The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-03-18

Mark Twain, in his new volume though.
ing It," gives his experience as local editor
of the Virginia City (Nevada) Daily Enter
prise, and incidentally credits the "leading
writer" of daily journal In manner as
rare as it usually Is deserved. In the else
mentioned Mark had tired Of his labor a.
local editor. He says:
WANTED variety of some kind. 1t came
Mr.. Goodman went away for week and left
me the post of chief editor. 1t destroyed
me. The first day wrote my leader in the
forenoon. The second day / had no subject
and put it off till evening, and then copied
an elaborate editorial out Of the american
Cyciopedia, that steadfast friend of the editor
all over the land. The fourth day I" fooled
around till midnight, and then fell back OF
the Cyclopedia again. The fifth day cud
geled my brain till midnight, and then kept
the press waiting while Ipenned some bitter
personalities on six different people. The
sixth day abored till far into the night and
brought forth-nothing. The paper went to
press without M editorial. The seventh day
resigned. On the eighth Mr.. Goodman re-
turned, and found six duels on his hands.
My personalities had borne fruit.
Nobody, except he has tried it, knows
what it Is to be an editor. 1t is easy to sclib-
bic local rubbish, with the facts all before
you; It is easy to clip selections from other
papers; it IL easy to string out a correspond
nee nom any locality; but it is an unspeak
able hardship to write editorial. Subjects
are the troubles-the dreary lack of them,
mean. Every day 1t is drag, drag, drag
think and worry and suffer-all the world il
dull blank, and yet the editorial column
must be filled. Only give the editor sub
ject, ind his work is done--it IL no trouble
to write it up; but fancy how you would fee
Gyou had to pump your brains dry every
dny In the week, ffty-two weeks in the year
1t makes one low-spirited simply to think Of
II. The matter that each editor Of daily
paper in America writes in the course of q
year would fill from four to eight bulky vol.
umes like this book. Fancy what library
an editors work would make after twenty or
thirty years service. Yet people often won.
der that Dickens, Scott, Bulwer, Dumas, &C.,
baye been able to produce so many books.
If these authors had wrought as vollminols-
~ as newspaper editors do, the result would
be something to marvel at indeed.
How editors can continue this tremendous
labor, this exhaustiDg consumption of brain.
fibre 0or their work is creative, and not u
mere mechanical laying up Of facts, like re-
pOrtl0R, uay altef Gay anu year AFTER year Is
incomprehensible. Preachers take two
months holiday in midsummer, for they find
that to produce two sermons week is wear.
ing in the long run. In truth it must be SO,
and it is so; and therefore how an editor can
take from ten to twenty texts and build upon
them from ten to twenty painstakiDg edito'
rails q week, and keep it up all the yeal
round, is further beyond comprehension than
ever. Ever since have survived my week
as editor have found at least one pleasure
In any newspaper that comes to my hand; it
is in admiring the long columns Of editorials
and wondering to myself how In the mis-
chief he did it.