The Port Gibson reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 185?-1857, 1854-03-15
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Editor-in-Chief.


and faces lie does a0t remember them but
upon all his yisitors--and they drop in at the
rate Of one \ minute-he besiows a kind Of
civility, which is emphatic but general, insiu-
uaiing though non.committal. IL he mVSt
know who man Is. ho says. Let nc sec,
how DO you SpeH your name ?" And this
sort Of manGuvering is strictly necessary.
For. consider young gentleman who bad
piece Of pocty in the paper the year before
last comes 10 the city and calls upon the Ldi-
tor TO that young gentleman, the insertion
Of his Lines was an event, an era. His
soul bounded within him when he saw them
in print. lie showed them exuliingly to his
mother, sent copy TO his sweetheart, and
handed them round on the "stoop" Of the
village store, and has Thought better Of him.
self ever since. To the Editor, the printing
Of those lines was no event at all. lie has
forgotten them and their author. Yet that
Young gentleman leaves tie Office under the
lul conviction that he is dear to the editorial
heart, great in the editorial eyes and-worse
mistake Of all-wecome to the editorial sane
tum. This is brought about BY no hypocrisy
on the Editors part. Broad and general
ciyilty does the business, and does It quickly
knowing everybody. both helps and hin
ders the Editor. II keeps him supplied with
facts and ideas, but it cramps the free express
sion of his opinions. Can an Editor write
quite freely Of an author, m artist. or pOitl-
cian whom he cordially shook hands with
yesterday. and viii meet at dinner this eve
ming! Human nature is human nature.
That :ho Editor is utterly incorruptiblo by
money, we know; but be is not proof against
the greater potency Of friendly feeling
which is pity.
The Editor looks upon all thingj subjects,
events. and persons in the light of material -
I Cor articles 4 catastrophe which makes the
town shuddcr, is to him feature. lie
says. he regrets to learn, or he Is "pained
/ to announce. but lie IS not-as an Editor
pained in the least: no more than an under
\ tal,er is panied to bury 4 man IN the highest
I .tyle of fashionable anguish. His business
I is with the grave, aud it is his business to do
/ It gravcly. The Editor, anon, Is reJoiced
I 10 be able 10 sta:e, or has had tue extreme
satisfaction Of asccrtaining beyond doubt,
and in such assertions his sincerity IS perfect F;
for the pride and joy and glory of the Editor
\ heart is TO be the " first to communicate 10
/ .he public an important piece Of intelligence.
Eagerly he scans tho rival sheets, to see Il
they have any inkling Of the matter and
/ how sure he is to let his readers know, that II
I" our hst number we announced, IN advance
/ Of all our contemporaries :" and with what a
lerocity Of delight "all our contemporaries "
are enabled authoritivelytO to contradict the
statements which were SO ostentailously para
ded in morning paper.
The Editor rather stumbled into his pro9es-
sion. than chose Il. No man has been brought
np TO the business. 1t is taught at no school.
No father says, Lo my son shall be an Edi-
tor. But a. the duck takes to the water, as
tho jew takes to moncy-lending. as the game
cock takes to fighting, so the predasiInaied
Editor takes TO types and paragraphing; and
the impulse which bore him into the protes-
sion. never ceases to act strongly upon HIM
lie IS fpH Of his occupation, aud never
ashamed Of it. Ho percolvcg the promise ol
n paragraph from aiar OF. lie snuiis It ~ the
air. lie sees It in a window. lie catches Il
IN the night, and pays Heaven he may no'
foroet IL in the morning. If he takes pill
he thinks PHk. TatiHg ~ tie Unttcd
States would be magnificent subject aud
so IL would. III he cuts himself with razor
il sneqests observations on the Deard-moye-
meut. And he is prone to ask, whether you
have any objection TO his giving publicity, =
that remarkable fact. Yet the Editor. dis
posed as he is to tell the public something i
don't know, always keeps back part Of hl;
information and there is an undercurrent O
{" biably interesting intelligence. that seldom
Gets into print. Editors Of the audaciou'
speeies have made their fortune by tap
ping this turbid, but fertalizing stream.
The Editor has his dolusious as well as th'
Sub-Editor. lie thinks be creates pub.i'
opinion; whereas. he only reflects 1t. The
man who runs ahead of an advancing throng
seems to lead It. and does lead it, as long a
lie runs acl,efe tiey rant 10 60 but let him
turn 1 corner which they DO nat want to turn
and he finds himself running alone. No on'
conversant with our political history, can be
ignorant that, in influencing votes, papers arr
sipnally importent, and particularly the papers
which are very ably conducted.
Another delusion Of the Editor is, to sup
poso that the eyes Of the country are up'l
his paper. lie little thinks that the loudes
thunder that ever deafened New York, dice
awav among the JersY hills. and was oni,
heard Of among the Highlands. The Editor
too is subject to delusions with regard to IN
circulation Is small, 1t is select, and that b.
Goes freely in the Ffteenth Ward, and Is rea'
under chandeliers, and lies on centre-ta6ies
which latter. perhaps, he does occasionally
In the oldcn time, when Kings were 2
damirods badred about with splendor. which
AZ once revealed their consequence and con
cenled their persons, It happened, now anc
. then. that peasant became the inmate OF
{ court, confronted majesty face to face saV
him cat. drink, and so forth heard hlm talk
f swear, snore, sneeze, Ct cesera. Ex'rem'
used 70 be the asionishment Of the peasant
after he had overcome, in some degree te'
awe inspired by the august presence 70 Iia
cover that the puissant monarch of realm
IN whose hands were the issues OF iiie an'
! death. whose smile was wealth. whose row
was ruin whose word moved armies. an
: whose whim decided the fate OF nations-wa
! really. after all, very much like people y
\ ~ l.-s - fbo anaazemeUt Of ID