The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-11-19
Editorial Writers.

One column day is a fair average onthe
New York press for an editorial writer,
and this could be written in few hours;
while three articles per week Is the usual
stint for the leader writers on the London
Times. Horace Greeley's literary labors,
vast as they were, did not occupy many
hours, and much of his time was consum-
ed in seeing visitors, reading and travel
ing: and even then he died of Overwork,
as did Henry J. Raymond, though he too
ALWAYS took long periods of rest after his
spasms of severe work. Samuel Bowles,
by the aid of stenographer, gets through
full DAYS stint of editorial writing and
correspondence in a few hours daily.
Charles A. Dana is at the San office from
about 10 to ), while much of this time Is
given to receiving visitors and other light
work. Whitelaw Reid and Louis j. Jen-
nings edit their respective papers dur
ing the two hours of each afternoon
and three or four hours at night. Parke
Goodwin, d. G. Croly, and Major Bundy,
who all three have charge of afternoon
newspapers. limit their office hours usually
from 8 o'clock to at the most, which in
| cludes an hourfor luncheon. As a sample
of the daily life of an exceptionally hard
working journalist. the following account
given by Henry Watterson, editor of the
! Louisville Cou7ler-JoaTndL, may be inter
esting. 1t is taken from an unpublished
letter, and it should be remembered that II
| is written by man who is partly blind: 81
wake up at 10 O'Clock in the morning, and
after cup of coffee, [ write for two hours
| in bed. | get up at noon and have a
plunge bath, and take breakfast with my
! family, who then have taken their lunch
! 90 to the office afterwards, and remain
! there until seven, prepared to see every
body that calls. During the same time the
work of the day is planned out, and every
body begins it. then 90 home and have
supper, and spend the evening until IL
O'Clock there, usually listening to reading
| by my wife. or having a little music. Al
| 10 O'Clock | am back to the Office again
where | remain until2 o'clock. | am only
able to write two hours a day myself; and
the rest is done by dictation. l read but
little myself, but glance through the ex.
changes, in order to give an idea of things
! having important Articles read out loud TO
me. | have no time for exercise and dc
not care for riding, all the exercise l get
being in walking to and from the of
fice.n As an example of the literary pro-
ductiveness of some of the most brilliant
and steady writers for the press, may ado
that John Hay only writes two hours 8
day, usually in the afternoon, though his
favorite time of composition is before
breakfast. He writes rapidly, but his daily
average is only one column of Tribune bre
vier. The other members of the IT1batn,
staff-Hassard, Noah, Brooks, Bromley
and Congdon-do about the same. The
average amount written by the staff of the
Times is about the same. Two of the
harvest literary workers in America are
Edward Everett Hale and James Parton
Yet, the former is at his desk but three
hours each day, and always insists on hav'
ing nine hours sleep, which is the same
/ amount that President Grant requires
while Mr.. Parton calls his daily work foul
hours composition and three hours re
search, or about seven in all, and never
exceeds this limit-Nel0 York Independent