The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-06-10
The Press of New York.

its appointments and management. Tho
Editor in Chief is the General in Command
The managing Editor is the chief Execu-
tive Officer, while the Assistant Editors,
Reporters, Ccmpositors, Electrotypers, etc.,
etc, are the great working rank and file of
the great intellectual company.
We propose to make tour of ono of
these offices and examine, though not
thoroughly, yet sufficiently in detail to give
fair insight into the manner in which a
morning paper is made.
The building occupied is usually four
or five story building, each floor being
occupied by certain kind of work. The
upper story, on account of facilities for a
superior light is used by tho compositions
1t is curious and interesting sight to wit
ness from the street, the hundreds of COM
positors setting up type about ten or
eleven o'clock at night. Their arms swing
ing from the case to the stick in rapid
motion, as type after type falls in its proper
place in succession, each aiding to make
up the long columns of the morning jour
nal. Tho next floor is occupied by the
Editors and Reporters, or peripatetic edi-
tors and their assistants. The Managing
Editor also has his room on this floor
The first floor is occupied by the business
offices of the concern-sometimes the Edi-
tor-in- Chief has his private Office here, as
in the case of "H. G." whose office, it is
said, presents the appearance of an old,
dusty, dilapidated rats nest, of which he
is the presiding genius 1t is a source of
wonder with some how it is possible for
him to find anything when once laid down;
but there is not much fear of difficulty in
this respect.
The basement is occupied by the cleo
trotypers, the presses the stcam-power,
furnaces and such necessary apparatus
In many cases the engines occupy positions
under the sidewalks. If you look down
through the grating of the sidewalk at the
corner of Spruce and Nassau streets, you
can see the great engines and boilers of
the Tribune Office in full operation, while
further down Spruce street, the presses
can be seen in active operation, the hundreds
and thousands of sheets flying from the
press in quick succession.
In first class establishments accommoda-
tious and material are supplied outside the
counters on the business floor, for writing,
so that people may write advertisements
or letters, etc, in the Office, and deliver
them to the proper clerk. We see, also,
places where advertisements may be handed
in for publication, and matter of various
kinds may be handed in to the appropriate
departments.
The Advertisers post-oflice is also situat-
ed here. When an advertisement is handed
to the clerk, and paid for, always strictly
in advance, printed slip is handed to the
advertiser, on which we read: "Delver all
answers to advertisement Jones to the
bearer" When an answer is sought i'll
due time to an advertisement the post
office clerk will hand the bearer, and no
other, which may bear the name designated.
This is guard against delivering letters
to wrong persons.
The duties of an Editor-in-Chief are
multifarous and no doubt sometimes oner
GUS. lie has but little time to himself,
certainly not when in the office. What
between general supervision of the whole
office, directing the tone and tenor of the
paper ordering editorial to be written on
this subject and that. and in some cases
even giving an outline of the article
required, receiving visitors, answering cor
respondence, repelling attacks, making
others, ETC., etc, I'D intnituns, his time is
pretty fully occupied. Yet instances are
known where Chief Editor finds time to
write books quite foreign to his proper
duties such as "What know about Farm
ing," American Conflict" "Translation
of Homer
There is also Managing Editor to each
paper, whose authority is only second to
his chief. He has authority to employ or
discharge any person in the office. He
engineers the paper financially and other
wise. A great deal of the success of
paper depends upon this officer. While
the great European conflict between Ger
many and France was yet but cloud in
the distance, the energetic and watchful
Managing Editor of the Tribune was per-
fecting his plans to procure the best and
! latest news in the shortest time; and we all
know how we'll it was done. For the Iri
June occupies to-day proud eminence i'll
the grand Galaxy of New York dailies,-
So during the late great American Rebel
lion-Bennett, of the Herald exercised a
generalship in the conduct of his paper
which placed him in possession of the title
"The Bonaparte of the press" So you
\ observe that in order to be successful
Managing Editor one must possess qualities
akin to those of great General. Ever
watchful-he must be keenly alive to the
| requirements of the people, and present
them with justwhat they need, in the short
est space of time and the best possible man.
ner Like an expert Cuisinier, he must
present his dishes savory, smoking hot,
pleasing to the eye, gushingly tempting,
irresistible! And he of his suberdinates
who cannot be taught to manufacture his
intellectual tit bits as he orders or desires,
must be cut off from the staff as bud
from the tree with pruning hook, to give
place to another.
There are about ten, more or less, subor-
dinates who attend to various branches of
the service Two or three of these, gen.
orally the most versatile, facile pens, are
assigned to write upon the topics of the
day. One for example, keeps track of the
European issues, the war and the political
aspects Of Europe. The other has charge
! of the political questions of country
Another is perfectly acquainted with the
principles of Free Trade, Protection and
Political Economy. 1t is his duty to keep
track of everything going on in this coun-
try, and write such articles as may be nee
essary- during the week on such TOPICS
There is also one designated the Biogra-
pl,ical Editor, who has charge of the bios-
r aphies of all important individuals in for
cign lands as we'll as at home, and generally
has them well and carefully written up in