Mexico weekly ledger., 1882-05-11
Tha GAunfrY Edifor

The Country Editor.
To the Editor OF the Mexico Ledger.
VANDALIA, May 5.-WiH you please
tell us some of the peculiarities of a
country newspaper man.
A READER.
We are very sorry, but we are not
able to answer the above question in
full; nor would the LEDGER hold the
answer, even if we had the time to
compile the matter, but, as a general
thing, the country editor believes that
he was created to fill a vacancy in the
Temple of Fame or in a foreign min
lster's shoes. He may be a reformed
schoolmaster Or a lawyer without
practice he very often is-but
whether he is one or the other, or
both, or something else, he is almost
sure to be a practical printer and to
have an idea that his mission in life is
to elevate the masses or to lead some
political party on to victory. He
also has an idea that there is money
in a local weekly paper-probably
because he has heard of some party
putting money in one.
When he discovers a town without
a newspaper he buys a secondhand
press and a newspaper publishing out
it-on credit, and once proceeds to
fill a long felt want with II 200 cir
culation guaranteed" He hangs a
soul-stirring motto out on the battle
ments of his paper, a motto top-heavy
with sentiment "Be Just and Fear
Not" Universal Education-the
Safety of a Republic" e Puribus
Erin, Sic Semper Go Bragh," Or
other classical illusions of that vim
tage.
He never fails to launch forth a
%salutatory of which the following is a
fair sample:
"We enter upon the functions of
journalism with an %imperious con-
seriousness of a personal committal to
the high moral responsibilities incl
dent to a position recognized by in
telligence and morality as a represen-
tative and formative entity, moulding
and vitalizing the intelligent constitu-
ency who perpetuates by prerogative
its existence"
In addition to his duties as editor
he performs those of compositor,
proof-reader, reporter, obituary poet,
job-printer, pressman, advertising
solicitor, mailing clerk, target for
book agents and professional liars.
He is. the most versatile writer en-
gagged in any branch of literature.
The range of subjects that he handles
is wonderful, and the falicity with
which he can skip from one subject
to another is amazing. He can write
with equal. list and assumption OF
knowledge on all sorts of subjects.
beginning with the laws that keep
The planets i'll their radiant courses,
And ending with some precept deep
For skinning cells and shoeing horses"
A heavy editorial On s'The Typo
graphical Difficulties in the way OF
Successful Invasion of Russia across
the Persian Frontier" will engage his
attention in the morning. After con-
Guiding a column on that subject with
the assurance that he has warned the
European powers for the last time,
he will, without resting longer than
the time it takes to point his pencil,
write half a column of long-primel
eulogy on an early variety of cab,
bage presented to him by a subscrib.
er. Then, after refreshing himself
by setting up the matter for a poster
announcing a lecture by an Inherent
phrenologist, he will indulge in some
scathing sarcasm regarding a contem'
porary. He is always engaged in
controversy with some other editor,
whose newspaper he invariably refers
to as a ''sheet," a trucking Sheet
or ''the SUBSIDIZED organ of a clique
When he has occasion to refer to th,
rival paper, he makes free use Of ital
les and asks questions calculated tt
embarrass his brother journalist, &C
cusing him, it may be, of sacriiclns
several quires in the statement re
|, garding his circulation, %insinuatins
that his a + are Sbnormally develop
ed, and limiting at the fact that bow
legs + hereditary in the contempor
airy family.
But whether the country editor
writings sin words of learned lengtl
and laundering sound,' a johnson
ian essay on Asiatic Statecraft,
criticism on the Evidences of Evolu
ton as proved by some lately discoy
cred Sanscrit manuscripts, or, in ten
der and loving language, describin
the rapturous and soul-elevatin:
beauties of the drum-head variety Q
cabbage, as his opinion is law an
gospel. The country editor is
I power in the land-at least in his ow
mind.
/ We Have to Tell 1t.
A few evenings since a length
- o,{;,oo rooo,41x, fro~ tho r,,ra1 1;s