The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1866-08-17
Selected aelistrllanw.
Newspaper writing.

The mass Of people fancy that it is the
simplest thug in the world to edit news.
paper. A man may have grave doubts
about his talent for public speaking, may
freely admit that ho canuot thru a tune or
recognize Que when turned by any body
else, may confess that he is no poet, not
much OF a scholar, aud nothing Of an artist,
out there is no creature so poor-spirited 0s
TO avow his ipcApacity to edH HerSpdper.
On the contrary that is work to which
every man has manifest call. No matter
what his actual business in this wo,li may
he--preachrr, lawyer, physician, butcher
baker or caudlestick maker--he has u
secret fancy that il he only hal a chance, he
could make u newspaper a littlo bit spioier
and liveier than any thing in the shape Of
u public Journal that has ever come III his
way. This is ono OF the most amusing aud
universal weaknesses OF latter times. The
number Of people who are infected by it is
known only TO publishers p,st as the extent
to which opiun.oating is practioed is real.
i2cd only by druggists and physicians.
Tho drawer and wasle,haskot of every lead
ing newspaper office overflow with cvi.
deuce of the ambition and harmless vanity
Of tho vast public who suribble hy stealth
and fondly aud patiently toll over reans OF
to print.
Ii must be admitted that there is some
thing enticing aud enviahld in editorial life
rs 1t appears to the outside wcrld. The
delight of getting into print, for tho FIRST
time, is one of the keenest eujoyments OF
| li,e. What, Therefore, we reason, must he
the pleasure of that happy man who daily
ieasts tho public with his wisdom. aud
whose smallest scrilbling finds its way into
type without cr ticism or delay. But this
reasoning is altogether unsound. Litll'
| boys who cherish the solitary bit of mint.
stick, which a chance penny enables them
to buy, who esipy every bit with a korn
relish, aud feel their appetite for tho sweet
morsel keou II than ever when it has melted
away, fancy that the lad in the cuudy shop
who lives in bower Ot sweets, aud has
every variety OF cOutectiUus FROM which
to chose, and as much of each aS he wants
must bo the very lmppiest lad in th,
worll. How greivou,ly are they mis-
taken.
To that unfortunate youth ever since
the beginning of his apprenticeship, when
he sickcned on surieit the sight OF th,
shapely sticks and dainty drops aud balh
ie utterly loathsome. His day dreams are
of picklos-caudies are his nightmare. At
with candies 30 with editorials. 1t is ell
chanting to write u lucky ono which {
friendly publisher puts in fair type in his
leading column. You have written it a
your leisure, crussed every ., dotted every i
inserted every comma, read it in manuscript
to halt a dozen odmring cronies, and tn,
sight of The delicious periods and the well
turned phrases staring you in the face iron
the second page of The city daily. is Ger
| al thn
aratng of specaclrs in the world. Yol
carry that paper about yOu. lloufly, yea
oitenor, in sweet stealth you read the dear
elfuson, aud wonder if there was such
moral ass extant as TO deuy that it is abpu
the most pointed and elegant piece of he ws
paper writing that ho has ev seen. 70
d. cam and dole over that sheet TIL 1t il
black aud tattered This is one of the
most Innocent aud blessed of human pleas
ures. 1t is the solitary mintstick whicl
whcts your appetite for sweets.
But the editor, that enviabe man who
feeds on the candy OF which you have only
rot tasto, is in truth as unhappy ant
! surieited a person as that pickle.craving
lad who weighs ont the bOnbon. The
freshness, the exquisite charm of seeing
his reflections in print, has long vanished
He writes painfully, and under pressure
often times harrassed by thousauC
petty vexations, with gabble Of scur,
of idlers in his ears, with aching head ant
weary hand. His work is, of all works
the most wearyng and vexatious. 1t il
treodmiIl drudgery. 1t exhausls body an,
brain.
The call ON copy is inexorable and canno
be refused. lie must write. lie mus
mature the most conemptihle and continue
crlticism-must bear patiently i" to be ca
teemed dull when he cannot be witty, anC
to be applluded for witty when lie knows
that he has been dull." Every blocllheaC
whoever spends dime for his paper
feels that he has purchased thereby an in
defeasibe right to dictate the manner il
which ii shall be conducted To critcis
sharply everything that appears in it, an'
to elevate its tone" with his own asinin
lncubrations, fairly written ont and iucloseC
! in note demanding their instant pnblica
ton, signed "a paying subscriber - oil,
who buys your weekly" or, "a forme
purchaser of your campaign" lfyOu weri
to ask this modest friend to cnt your coat
or measure yon for pair OF boots, he woul,
Indignantly reply that that was not h
trade-that he knew nothing about il, ant
; would hot attempt il. Bat The dulilenc
; which shrinks from the aw and the lap
stone, boldly grasps tlie peil and undertake
to instruct aud illuminate the world
Breechea and shoes require art, experience
reflection in their making ng--political essay
flow spontaneous from the most added pate
or can be plnmed out of it by mere ham
labor, without the aid of the vulgar app
ances Of st0dy, knowledge and thought.