The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-07-15

90 doctors, or lawyers, or clergymen.
Inere is no college where they are
taught. There is no curriculum for
them to study. There are no professors
Oh newspapers. There are no diplomas,
ana there are no degrees for an editor.
Perhaps should say that none of the
ordinary schools in which other profess
slons are taught, answer for the news
paper. The best school is the printing
ONCE. The best teacher is the click OF
the type and the atmosphere of the COM
posing room. The tact of an editor can
not be taught at an academy. There are
no books or masters to follow. Like
the artist, the editor must have genius,
and genius is not borrowed or taught.
But though you cannot teach editors in
schools or academies, you can teach
boys. And after you have taught the
boy in school, you may teach the editor
in printing Office. But be careful not
to insert him at the wrong end of the
shop. Start him down among the roll.
ers and the lye brushes, and he will
work his way out to the sanctum. When
he gets there he will know how to stay
there. But if you start him at the sar c.
tum, the probabilities are that he will
soon find himself in the cellar. 1t is
one of the evils of our times that not
only with regard to this, but equally
with regard to all trades and professions,
tile young men are unwilling to begin
at the bottom. The grades of a printing
office should be inexorable as the grades
OF an army. There should be no re-
movals except for cause, and no pro-
motions except for merits. The history
OF the newspaper press proves the posi-
tion L here take. The best, the ablest
and most successful editors this land
has produced came up from the
rule and the composing stick. / have
known scores of tramping jour printers
who had every qualification for brillian
success in journalism, except the one of
steady habits. men of wide learning, of
sparkling genius, and commanding in
tellect. And never yet saw a strictly
educated man who was fit for an editor.
They are too starchy and stiff. They
are toe. nice and precise. They are too
learned and profound. A profound news
paper would die in week. Two things
are certainly and equally fatal to
newspaper, Ignorance and profundity.
But l think of the two it can stand igno-
rance the better, for there are great
many people who are ignorant, and
very few who are profound. Daniel
Webster once undertook to write an
editorial for newspaper. 1t was seven
columns long and solid with statesman
ship and wisdom. But the editor ad-
vised him 10 deliver it in Congress and
let the newspaper off. 1t sometimes
happens that schoolmaster out of
job, or am bilious of fame, seeks laurels
and cash in the editorial sanctum.
These are the worst failures in the
whole lot. They invariably run out
their tongues when they write, use
ruled paper, dot all their is, cross all
their. t's, and parse every sentence be-
fore it goes to press. They are designed
to succeed better on monthly or
quarterly publications, or those
which come cut once year.
than on the daily press. If
is calculated to worry the pa.
tience of an editor, it is to see a school
master laboring over paragraph. The
and interlineatiuns, the stop
ping and starting, the tearings up and
beginnings again, the consultations Of
he dictionary, the wise look at the wall,
the doubt about grammar, and the
greater doubt about ideas, are fearful to
behold. state an exact truth when |
say that L have seen some of these edu-
Gated gentlemen spend two precious
hours In trying to put a simple state
ment in paragraph of ten lines, and
fail. A surplus of grammar kills them.
And yet the editor must not fail in
grammar. His sentences must be clear
cut, precise and perfect. But he must
10 it without exertion, and with the
same ease and freedom that he would
engage in conversation. This faculty he
gets when he goes through the grades.
He cannot bring it with him from any
other profession. There are possible
but they are rare, exceed
ngly rare, and only prove the rule.
The shoemaker had better stick to his
asst, the schoolmaster to his school and
he editor to his sanctum. No man
'an be an editor who does not unC er-
tand all the details of his business. lie
must be competent to fill any gap in any
,lace at any moment. He must know
low to do all that is needed to be done
IN a newspaper. He must be able 20
write n leader or paragraph at a
moments notice, or without any notice
It al. He must be man of quick per-
eption, of prompt decision and force of
haracter. He must be leader. He
must command the ship.