Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-11-03
j TALES {" SKETCHES.
THE DAILY NEWSPAPER.
How IL Is Prepared.
A GLANCE AT THE MACHINERY OF THE PRESS.

I
A GLANCE AT THE MACHINERY OF THE pREsf
OF oil the Institutions of the earth, th
modern two.penny paper is the most won
deriul. 1t is photograph of the shiftin,
scenes of the world taken fresh every day
1t is a sheet holding type pictures OF man
lille. 1t is the grand reservoir into whicl
are poured the events, great and small
I winch go to make up the sum of th
worlds history. OF all saleable article
the newspaper is the very cheapest. NJ
other thing, containing 80 much and wortl
SO much can be purchased for SO small
price; and the man who filings it aside wher
1t contains the record of no particularly
startling event, with u "Pooh there's no
thing III 1t J" aud seems to entertain an idea
that the publisher has dcfrauded him of his
paltry "tuppence." is guilty of piece oI
absurdity that cannot be surpassed.
Let him reflect for moment upon the
enormous amount of labor necessary to pre-.
pare that sheet; of the vast outlay of money
more perhaps, than lie will eSpend in pur.
chasing papers in all his life, requisite to
lay those bits of information before him
Let hin: think OF the newspaper as the
grand nervc.centre, the brain, into which
the iron nerves converge that reach out
North, South, East and West, over the
Continent, feeling into every nook and
corner of the land, flashing back ntelli.
gence of new born events, and telling stories
OF trade, of politics, of finance, of crime
running even now far down beneath tho
turbulent sea and throwing out its antenne
into the farof Old World, bringing back
reports or revolutions, COMMISSIONS, and the
overthrow of empires, almost before they
have taken place. Let him think of the
Brlarean arms of the press extended every.
where, grasping facts, unravelling myste-
rles, and bringing man in close contact with
his fellow man. Let him reflect that all the
appliances OF art and science, the telegraph,
the steam engine, and the printing press,
are brought into play to give him informa-
ton; that editors, reporters, and cores
pondents all cudgel their brains for his
benefit; that two or three hundred men
have worked long and hard in order to give
him his two cents worth, and if he be not
CONVINCED, then he deserves to We placed
where he can never more see q newspaper,
which Of all things in this world is the great
civilizcr and humanizer OF the race.
/ will endeavor to give my readers some
idea OF the manner in which daily paper
Is prepared, and a description of the varied
processes through which it goes. The article
will necessarily be brief, as an extended
description is ont OF the question in such
limited space.
EDITORS. .......
OF course the editorial rooms and the
doings therein will come frat ia order, as
they are the source from whence proceeds
all the material that fills the paper. There
are various KINDS of Editors. News Edi:'
tors, Financial and Commercial Editors,
Literary Editors and Editorial writers, com.
prise the species most in use. Some papers
have Managing Editor, who exercises a
general supervision over the whole paper.
He decides, finally, what shall or shall not
he putin the paper, and he is held response
6le for any blunders which may occur The
gentleman who writes nearly all the leaders
and editorials, expressing the views of the
paper, can hardly be called fixture. lie
drops in the morning, glances over the ex-
changes, selects subjects, writes, and disap-
pears, generally when he has furnished
enough copy for tho next day. The clip.
ping and selections of matter are generally
left with the News Editor, of whom more
presently. The Literary Editor looks care
fully through the books received. and gives
his opinion of them to the public, He is
the terror of anthors. the mighty judge at
whose tribunal the writers of books stand
in trembling ave to receive their sentences.
He-is supposed to he "a man of culture, taste,
and extended reading, and he should also
possess fine critical powers.
The Financia. Editor spends most of the
day among the merchants and money. y.kings
ot Third street. He is n peripatetic stock
list, very walking gold thermometer. He
can tell You the exact quotations of "Read-
ing" and if you let him into IA nice thing"
in that line, he Can render you valuable
service in "bulling" or "bearing" it, in his
article next day. He can tell you tho pre-
else price of feathers, the number of coal oil
barrels shipped to Europe on given day,
or the amount OF soda ash received. he is
hand in glove with the brokers, and is q
perfect adept at what is technically called
grinding axes" for himself and friends.
THE News EDITOR
Does much of the drudgery of the Office
During the day he makes clippings from
exchanges and decides upon contributed
articles He occupies the room which Is
facetionsly called the "sanctum," but which
is constantly trodGen by the proiane feet oil
bores, who come on various crranols. One
drops in to inquire the price of soap, another
to state his opinion OF the proper manner oi
conducting the paper; Il man with fierce
countenance inquiries savagely for the
Editor, and wants some fancied injury
atoned for; another fellow is o5sequious, 81
he has an article he would like inserted q
theatrical agent desires puff for his esta
blishment, and leaves ticket or two to
secure that end !; a politician is polite and
courteous, because he wishes the Editors
support, while Il thousand others, each Will
different want, drop in during the day
But the News Editor receives them all Will
suayity. and generally arranges matters t.
their entire satisfaction. ,--.--.
AT night ho comes on duty at eiah
o'clock, and remains until three or fou
o'clock in the morning, when the Associated
Press closes its Office with good night.
His first duty is to read over and max
memoranda Of the telegrapLic news whicl
has come in during the day. This done, h
sends it to the composing room. Abou
nine o'clock the regular night news from
the Associated Press begins to come in an,
continues in { steady stream for five or I'll
bours. This is ali written upon manifold.