The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1854-04-28

OF his information and there is an under current
Of '.highIy interesting intelligence that seldom
gets nlo print. Editors Of the au1acious species
have made their fortune by tapping this turbid,
but (ertiliZing stream.
The editor has his delusions as we'll as the sub.
editor. He thinks he creates public opinion
whereas he only reflects it, The man who runs
ahead Of an advancing throng seems 10 lead it, and
does lead il, as long as he runs arhere they wdmt
10 co. but let him turn corner where they do
not want to turn, and he finds hnself running
alone. No one converse nj with our political his
tory, be ignorant that in influencing votes,
papers signaIly impotent, and particularly the
papers which very ably conducted. Another
deluson Of the editor is, TO suppose that the eyes
of the country upon his paper. He litlse thinks
nat the loudest thunder that ever deafened New
York, died away among the Jersey hills, and was
only heard among the Highlands. The editor,
too, is sutject to deIusons with regard to his cir
cuIaiIt n. He hugs the thought, that if his cIrcu-
aiion is small, it is select, and that lie goes freely
in The Fifteenth Ward, and is read under chande-
liers, and lies on centre abes which latter, per.
haps, he does occasionally.
ln the olden time, hen Kings were as dem.
gods hedgPd about with splendor which Mt once
revealed their consequence and concealed their
persons, 1t happened now and then, that peasant
became The inmate Of court, confronted majesty
heard him talk, swear, snore, sneeze, et cetera
Extreme used TO be the establishment OF the peasant
after he had overcome, in some degree the awe
inspired by his august presence, to discover that
the puIssant monarch OF realm, in whose hands
were The issues Of life and death, vi hose smile wa
wealth, whose irown was ruin, whose word moved
armies, and whose whim d. cded The fate of ma.
t'ons-was really, after all, very much like people
in general. Not less is the amazement Of The "con.
cts rpoHn hon pcha ;p,I.
with King Of the modern kind; the responsible
editor of a leading newspaper.
Learned, he is not. The printing office sends
ten men to The editorial throne while the college
sends one and there editors in his country,
prosperous and renowned, who know grammar
only by instinct who owe their spelling to the COM
positor, and have no idea on what map 10 look for
KamtSchatka. Nor is the editor wiser than the
average OF men, no more given to reflection, nor
more likely TO be correct in opinion. lt he were,
he would be in constant danger of turning that
awkward corner just referred to, and frding him
self without followers. He would be ever te mpted
to tell his readers what they ought 10 be told
whereas, the art OF editing consists solely in telling
them what they want TO be told. Hence, there
are but two editors likely 10 achieve striking
success
One is the man, who in his opinions, habits and
tendencies, represents large class; and the other
is he VINO can utterly sink the man in the editor,
and devote his undivided attention TO the study of
the public, whose prejudices he 1atters whose de-
sires he anticipates, whose opinions he echoes
Do you blame him How long would you continue
your subscription to paper which neither spared
your prejudices. nor anticipated your desires, nor
echoed your opinions. Upon the WHOLE the editor
S good fellow. He has his faults, like other
men. But, generally speaking, he works hard
and late, does thousand obligng things, comes
IS near telling the truth his readers will let him.
md above all, he produces what the world could
lot exist without; The Newspaper. Then, refuse
linn not his iavorite adjecves, which are sable"
genial, " 'Public-spirted," and hole.souled"