Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1854-12-06
LEARNING TO BE AN EDITOR.
BY CARL CANTAB.

SoME time since, we happened to occu
py temporarily the editorial chair of ;
rural newspaper, we were seated in th,
sanctum busily engaged in looking over .
pile of exchanges, when the office door
was thrown open, and in stepped a rougl
looking figure. of portentious height, claG
in coarse shirt of homespun He car
ried in his hand a bundle enyeloned II
a red bandana
Is this the office of the Spunkville Gal
axy 2 inquired our visitor.
Yes we replied. with some curiosity
as to the motive which prompted this Wis
it.
sYou are the editor, / reckon p was
next ventured in an enqulring tone.
You are right
Well, you see, my name is Enoch Star
buck, and l live over to Plainville I've
been workin' for Deacon Higgins. this
summer, hayin' but l found it was too
hard work, and | reckoned I'd come to
you and see if you couldn't give me a
chance to edit little
Why said We, taken somewhat aback
at such an application from such source
you know it is quite difficult thing to
edit paper. In short it requires educa-
ton, Judgment, and variety of other
qualifications
Oh. as to that replied Mr. Starbuck,
| guess | kin satisfy you. [ have atten-
ded school in our district for four winters.
and kin read, write, and cipher like a
book
That is very well, but you know one
must be able to compose as well as write.
Oh, compositions, you mean. Well, |
have written them some
Could you show me specimen p
Yes, brought one on purpose--the e
one | wrote on leavin' Betsy, she's my
| girl you know-this mornin.'
Should like to hear it
Mr. Starbuck pulled from bis trowsers
pocket a crumbled piece of paper and be-
gan to read at the top of his voice the fol-
| lowing lines:
L" When you read ilis ere
| My Betsy dear,
Your Enoch will be gone away;
He couldn't no more in Plainville stay,
My Betsy dear,
! ] want you to be mine his year
Now don't you forget me.
And don't you take up with that rascal, Seth
! Jones,
For he's villain and no mistake,
| And I'll certainly break his bones.
! My pen is poor, my ink is pail,
My luy for you shall never fail.
| ESocH STAuBrcK"
! You see,' said Mr. Starbuck, didn't
write the last Shakspur, or some
sich fcller did it-but all the rest is my
writin' and composin'. What do you
think of it p
1 think said [, ambieuously, that it
is equal to any thing in that line | ever
| heard
| thought you'd say So and that's the
advantage [ have over Seth Jones-he
can't write poetry, no how Well, old fel-
Ter, what do you say now2 Do you think
| could edit some2'
L am not particularly in need of an
assistant just now said /, but perhaps
you might as well sit down and try your
hand at writing an editorial Ii would
give me better idea of your power than
than the very pathetic verses which you
have just recited. Let me see. You
might write an article on Turkey sup
pose you are posted up on that subject p
| iSNhOh an, " DO VIZ
| We'll you can sit down at this table
and write while | am gone out. | have
to make a call on business
That's it, old hoss. I'll do it all
Y GU kin depend on that
Placing his hat on the floor, he leaned
over the table, and cluching the pen in a
vice like grasp, went to work We left
for while, our chief business being to get
some place where we could enjoy hear
ty and uurestrained laugh at the oddity
of our would be assistant
On returning, half an hour afterwards.
Mr.. Starbuck handed the following arti-
Gle, with the remark that he guessed it
would do. We had informed him. pre-
viously, that it was the custom for editors
to use the word are, instead of l.
/ The article ran as follows
'TURKEY-Turkey is uncommon good
eating. 1t is better than salt pork and
sch kinds of meat by a long chalk. Ne
like Turkey when it is roasted, though
some folks like it billed the best Turkey
is very expensive, and that's the reason
why people in general don't have them
oftener than Thanksgiving Turkies is a
VERY interesting animal when they are
awe. D6tSy anu Nt HdNC tLbCh HAi' Sii
them to water Not having any more to
say on this subject we will stop
That's very good remarked [, grave
lv. but you have made little mistake in
the subject | meant to have YOU write
about the country of Turkey. 1ou know
they expect therell be war there by-ano
by. so that is of interest
oh that the idea is it 2 said Enoch
scratching his head. | kinder forget how
it's bounded, as it is some time since
went to school, but if you'll tell me that
III write all | kin remember l say
havn't you got stray joggrify round
here 2
sOn the whole said I, Mr. Starbuck
I don't think there is any need of an as
:. sistant Just yet. So | won't trouble yor
to write the article But if there should
be time when / stand in need of one,
will certainly ttink Of yo1.
was quite safe in promising this
How could forget him