Daily Kennebec journal., 1876-11-06
Miscellaneous.
THE EDITORS WASTE BASKET.
AN EXPERTS VALUATION OF ADVISORY
AND INDIGNANT LETTERS. fK

Undoubtedly the most entertaining parts
OF editorial correspondence are the indig-
nant and the instructive letters. Horwiath,
Billingsgate. and bad grammar deliber-
ately written out, sealed, stamped, post
ed. and arriving in due course of mail
cool and still, are very ludicrous. The
staleness of champagne that has been
opened for some days is type of the let
ter OF wrath and fury when it reaches the
editorial hand. And if anger could ever
be reasonable, the furious gentleman or
lady would count 25 with Tattycoram be-
fore committing indignation 10 ink and
paper. He does not mean to be ridicu-
lous, but he makes himself so, and no
peals OF laughter in the busy sanctum are
ever more sincere and ringing than those
which greet the missivc of the indignant
correspondent.
OF course honest and simple corrections
OF statement are of the utmost use. and
are in the highest degree valued by every
sensible editor. When the conductor of
the London Times was asked how he knew
the movement of public opinion, which
his paper so accurately represented, he
answered that he knew it by his cores
pondence. That was, perhaps, as good an
explanation as he could give of what is
really inexplicable. For an editor appre-
hends instinctively. by tact which is not
TO be learned, so that, like the poet. he Is
born, not made. Great volleys OF episto-
larry censure are, therefore, not necessary
to teach him that he has done something
which displeases. He knows that he will
do so before he begins, and he begins only
because he has counted the cost. II the
editorial object be to reflect public opinion
the letters will represent only the scatter
ing readers who disagree, and whose dis
approval he expects and has already "dis-
counted"
II the object be to oppose strong public
opinion, he knows equally that there will
be vehement and general protests and
that also, he has already weighed. If,
indeed, the editor be not an editor, but
simply an occupant Of the editorial chair,
then he is utterly at sea. Two letters or
twenty equally confuse and confound him.
He has no idea, and can have none,
whether they represent the cr0chets Of
twenty people or public opinion. The edi-
torial sagacity is that which assures its
pOssessor of action and reaction in public
sentiment, although he cannot point out
to you the detailed sources of his knowl-
edge. In political campaign" he ap-
prehends the movement for or against q
or party, and knows that, to-
day, the chances are doubtful which yes
terday were favorable. To write little
letters of indignation to such man is like
swearing at the north star. 1t is mere
waste.
The other kind of remonstrance is the
This usually concerns the char
acter of the feast which the editor pro-
vides for his readers, or consists of judi
cious hints as to his management OF his
own business. 1.-The Father of o Family"
wishes to know why the editor admitted
story which he is constrained to say Is far
from the standard which he conceives the
editor of publication of such lofty pre-
tensions should constantly regard;
and he is sorry to say that he. the
parent, is considering whether it be
not his duty to decline to receive the work
any longer. This is unquestionably an
interesting consideration to the parent,
but he should remember that editors are
very busy men, and should therefore re-
frain from troubling them with his mental
processes. If the father of family would
but reflect for a moment, he would per-
that for every such letter of reproof, an
editor receives another OF commendation.
and, if he should undertake to govern his
conduct by them, the result would be pitt
iful. Indeed, the same disposition must
be made OF the didactlc letters as of the
indignant, and they must be dropped into
the limbo of entire uselessness. What
the individual A suggests, the individual
B rdicules. and that which arouses the
ire OF c, rejoices the heart of d. The ed
itor, therefore. is the only person who can
intelligently and properly reply, in the
tabled words OF an eminent philanthro-
pst whose charitable attention was asked
to single case of suffering, ~ am too
busy with humanity to have time for in
dividuals."
The object of this brief discourse is to
save the time of worthy people who are
about committing indignation to paper,
or who kindly design to teach somebody
else how to manage his business. The
text is to be found in an editors waste
basket.