The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1875-10-03
Southern Newspaper Writers.
FORSYTH, wATTERsoN ETC.
Atlanta Herald /

It has been said that there Is not first
class journalist in the South. While this
remark 10 untrue and upjustified, the
writer would have come nearer the truth
bad be said that there is not first class
editorial writer in tho South. We have
better journalists than we have editorial
writer's. We have a score of men who,
With imperfect news facilities, unframed
Rssistauts aud slender resources, neverthe-
lass manage to present newspapers that
would lot discredit the populous North
with it's netw ork of telegraph wires and it's
lightning mail trains. Our journalists make
mp better newspapers than Northern jour
Halists could make under the same circum-
stances. They have become wde-awake @
and shiity through necessity, and the gen
srHi -kpaek of making great deal out of n
little, comes natural, to them.
But tie great fault of Southern journal
sm is its hack of first class editorial writer's
This lack Us the result of poverty. The
pnblisheTs are too poor, or their income
il too circumscribed, to allow OF their en-
plOyiDg q sufficient number of writer's to
DO the work properly. Southern news
papers generally have one editorial writer.
He is relied on to fill an average of three
columns day. lie must fill out these col
Rmns whether he be inclined to write OF
not-whether he be sick or in health. Even
II he has an assistant the assistant can not
SarTy his responsibility. He is looked upon
as the editor, aud the publishers look to him
10, at least, write the leading editorials.
The result of this over. work is, very leeiti.
Rately. to depreciate the quality of the
work done. The editor being REQUIRED
10 furnish editorials upon at least two, and
frequently half dozen, dissimilar topics,
daily, OF necessity, hardly reaches the bot
tOm of either one of his subjects. No edi-
tor, who hopes to make an Impress upon
bjs age, should write more than one leader
day, and he should not write more than
hree week. None of the editorial work
ers upon the New York papers do more
than this, and most of them do less. AS a
consequence, the editorials of the New
Iork papers, and particularly the World
and Tribune, are models of style and
power.
The drndgery that the Southern editor
70 forced TO do is telling upon Southern
journalism. st is hard to put the finger on
my man this side of the line who is a first
lass editorial writer. We have fine cores
Rondents, Tacy reporters, good paragraph
1Sts, bat few fine writers. The most notice.
able effect of the hurry and embarrassment
aDder which our Southern journalists are
SOTced to write is, that it affords them no
Seisure in which to look over their work,
spy out its defects, and determine upon the
points at which it should be corrected, As
- nEonsequence, the defects become fixtures,
ne mannerisms are confirmed, and the
0$yles becomes more and more fixed and
1aonOtonous day after day. The peculiar
jsies of the writer are eprinkled through
his writings, with no attempt at repression, |
Sad the editorials all read alike, though |
Das may treat of grave and the other |
gay subject. Now, there ia Mr.. Watterson, I
oS the Conriey- Journal, who is perhaps the |
lnaTtest writer on the Southern press. He |
bid some very brilliant and earnest work |
q the Greeley campaign, doing the best |
writing that was done in that desperate !
s2d sentimental campaign. But he has |
lot written dozen great editorials since. |
lis work is all hippant, thinnish, and with