The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-11-19 00:00:00

(From the Glasgow Constitutional.)

This is a subject which everybody pretends to understand
well. In building a house, weaving a web, constructing a
steam-engine, or a horse-shoe, the mechanists are generally
left to the exercise of their own genius and discretion ; but
the editor of a newspaper is seldom allowed to do much
without advice—he has so many kind " friends" and " cor-
respondents," sincere admirers of this widely circulated and
independent journal," ever ready to assist him in his arduous
and laborious task. This may appear all very well, and
give an idea, to superficial observers, of the happiness and
comfort of a 4public journalist, in being surrounded with so
many benevolent and kindly helps—but it is necessary to
mention, to prevent its being thought that the situation is
altogether a sinecure, that the advice of one " well-wisher"
is almost always at antipodes to that of another—and that
very frequently the suggestions are " thrown out" by peo-
ple who know no more about the management of a news-
paper than they do regarding the mysteries of Thuggism,
or the manners and internal policy of the inhabitants of
Timbuctoo ! With the " admirers" and suggesters of para-
graphs for insertion "to do the paper good, but which, if
admitted, might consign the printer to a jail, a person can
easily put up—because such matters are readily seen
through—but the " stop-the-paper" gentry, because every
single article is not in strict accordance with their taste, are
beyond all bearing. This is the greatest evil of which news-
paper people have to complain—if readers would only ab-
stain from this—which may be aptly termed the " CAPITAL
punis/;nent" of the Press, those connected with it could sub-
mit, as they very frequently do, to much, and grievous abuss.
These " stop-the-paper" readers (against whom we should
like very much to see some coercive, or other severe mea-
sures, adopted by the government when it has nothing else
to do,) never think of what may be the taste of his next door
neighbour—to whom the article so indignantly contemned
may be the richest treat—he does not take patience to see
that it is just by the well-selected diversity of food for all
the people that a newspaper compiler is much or little valued
—he never gives himself leisure to observe that the quantity
of matter contained in a modern journal is worth, at least,
ten times the sum charged, and that the paragraph which he
objects to so strongly, is intended for Mr. What-do-you-call-
him over the way, who has just as good a right to be pleased
as himself. To all this the converse is—the true, generous,
gentlemanly spirit, which characterizes the real bona fide
" Constant Reader" in all seasons, and our ingratitude would
be unpardonable did we not acknowledge that we have our
own share of them. As to the impossibility of fixing a uni-
versal standard of taste, we beg to add extracts from letters,
recently received, in illustration of our subject. They speak
for themselves as to the difficulty of pleasing every body :
" To the Bditor.

" " 10th August.
Sir,—Your paper, to be a newspaper, should give a touch
of all passing events. It is rather partial, I think, never to
notice the meetings of Chartists in this city. The govern-
ment and the pubjic should be made aware of what is going
on—and it is the duty of a Journalist to furnish the news,
whether he is pleased with it or not.—Your's,

" No bRARTIST."

To the Editor.
" Sir,---I observe that you have given a very minute and
particular account of the Chartists here, and from the way it
is reported, it proves to me most clearly that you arc your-
self as complete a Chartist as any one of them. I had in-
tended to take the paper from the Ist September, but that
intention I now give up, and will, besideg, get a few of my
friends who may take it to give it up,
" 17th Aug. F,.m.y,
So much for one department. Here is another. The fol-
lowing is an extract from a letter of three quarto pages,
signed " P." apparently in a female hand, dated Tradeston,
July 28 :

"• To the Editor.
" Sir,—l am amazed at the stupidity of your Reporter,
who does not appear to be at all fit for his duty. He seems
to pay no attention whatever to fires ! There has been a
dreadful fire in the suburbs, which illuminated the whole at-
mosphere; the straw in the stable which was not burnt was
destroyed, and a horse and two cows were with difficulty re-
served from the fatal effects of the surrounding conflagra-
tion. I don't wish to say much, but if you do not pay more
attention to these matters, I must look out for- another
paper."

" To the Editor.

" Sir,—l like the appearance of your paper generally :bu
why do you not give us a longer list of ' Births, Marriages
and Deaths,' like some of your contemporaries. Be assured
Mr. Editor, these are the things that please—not forgetting,
which I am happy you do not, a fair sprinkling of accidents,
casualties in general, and other amusing bon mots.
" Glasgow."—(No date.) _ _ "J. T.

(To the Editor.)
- " Sir,—l know we must all die ; but lam not sure of the
necessity of reminding us of it evey morning before break-
fast, by such a long list of deaths. Nave the goodness to
insert only the births and marriages in future, and you will
oblige, " Yours, " M. M.
" St. Vincent Street, sth Sept."
" To the Editor.

" Sir,—l am perfectly astonished at the dryness of your
taste, if I may so express it. Your endless columns of
markets, exchanges, and prices of timber, &c., must be an
abomination to every reader. Why don't you omit such
stuff. 'lt would do.the paper good,'—and then you would
have more room for light reading—extracts from Boa and
Nicholas Nickleby—(these are very good)—robberies, ac-
cidents, and suicides, if committed by interesting people,
and accompanied by letters left by the deceased. You have
no idea how these things take—much better I assure you
than most of the musty stuff you cram in about the weather
the crops, and politics. Attention to the above will tend
greatly to render yours a good family paper, and oblige,
your s, " A FRIEND.'
" Trongate."

" Peebles, 10th Sept., 1839.
" Mr. Editor,—Your paper comes very regularly to hand,
and the readers like it tolerably weel here, but we a' think
it would be wonderftV improvement were you to give us more