The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-11-23
Newspaper-Making.
from tho q ,olousas Journal. I

Docs one out Of tho thousands to
whom newspapers arc daily or week
" necessity, take thought of the sweat
Of brow and spirit which goes to pre-
pare the periodical refreshment Of the
millionsf To the uninitiated the press
ia marvellous power, with q certain
magical absorption Of floating news
and locnl items, Of current thought,
and discovery, which it disgorges with
all ease imaginable. Even more in
telligent readers, whilst recognizing
the labor Of the caterers for the public
palate, have little idea of the rocks
and quicksands which beset them.
Only those belonging to the guild un-
derstand the smart of the editorial
"siege perilous.''
If newspapers were published in
Utopia, We conclude it would all be
plain sailing, for in that blessed coun-
try every body's opinions conceded,
and every body minded their own
business and let their neighbors' alone.
But as Utopia lies somewhere in
Cloudland, aud the universal milleni-
um has not dawned, newspaper
making goes on in mOnstrous worry
and fret of mind and body. Some
make great leaps in the dark after re-
mote possibilities, lest more enter
prising editors may get ahead of them
and perhaps publish ridiculous tea
nards' which every body laughs at.
Others crawl along fearing to peril
their sagacity, and see some haliie pi-
cOmremr take the choice bits from un-
der their very noses. You are bound
to guage your hits lest they return
like q boomerang and knock you cold,
or to add little salt to n tasteless
paragraph that it may he of pleasant
savor to the popular palate.
Country editors are supposed to
have nice easy berth. All they have
to do is to copy and re-hash from
other jOurnals-not q bit of RESPONSE
bility rests on their comfortable
shoulders, for they are presumed to
be merely the echo Of wiser sheets,
and il they do happen to come out
with an original Expression Of opinion,
the great Inastiffs Of the Press growl
them down as audacious interlOpers.
All this is very nice aud pleasant.
But alas! for the tlorns in the rural
roses which make the bed Of these
fortunate inlividnals4
One man comes to you and says:
" Sir, you don't 60 deep enough in
p0itics. You .up the Interpreter Of
the popular voice, and you have no
right to stjtle it, sir. Your sheet has
only food for babes and weaklings-
pap, sir, nothing but pap! A news
paper shows the status Of commu-
nifty abroad, and judged by this what
are we. Helpless imbeciles7 Stop
my paper, sir, il you don't give It
back-b 81" Perhaps you then go
into the back bone business" You
fluster and rant with the loudest.
You put your foot squarely down OF,
the Everlasting Yea," or the ever
lasting Nay" and rest from your Ia
bors on Saturday, waiting for little
Jack HOrner's reward. Does it come
to obedient merit I One of your best
patrons, u substantial farmer, waits
upon yon and says: "Look here,
don't like that bunkum and balder-
dash you writ last week. If YOU
would tell the people to let politics
alone, and mind their home interests,
it would be darncd sight better for
them and the whole country. don't
want politics to tell me how Pm going
to get help next year, or what I'm
going to get for my corn and potatoes.
Take my advice, mister, and let poll
tics 90 to grass, if they've got that
much use In them. Give us something
for home folks to read of an evening
round the fire. We only take your
paper, and if you can't give us some
pleasure, we'll, I'll stop it and try an
other"
A poetess sends you q monody, or
q threnody, and if you don't publish
it with trimmings "-gare de loup.
She gives out your standard of litera-
ture isl low. Your journal isn't worth the
paper it is printed on, and it's dis
grace to the community to tolerate
such a sheet.
You write leader on " dishonesty"
" Did you mean me, sir! or me sir !"
sounds in your ears from the uprising
Of the sun to its down-setting, the day
after the appearance of the obnoxious
You say you were merely
dealing with generalities, mere ab-
stractions Of a worldwide question.
The looks around you are significant
of the fact, that the distractions
OF country editor, are mighty apt to
end in distractions of a very un-
nature.
The Plnngers tell you to 60 ahead
like a man even if you die in your
tracks, (they don't offer to back you
though against heavy odds). The
timid say "move carefully and look |
we'll to your steps," You are like the
puzzled knight in the Garde Douleu-
reuse, who sees written over one por-
tai "Be bold, be bold, and every
where be bold" and over the very |
next BE not too bold"
Journalism should make itself indie