The House Rules of a Frontier Newspaper
An 1864 editor lays down the law for visitors to his office, covering everything from chewing tobacco to the frequent singing of 'John Brown.'
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Particular attention is requested to the following rules and regulations, which after mature deliberation, we have adopted in the government of our office: 1. Gentlemen coming to remain with us all day, will please bring their dinner and tobacco with them. 2. After reading all the exchanges, our friends are requested to leave one or two for our own use; we may want them. 3. Tobacco chewers will refrain from spitting in our boots and best tile. 4. When political discussions are indulged in, each speaker will be limited to fifteen minutes. 5. The singing of John Brown oftener than once every half hour will not be tolerated. 6. 'When this cruel war is over,' is positively prohibited. Whoever sings it, does so at his peril. 7. A gentleman prying more than one galley of matter, will be expected to pay for distributing the same. 8. Neither the editor nor compositors must be interrupted while at their labors, except with an invitation to 'liquidate,' or to attend upon some very good looking young lady. 9. Gentlemen reading proof-sheets or copy in the compositor’s hands, are requested not to retail their information till the paper is issued. N. B.—Lady visitors of course are at all times allowed the freedom of the office.
“Tobacco chewers will refrain from spitting in our boots and best tile.”
This list offers a rare, humorous glimpse into the chaotic communal nature of 19th-century newspaper offices, which served as social hubs for the community. Today, it reads like a playful precursor to the 'code of conduct' found in modern public spaces and digital forums.
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