Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1854-02-24
From the Home Journal.
The EditOr-in-Chief.

Tho Editor-in- Chief-that is to say, The Editor
. man of many acquaintance. 1t is cause of
ronIpr both to clerk and devil, how he remem-
w. en- many names and faces. He does not remem-
bor them: but upon all his visiors-and they drop
-. At : rate of one mlnute-he bestows kind of
;Ttr. which is emphatic but general, insinuating
Lro6 roncOmmittal. If he must know who man
!. he saws, " Let see, how do you spell your
name y And this sort of manguverirg is strictly
anosaarv For, consider-a young gentleman who
had niece of poetry in the paper, the year before
I comes to the city and calls upon the Editor. To
'aot vonno gentleman the insertion of his Lines
,rIs an event, an era His soul bounded within him
whom he saw them in print. He showed them exul-
finely 10 his mother, sent copy to his sweetheart,
onT handed them round on the "stoop" of the viii
1ogc store and has thought better of himself ever
since 70 the Editor, the printing OF those lines
was no event at ALL He has forgotten them and their
author Yet that young gentleman leaves the office
n5pr the full conviction that he is dear to the edito
ioI heart great in the editorial eyes, and-worst
mistake of all-welcome to the editorial sanctum.
This is brought about by no hypocrisy on the Edi-
tors part Broad and general civility does the bust
ness and does it quickly.
Knowing everybody, both helps and binders the
Editor It keeps him supplied with facts and ideas,
but it cramps the free expression of his opinions
Can an Editor write quite freely of an author,
tisl or politician whom he cordially shook hands
with Yesterday and will meet at dinner this evening
Human nature is human nature. That the Editor is
utterly incorruptible by money, we know but he is
not proof against the greater potency OF friendly teel
ng-which is pity.
The Editor looks upon all things, subjects, events
and persons in the light of material" for articles
A catastrophe which makes the town shudder, IS TO
him feature" He says, he ''regrets to learn" or
he is panied in the least more than an under
aker is panied to bury man in the highest style Of
fashionable anguish. His business IS with the grave
and it is his business to do it gravely. The Editor
anOn is "reioiced to be able 10 state," or has had
the extreme satisfaction of ascertaining beyond
doubt " and ia such assertions his sincerity is per-
feet; for the pride and Joy and glory of the Editors
heart is 10 be the = first to communicate to the pub
lie an important piece of intelligence. Eagerly he
scans the rival sheets, to if they have any mixing
of the matter and how sure he is to let his readers
know, that in " our last number we announced, IN
advance of all our COtemporarles " and with what
ferocty of delight all our cotemporaries are ena-
bled auhOratvely to contradict the statements which
were so ostentatously paraded III a morning paper
The Editor rather stumbled into his profession
than choose it No man has been brought up to the
business 1t is taught at no school. NOtather says,
L0 my son shall be an Editor. But the duck
takes to the water, as the Jew takes 10 moneyIend-
ing or the game-clock takes to fighting, SO the pre-
deStnated Editor takes to types and paragraphng
and the impulse which bore him Into the profession
never ceases to act strongly upon him. H. is full
ceiyeS the promise Of paragraph from afar off. He
snufs il in the air. He sees 1t In window. de
catches it in the night, and prays Heaven he may
not forget it in the morning If he takes pill, he
thinks PuL-TAKING THE UNITED STATES would
be a magnificent subject - and so it would. If he
cuts himself with razor, it suggests observations
on the Reinforcement. And he is prone to ask
whether yod have any objection TO his giving public
ity TO that remarkable fact Yet the Editor, desper
ate as he Is to tell the public something don't know
always keeps back part Of hisinformation and there
IS an undercurrent of highly interesting intelli
gence," that seldom gets into print Editors of thu
audacious species have made their fortune by tap
ping this turbid, but fertlzing stream.
The Editor has his decisions as we'll as the Sub
Editor lie thinks he creates public opinion where
az, he only reflects it. The man who runs ahead 0
an advancing throng seems to lead it, and does lea
IT, as long as he runs aUhere they qcam to go; but lie
him turn q corner which they do not want to turn
and he finds himself running alone No one CONVEX
SAINT with our political history can be ignorant tina
IN influencing votes papers are slgnally lmpoten
and particularly the papers which very ably con
Quoted. Another delusion of the Editor is. to SUP
pose that the eyes of the country upon his paper
lie little thinks that the loudest thunnder that eve
deafened New York, died away among the Jerse
hills, and was only heard Of among the Highlands
The Editor, too, is subject to decisions with regar
TO his circulation He hugs the thought, that if hi
clcuatlon is small, it is select, and that he goe
freely IN the Fifteenth Ward and is read undt
chandeliers and lies centre-tables which latte
perhaps, he does occasionally.
In the oIden time, when Kings as demgol
hedged about with spendor, which at once reveale
their consequence and concealed their persons,
happened, now and then, that peasant became til
inmate of q court, confronted majesty face TO face
saw him eat, drink, and forth him tall
swear, snore, sneeZe, ct cetera. Extreme used to
the establishment of the peasant, after he had owe
come, in some degree, the awe inspired by the Al
gust presence, to discover that the puissan
OF realm E whose hands were the issues of life ar
death, whose smile was wealth, whose frown w;
rum, whose word moved armies, and whose viii
decided the fate of narions-was really, after a
very much like people in general. Not less is Il
amazement of the constant reader,' when cham
makes him intimate with King of the modern XII
the responsible editor of leading newspaper.
Learned he is not. The printing office sends Il
men to the editorial throne while the college sen
one and there are editors in this country, prospe
Gus and renowned, who know grammar only by j
Sunct, who owe their spelling to the composition: al
have no idea on what map to look for KamtschaS
Nor is the Editor wiser than the average of men, n
more given to reflection nor more likely to be CORE
IN opinion. If he were he yvOuId he in rOnSta