The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-08-18
AnnOyances of Editors,

Not editors alone but nearly all bust
ness men daily receive communications
from individuals in whom they have not
the slightest interest, but who, neverthe-
less, feel terribly aggrieved if the most
senseless inquiry is not Immediately an
swered by the long-suffering portion of
humanity whose trials Job himself could
scarcely have borne with patience.
Some persons seem to have mistaken
impression that the business of other
people couldn't be carried on at all
without "valuable suggestions and ad-
vice from themselves" said "advice"
generally coming in badly spelled,
horribly written missive, informing the
delighted recipient that "he's an idiot,
and that the writer always knew he
was" OF course all dissatisfied cor
respondents don't express their opinions
in the above straightforward manner,
but say what, in the end, really
amounts to about the same thing.
As rule, editors are not unwilling
to answer respectful queries, or those
that can in any way benefit the ques-
toner or the public; but when, during
political campaign, somebody wants
to know if the aspirant for gubernatorial
honors really did throw his mother-in-
law over mammoth two-inch boulder
into roaring, rushing, ,foaming, fathom-
less washtub below, or why it isn't
is mine," the average editor is apt to
pine for " lodge in some vast wilder
| ness"
Another annoyance is caused by as
pirants to literary honors, who begin by
saying: 81 now take my pen in hand"
and asking why they can't write length
wise and crosswise, and diagonally
across the paper when they send an
article for publication. If some such
original genius didn't take special pains
to say he took the pen in his hand, al
most any editor would be Just foolish
enough to imagine that the writer
showed it up under his left optic, or
! tied it to lock of his auburn hair, but
the positive statement that he holds the
pen in his hand precludes the possibility
of any conjecture on the subject, thus
saving the editors valuable time, as he
might otherwise spend several precious
minutes speculating on the matter.
Then there are the "chronic grumb-
lers who never were satisfied with
anything, and never will be, and who
send delightful autograph letters to the
unfortunate publisher of some paper,
complaining that he "prints too much
trash, and too little sense. or too much
sense, ald too little trash." anything in
fact that will do to growl about, and
make people think the sun is under a
permanent eclipse. Then, too, the
"sweet affection" that exists between
the editors of rival papers must be q
source of intense qualification to all
concerned, and be accused of conduct
ing any publication simply from merce-
nary motives, when everybody knows
that editors are dead-heads, and poverty
stricken beings anyhow, must soon
cause regret for the vanished days of
happy childhood, when they could play
"mumblety-peg" with the tolerable
certainty of hitting somebody with the
deadly weapon used in that delighted
game. These are but few of the daily
trials to which editors are subjected,
although "life is not all dark" to them
anymore than individuals who follow
some other profession. Most people
have as many friends as they deserve
and doubtless the delight of occupying
conspicuous position at circuses anG
public entertainments more than coun
terbalance any trifing annoyance ik
the few herein mentioned S. Hud
D SON, in Detroit Free Press,