they don't make 'em like they used to.

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