The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1866-12-07

Per year,...................
Now 600 lines will make porly volume
and consequently our slave Of tho pen bc'
slows upon us the contents Of l2 volumes
every year. Supposing his career rs
writer to lust for the medium term Of 30
years, he would give us 100000 lines or
36O solid volumes, still counting out the
$50 days made up by the margin Of five
allowed for each year Of the thirty. But.
in order to he upon the safe side Of the
computation, let us allow an entire addition
al year tor time lost by sickness, holidays,
travelling &C., and We still have 3iS vol.
umcs from this interchangeable worker.
However, there are very few thorough
going newspaper men In New York who
prepare original articles or do sketch or
short hand reporting, who cannot show an
average Of four hundred lines per diem Of
various kinds Of work throughout the
twelvemon,h. That quota Of labor would
give the volumes Of matter in IS years
even retaining for that shortest space Of
time the marginal allowance Of one year
and $50 days go
Tie editorial column Of the New York
Mercantile Journal contains on the average
225 lines aud each week supplies our read
ers with ut least 8 such columns, or 1900
lines Of original reading matter, equivalent
to Is SO goodly volumes in tho space of a
twelyemonth. With this much for the OK
hibit Of weekly pupor, In which all the
original articles arc printed 10 the same
sized type, the looker-on may be somewhn,
startled nt tho figure representing the lite
nry labor Of any one Of our great daily IA.
pcs. where an entire page Of editorial is
accompanied by from 70 to IS columns Of
reports. correspondence, &C., In each issue.
It occurs in mnny cases that ono or two
hands supply the bulk of the editorial page
proper, and beside the labors Of these gen.
tlemen, the boasted performances Of the
most prolific bookwrites the world has ev
er seen, fade to inferior,y 50 far, at all
events. as the quantity Of matter is con.
csrncd. As to It's quality, there may ex.
is, difference Of opinion, but it Is no more
than justice to say that the same amount Of
industry, research, observation and rradi.
ness with tho pen that Is revealed in the
leaders Of the great daily city press Rcner.
ally, would, if applied with equal tnct and
perseverance to the moro permanent
branches Of literature, carry tho journalist
to honorable success.
There is no moro complete error than the
universal idea among ,nen who can write
some thing, that Il Is quite easy to "gct up
as they call Il, newspaper article. When
they read one that Is well discsted and we'll
written, il flows 50 smoothly It's points arc
20 well taken; its language Is 80 simple,
that to write another would seem to be
nero child's play. 30 does everybody
think he can poke ars, or nurse q baby
better than his Dcighbor But, jua sry Il
good sir. and with all your talents, sll your
learning and sll your selfcon6dencc, you
may esresiously fall Lord Broasham was
an orator. . historian and an esssy,a. bot
he could not. to savs him. put an article
into right shape for the London pres with
out sssistance. A similar assertion bss been
msds about Bulwer, whose romantic and
poetical writings reveal tho utmost grace
and facility in their way. No! The wors