Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1859-07-14
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Dear Enquirer Il was struck some time ago
with remark, said to have been made by dis
tinguished and voluminous English author. He
said that he was sometimes asked how he man
aged to do SO much literary work-how was il
possible for man to throw off from the press,
sixty or seventy volumes within few years! His
reply was, that he accomplished so much by ''do-
ing but little at time" Notwithstanding he had
written and published such a multitude of works
on great variety Of subjects, his custom was to
devote only a short time daily-perhaps only two
or three hours-to these literary labors. Now
there is certainly lesson in this; and your read
ers, and especially your correspondents, can tes-
tify by observation, if not by experience, to the
wisdom Of BULwER LYTToN's practice. For in
stance If Charleston" "Pee Dee," "Cheraw," /"
"Columbia," or other points, had always been
content to send something, though it had been on
ly paragraph or two every week to your Office,
there might have been abundant more of the sum
total at the close of the year than there probably
will be- However, my more diligent and faithful
fellows must excuse me, in thus Juggling them into
my illustraton-for really all but two or three Of
us have done we'll. But the lesson wish to get
at is this: Judging others by myself, I am sure
that one reason why we do not write oftener to
the ENQUIRER or to any other person, is that We
Greatly have not time" And when this is said,
as it so often is the true meaning is we have not
time to write what we might regard respectfully
long letter or contribution. Every one has time
to write little. Who cannot devote an hour, or
at any rate half hour, once week, to the jottng
down of a few thoughts? If I were much pressed
for the invaluable commodity, might quit off
just now; and yet have been writing very little
more I think than fifteen minutes There is anoth-
er sideraton-"Lacon" is q popular book
We all like brevity in Editors and Correspondents,
as we'll as in "the parson." If in any Of these
capacities we hear occasional complaints, we have
no cause for surprise. We of course have right
to explain the weariness Of our readers and bear
ers in any way We prefer, but our expositions do
not cancel the fact. We may say that weak
stomach can bear very little strong meat at time
--or, in becoming self-abasement, we may con-
ciude thatlooking for Ga grain of wheat in BUSH
ell of chaff7' is tiresome, and rather Improbable
exercise. Let explanations be as,they may, the
..stubborn fact" remains that. short articles are
most likely to be read, and believe. most likely
to be remembered! Some keen calculating edi-
tor has recently made ont kind of table exhibit
ing the proportions between different lengths Of
newspaper articles, and the numbers who read
them. And he cuts it off exceedingly short be-
fore be allows it read by even one haE But am
like the ancient serpent, dragging my slov length
along, to such an extent, that I am risking q
chance of not being read at all. am happy to
say, however, that do not believe it would give
me mortal wound, even should it be the case
Now, after all thatI have said, think my long
silence has been sufficiently denounced, and hav-
ing implied my excuses, and my own censure, I
will give paragraph or two Of news.
The GLORIOUS FOURTH has, with us, come and
gone-and being East Of you, we undoubtedly
were before you in this 'respect-it's light came
to us-those who were awske!-frst. We had o
grand display of the genuine Light Iatahtry Of