The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1860-05-17
9fIisrrIIanrons.


able reader, that editorial life is not an
unruiied sea2 Did you ever pause in
looking over n newspaper 20 think Of
the ceasloss toll that Is necessary 20 pro.
vide for you the columns and para.
graphs you SO easily scan2 This edito-
rial writing-what a ceosless tapping Of
brains it isl No matter bow he feels
the paper must be out at the appointed
time, and his usual contributions must.
Gil the accustomed niche
The limited space of a newspaper col
umn does not allow the editor to treat
any subject at large. He must not at
tempt an extended discussion, no mat
ter what he writes about; but he is ox-
pccted to touch on a variety Of themes
every week, and just touch thom--uoth-
! ing more; so that his readers may not
be wearied by long articles To write a
long essay or series, would sometimes
be a great relief Buff he does either,
ten chances to ono he will hear Of it
/ Once or twice, in long editorial ser
vice, we have ventured to do this dan
gerous thing. Fortunately we hear no
complaints, though we have no doubt
many were uttered. Now and then,
however, we have been complimented by
a brother saying to us: "That was a very
good article Of yours in last weeks pa
per, as far as 1 roadj but it was so long,
I was called of before had time to FIN
ish itI'
Editorial writing is pleasant enough,
aud easy enough to q man accustomed
to it-whon he has once determined
what he shall write about. But this
selection Of topics is not easy. For q
single paper or two, any man will find
subjects at hand, but when it comes to
writing for the same readers year in and
year out-when one calls up the sub
jects already presented, some briefly,
others more elaborately, either by him
self or by correspondents, the difficulty
of selecting so as to avoid self-repeti-
ton, is quite embarrassing AS to wait
ing till something suggests itself-tiIl
it comes to yoU-that is out Of the
Question. The respectable but ill-nam-
ed boy is at your door already. He is
calling for copy. You must sit down
and write at once. What if half a
dozen persons in the Office are earnestly
discussing Church matters or politics?
What if some irrelevant interrogatory
is urged with singular indication Of
obliviousness of what you are about or
not? you must feel your way through
like a man walking in a narrow pass
during dark night; and, having reach
ed the end of your sheet you may take
a long breath, and turn away in search
after some other subject. And there is
no end to this, for as soon as you have
succeeded in arranging for one number,
the burden of another is upon you, from
the first week in January till the last
in December.
But to the writing of editorials is to
he added the aggregate of other duties
Here is correspondence well meant and
full of sensible sayings But it is bad
ly written, perhaps badly spelled, per-
haps poorly put together. You must
go over it. You must dash out an un-
necessary word yonder, You must be
4 grammarian for the writer, who has
never learned grammar or has permit.
ted himself to write without revision
You must in short prepare his irregu
lar composition for tho press, and
where we cannot make out precisely
what he intended to write, guess at il
and let your readers have the benefit Of
} your guessing.
To read newspapers for pastimo is a
very inviting employment But here
are twenty received by the morning
mail You take the scissors in hand
and glance over them. What a treat
would this be to some peoplo--peoplo
who have leisure to read them through
But your work is to scissorise. You
arc looking for scraps. Here is one, but
, it was in your paper last week Here
! is another but it is too soctarian Here
| is a third, but it is one of last year.
creation, that has lodged while on the
shores Of forgetfulness, and is now
swept again on the tide Of news to float
until it can find another standing place
] After an hour or two Of search, you
, gather up the result 1t is your col
, umn Of clippings from the exchanges
W AAHb "a nNNl1AA ANA eb ttA@tt 10 % AN'ft t-a "a
! Well, have you done? See, there is q
roll of proofs The type is set, and tho
foreman wants to make up the form ,--
Here is a letter upside down-there is 4
word you never saw before-here is
7 sentence without a meaning. What ar,
you to do? Look at every letter-real
every line--mark every intended cor
, rection-and send it back to be print
/ ed after your alterations shall have beer
made. delays are dangerousl" Yol
must not take half day for IT, Drol
everything before you, and read you
proofs, The press will be waiting fo
you, and unless you are in time, you
place will bo taken by another, anC
! your issue delayed, Happy tho edito
who, when his sheet is out, does not 6nt
a dozen errors that he did not see still
glariug upon him in all their deformit,
! and provoking oalmnoss, despite Of al
his carel- Baltimore u S. journal.