National Republican., 1876-06-06

brain and memory. Having deter
mined to print 3 communication,
it may lay over in type for days, but the
editor goes home to sleep. and cannot give
instructions at 3 o'clock in the morning to
the statesmen and mailing clerks as to what
copies they shall send or reserve, because
he does not know himself what will be
crowded out by kilograms. The moral Of
all this is, that people should not trouble
editors with their manuscripts unless they
know how to write for the press, how to
capitalize and punctuste, and how not to
italicize. Some of our correspondents un-
deTscore nearly half their manuscripts.
This is an insult to our readers, and takes
much time to erase. 1t is equivalent to
saying to them CAS- you cannot understand
cor comprehend plain English, 1 furnish
"the emphasis and accent for you"
Those who write on both sides of their
paper, and forget to leave sufficient mar
gin at the top Of each page to admit Of al
taching the pages together with paste are
rarely or never read at all, no matter how
well composed, because they cannot well
be printed0without having first been
copied. Requests to return manuscripts
if not used had best never be made. They
prejudice the article in the first instance,
and oftentimes cause its return without ex-
animation.
One word while we are on this subject
as to the obligations newspapers are under
to "old subscribers" and constant read
ers." They are immense and are fully
appreciated. But they do not extend to
yielding the conduct of the paper to the
dictation of any one Of them. The confu-
sion that would result from trying to please
all of our thousands of "old subscriber"
and constant readers in few trlfling par
ticulars must be apparent to all. Whatever
might be said o1e day to please an "old
subscriber" would be taken back the next
to satisfy chronic old constant reader"
and the upshot of the whole matter would
be that the paper would have no individ-
uality, no force, no politics and no pro-
nouDced character on any subject. Do not
think we are growing unreasonably. We
are simply stating facts. If you doubt us,
Just devote four or five hours of each of
your own days, in which you really desire
to do something else, in deciphering the
manuscripts ofpeople who think they know
how to conduct newspaper, and that you
do not, and most of whom do not hesitate
to tell you SO when you reject their articles.
When you have tried this about eighteen
or twenty years and worked diligently
from p. m. to 3 a. m. in the attempt to
make a readable newspaper, having moth
ing in it but what would please, edify.
amuse or instruct usefully some one ofyour
readers, you will either agree with US or
you will deserve treatment by DR.. Nichols.
We propose soon to begin the publication
Of a weekly newspaper or a amonthly maya
zine, to be called the "Hotch Potch," to
be filled entirely with the contributions of
those who esteem themselves such accom-
plished writers that they are willing to be
judged by their merits. In order to test
this opinion we shall exact from each con-
tributor the payment Of sum equal to
thirty subscriptions in advance. The con-
tributions shall be printed cerbatim ct
lterdtum, as furnished by the contributor
over his own name, the only bar to their
production in the paper being profanity,
obscenity, or libelous words. An author
or writer who has not shown such talent
as to procure the backing of thirty sub
scribers to the journal which will print
his communications has no right to trouble
an editor with their examination. This
publication will enable the public to see
writers just as the editor now sees them.
And the verdict rendered will be fair one.
The object of such publication will be to
weed out the embryo literary world of I'M
posters, and establish it upon its real merits.
Ambitious aspirants to literary fame are
advised to prepare their best specimens
with thought and care. The first number
of the proposed journal will be printed
whenever there are subscriptions enough
obtained to warrant its issue.