The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-04-24
EDITORIALS AND EDITORIALS.

all, have at sundry times and on divers
occasions, manifested a disposition to be
facetiously critical in the matter of some OF
the HERALDs editorials, because of theil
Questionable length. Ard indeed some
ver7 witty and amusing bon, mo,s have beer
fired at us therefor, no one relishing them
more than ourselves. For instance, two OF
three column article has been designated as
our editorial brevity;" at another tine, we
are advised that our "treatise might serve
as valuable reading for Methusaleh in
the evening Of his old sge;'
again we are informed that We
must be very fond Of linked sweetness long
drawn out;' again, if we undertake to address
IA few words to Governor Roberts," the
query is propounded, "where would the cdi.
tor have stopped had he desired to address
the old Alcalde at LENGTH" again, one
journal suggests that urs" two column
article ought to be made into two hemis-
pheres and then.better-halved and quartered'
and so on. To all which criticism we listen
very kindly and very silectiorately, and then
straightway again pursue the even tenorof our
way under the very vivid recollection of that
excellent and daily applicable fable
OF our old friend, Ksop,
who relates that once upon time an old
man and his little boy were driving an ass
before them to the Eext market town where
it was to be sold. The first passer.by com.
planned to the old man that he made the poor
boy trudge on foot, whereupon no put the
boy on the ass. The next person they met
denounced the boy asa lazy young rascal to
thus ride and allow his old father 10 walk,
whereupon the latter mounted tho animal
when two women, little later on, ex-
claimed "for shame! to make the little fellow
walk" Both then rode, when the next
traveller mot remarked that the riders
were better able to carry the asa than the ass
was to carry them. So, finally discouraged
and disguised they tied the ass legs to u
long pole, and the two shouldering
the burden trudged along under
the weight. We learned that lesson
when very young from ono of the Greek
readers, and 1t has served us many useful
purpose.
Tho truth is, as must appear to the ordi-
nary mind, the length of an editorial, like
the length of anything else. is of relative ad.
measurement and adjustment; it must be de.
termioed by and fitted 10 the subject matter.
Tho size of the shell ought to be proper.
Tomato to the Quanlum of meat Which, it
envelopes, and the value of the RELATIVELY is
to no determined by u proper comparison.
No Procrustean rack of language should be
made to cramp and dstort the thought. 1t
is the reversal of the rules OF common sense
to urge it. When st. Patrick found that his
burial box for the last ser
p0nt on the banks of Killarney
Was large enough to 10. in all but the tail
end of tho "varmnt,' he cared not whit
he had secured the body; but hsd it been %
small, Ireland might to-day be full of
snakes; he made a case for goodly sized
captive and not lizard. We remember
having heard tailor contend that the non
| fitting coat made for the boy was because the
boy was too small for the coat; possibly
some Of our csptious critics arc in the condi.
ton of the small boy. While in this era of
quick transportation, close condensation and
rapid evolution, writer should seek to COM
press his thoughts in rs few words rs
possible, it is as absurd to measure the
volume or length of tho latter bya yard,
stick, regardless of the ideas to DO contained
as i, would DO 70, builder 10 erect all his
bu ,Ings two and half stories high, regard.
lrss otthe inhabitants to occupy il; or for
farmer TO work ono hundred acres of land
prospective of his laborcrs, implements and
1--we stock; or for u man 10 eat just so much
dnror regardless Of tho requirements of his
stomach. A local report, foreign or
domestic communication on some subject
may just as scnsibly DO circumsctibol by the
ioot'rule or the inch measuring tape, as An
editorial. And so of the sentences and words
themselves; so of the size of book or
the copy Of newspaper. The principle
involved in these few out Of numberless pos
sible illustrations is tho same.
Sometime sircs, the Chicago Times pro-
posed so 10 arrange its issues, that the size Of
lie sheets should be adjusted and regulated by
,nn quantity Of matter II might have to pub
l~a, Tho idea Is marked by common sense
from any stand point, To-day the various
tails of the country often enlarge or
idtract special editions, the Sunday columns
OF tho mctropol.sns running several columns
wider and few inches longer. This Il as Il
should DO. In the haste and hurry Of our
modern, and more especially American life,
We lean too much toward superficial
'kimming and so are running tho chances Of
loss Of balance and the force Of tho impulse,