The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-08-03
Editorial Gleanings.
The MYSTERY Of Editing.

"
labor requisite TO get up 4 newspaper. Like a
pump, the editor i supposed to supply every one
with water but never be dry hims elf. Henry
Ward Beeeher appears to appreciate the situation
OF an editor. lie says
Before him passes in review ali the exchange
newspapers. lie i To know all their conIentS-to
marx for others the matter that requires attention.
HIS scissors are alert, and clip with lncessaut indus
try all the little Iteins that together form 50 large an
interest IN the news department He passes in re
view each week every section of his country through
the newspaper lenS-he looAs acrUSs the ocean, and
sees strange lands, ami following the sun, lie searches
al over the world for material 1t VIII require but
one moment time for the readers 10 take in what
TWO hours produce. BY him are read the manuscripts
that swarm the Oflce like lies in July. 1t l. his
frown that dooms them. His hand that condenSes a
whole page into a line. Il ! his discreet sternnesS
that resi>ts the sentimental obituaries. and gives our
young poets i twig Oh which to sit and sing their
rTsj LAYS. The power behind the throne, IN news
papers ~ in higher places, : sometimes a. important
a. the throne. Correspondents, occasional and reg
uiar, stand III awe At that silent power which has
the las; chance At an article, and wh0 sends II forth
in glory or humility. In short, a. the body depends
upon good digestion, - the health Of 4 paper depends
upon the vigorous digestion which goes on by means
Of the editor.
y veteran editor Of Columbus, Ohio, Al n late
printers festival, made II speech ON the subject of
E. the Local Reporter which is much TO the
point. We quote a few paragraphs:
\ reporter Of local events becomes necessarily a
peculiar person. lie seems 10 the world a very mer-
cenary Individual. He goes 10 see a man who has
broken his Leg, not To sympathize, but TO question
him. lie runs 10 = fire not to give assistance, but 10
get particulars. lie wishes no mar harm, but when
harm befslls he calls it good luck. lie has an item
ON tie brain
II j. his business to ask questions. his duty TO an
swer none. \ - burglary with HIM Is simply bust
ness, something horrible, "A sensation
His receiving capacity i very great. In one hour
he viii have been in the dark hell hole to look upon
-. III H. ss-l 81. l-.-I, i'll = -
Christian festival, have listened TO the eloquent
words from "a pulpit, have listened To the sweet strains
from al opera, have glanced 1t the best scenes vi a
drama, have possessed himself Of the important
news At the Capital, and, having greeted and queS-
TONED one hundred people, be III his seat telling tor
the reader a dozen different stories in as many minutes.
Seriously the local editor l. often misunderstood.
He i no less n gentleman than others Of mankind.
There i - little of mercenary about him as any
other man Of business. He cannot have the elabO-
rate politeness of the man Of leisure, and hence Is
misunderstood. The lady from whom lac hulTies
away, with a half framed apology, TO shake hands
with a rough looking man, prOnOunces him a bear.
Instinct teaches the local that the rough man has an
item, and the laly would excuse his impoliteness did
she know that the stirring ROMANCE OF the next day
came from the rough individual who supplanted her
III the locals attentions. The aristOcrat thinks the
local a fool when he turns from him To shake hands
with n labcrer, the poor man that he is a swell when
he meets him arm ia arm with the rich man. On
every hand he l. liable 10 be misunderstood. But he
has friends that rightly understand him, who know
that a local editor Is often a man with a warm heart.
Concerning the Jay of the New York Journal
lists. a correspondent Of a Boston paper says that
the Tribune employs fifteen reporters at an aver
age of SOB per week the Herald twenty-three
ut an average Of $l7 the Post four. at SOB.
4 Rich bat Temperate Journalist.
JAS. Gordon Bennett, the retired editor of the
Herald, l. immensely rich. and keeps up n mag
nifcent establishment at Washington Nights. New
York city-with carriages, horres, a French cook,
an English butler, etc., etc. y dinner worthy
of SarJlanapuius himself Is served every day at
six o'clock. Mr.. Bennett himself never Iartakes
of these dyspeptic-tending JOYS. lie prefers an
egg and Il cup of coffee about six O'Clock in the
morning, something simple in the way of a lunch
at eleven O'Clock. and the plainest Of hard tack
in the midst of the shcrbets and cham
pagne mt Fix in the evening. He goes TO bed at
nine o'clock every evening, leaving to others of
the family the task of entertaining the assembled
guests. Singular as it may seem, hc has always,
from the first day of his journalistic career, been
provcrbially temperate and a~bsTemious, never in
in treats champagne supTers or late
Bennett i one of ti.e very few editors
have acquired great wealth through his pro-
fes-ion, and it has resulted solely from persistent
enterprise and industry. lie is re-
ported to he worth now ut least two millions,
with a net income of half 4 million a year.
Grant aud the Presidency.
\ number Of political Managers, il is said. are
in Washington, trying to sound General Grant
,n the question Of his accepting the nomination
1r the next Presidency. 1t is reported that the
General has intimatcd that he does not desire it
or himself but suggests the name of Gen. Shcr-
nan. Per contra, the Washington corrcspon-
lent Of the Cincinnati Commercial tells how one
# these political managers, n Judge Cartier,
made an effort to get General Grant to take him
elf of the inside track for the presidency. that
Ben Wade Of Ohio might be put upon the same,
md how he did not succeed. but found the Cen
raj imInOyably =. there, "-dispO-ei to fight it !
,ut on that line. The following is an account of I
he interview between the judge and the General:
In orlcr TO get General Grant out Of the way. a
lulge Cartier recently called upon him, and in his :
most Impressive manner announced to the general =
hat the time had arrived when he must make his
lecision whether lac was willing to lie n candidate
or the presidency Of the United States ON the repub-
ticket or not. He told General Grant that il
would not 10 for him To continue in his pailockel
condition any longer tina; the people were looking I
bout for the coming man, and that If lac WAS :
DING TO come, it was time he was coming along. =,
ie told him that he wantci to know explicitly, hTSt.
yheiher he would be a candidate for the presidency,
MI if 80, secondly whether he would have any oh
ection To having Benjamin +. Wade upon the same
icket a. a candidate for the vice-prcsidency. IL was s
lOiicel that General Grant gave his traditional cigar
n extra twirl in his mouth, and that he was obliged IL
say those were rather plain and direct questions. u,
'artter did not hesitate to indorse that proposition,
nj continued To press the questions. General Grant,
fter a minutes deliberatiOn, said that he really did
Ot feel DESTROYS Of becoming president Of the United
tates; that he had been honorel and trusted in a II
egree that was u surprise 10 himself; and yet he
1t that if the people called upon him to become n
andilate for the presidency Of the party that had II
cen for the war for the preservation Of the Union,
Il nnnll - IL H. n - ~ 1sl.rf- q Iln.l.n.. : l..