The Daily Phoenix in Columbia, South Carolina

Too Poor to Take a Newspaper and the Press as Bulwark

An old anecdote about a farmer who pays for a paper with a hen’s eggs, illustrating frugality and the newspaper’s role in informing and watchdogging in society. The piece argues one should not be too poor to read daily news and highlights the press as a guardian against oppression and corruption, while urging support for journalism. It then touches on Pall Mall Gazette’s note on demi trains in women’s dress, describing impracticality and social instructions for managing the garment.