New dress of the Dispatch.
--The
Dispatch appears this morning in a new dress, which may not look as well to-day as it will in a day or two, when the additional press we have put up becomes more pliant and smooth in its working.
The ancient garments of the paper have, we know, occasioned serious complaints among our readers.
We did what was in our power to avoid the inevitable consequence of worn type and a large circulation — viz; indifferent printing.
We have introduced the new type as soon as we could.
Our types wear out amazingly fast now. The daily edition is more than twice as great as it was a year ago, having reached 26,000, while the weekly is 10,000 and the semi-weekly 6,000. One day wears the type nearly as much as three days did this time last year, and consequently we use up three times as much type as we did then.
Our readers will thus see the extreme difficulty of keeping the paper dressed up as it should be. It is as easy with a small circulation to print well as it is for a volunteer to keep his uniform clean in time of peace for street parades, but as difficult with an excessively large circulation, as for the said volunteer to keep his uniform clean in active service in time of war. We shall continue our exertions, however, to avoid what, should it occasionally happen, our readers may make due allowance for.
While we return our thanks to the public at large for the unprecedented liberality with which our paper has been supported, we feel assured that it has been due, in a great degree, to the general confidence in our zeal for, and fidelity to, the cause in which the
South is enlisted.
From the first moment when the issue was presented the
Dispatch has never hesitated.
It assumed the flag of separation and has never borne any other.
It took up the cause when beset with doubt and division at home.
It has lived to see those and divisions dispersed — to behold the
South united — and the dawn of a glorious future breaking upon the great
Southern Republic.
If for this our success has been great, it would be an imputation upon the judgment of our friends, of which we certainly shall not be guilty; to say that it is without merit!
It is unnecessary to add that we shall continue to adhere to the
Southern cause, since it is hardly possible any would suppose that we would desert the ship in sight of port, after having clung to it through a perilous voyage.
We shall endeavor to improve the
Dispatch as much as possible as a newspaper, and to make it more and more worthy of confidence and encouragement.
