The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1870-09-22
What Is an Editor

Brick Pomeroy gives his idea o
what the "crittcr" is:
The man who has failed at every
thing else is hardly the man to be {
successful editor, to be q leader or di,
rector Of public opinion, or to inspire
the people with confidence.
Editors are made. They do NOT
grow. The schoo! OF the sanctnm is
the sevcrcst in the world The school
Of the church is as nothing to it, for
the church foreiyes in ministers what
the public vii not in editors.
An editor must know his business.
lie must have fitted himself by study
to know the heart, capacity and senti~
mcnt Of the people. He must know
who to abuse aud who to praise-who
to endorse and who to condemn. He
must, above all things, know right
from wrong, and dare stand by his
convictions, regardless Of life or sue
cess.
He must be man who knows what
10 say, and how to say ii. He must be
rs impervious to ccnsure, abuse, con-
tempt, or fattery, as the back Of Il
goose is to the rain. He must know
enough of life, Of men, Of women, of
church, Of State, of politics, Of events,
Of history current or concurrent, reli-
gious or profane, to write intclligently
and at once. He must have been stu
dent, not alone Of books, but Of men,
events, facts and hearts.
And he must be sober man, with u
cool, strong, unprecedented brain. or he
falls by the waysidc, lost under the feet
Of the rushing throng.
The life OF an editor is the life Of
dog. He is slave to the public that
demands the new and not tie old. He
is the one whose work is never done,
whose thought is never idle, who must
think when others do not, who mast
think before le writes, while he writes,
and after, He must be bold, brave,
fearless, defiant. If not, he is bent
down like q reed, and is crushed at
once.
He must answer at once and correct
". lie must withdraw from others, or
he cannot watch them--must be total =
Indifferent of what the world says Of
him, and look for his light, hi, power,
!! trcngth, his happiness and his in
formation where others do not, or he
will he tame and worthless. He must
Nnow what be wants to say, and how
to Jay il, aping no style, following no
pattern, suffering no dictation, asking
no layora, fearing no results, indifTer-
cnt whether lie wounds OF pieases, so
long as he makes his point sharp, di-
rect, well told, and convincing.
There are but few editors in the
world. There arc many who handle
tue scissors and pGste'brush. Many
who are the too.s OF politicians. Many
who work for--thcy know not what.
There are many Who have led lives of
continued failure, yet think themselves
capablc of directing 81 intelligent pub
lic. There are many conductors of
newspapers who think their mission
and great aim is TO beg for cord-wood,
turnips, fresh eggs, and dried apples in
season. There are many who think
the writing Of a paragraph describing
Il fire. foot. race, or funeral, makes
them an editor.
The best editors are the graduates,
not of colleges, gin-mills, caucus rooms
or idle resorts, but men who have
worked their way through printing
offices, breathing the air ana learning
the language Of types, and drinking
more of the inspiration of the press
and the printing office than Of the wine.
Editors are always wanted, but do
not think you are an editor, or can ever
be one, simply because you have failed
in being anything else.