National Republican., 1883-07-11
JOURNALISTIC sUpERsTITIoNs.
Some OF the PccuIiarities OF the Mon who
Make Newspapers.


burlington Rd,cEeye.
"Are editors as superstitious as theater ac-
tors, and sailors, and railroad menY asked
the old subscriber, sitting down in Queen
Annie chair and putting his feet timidly un-
der center table inlaid with Mexican onyx.
YES" said the solemn editor, "thoy are.
Ever since newspapers were invented by
Cadmus, journalists in every department have
had superstitious beliefs and ideas peculiar to
their profession. Now, there's the managing
editor. If the first man who comes into the
private Office Monday morning is man
who wants to go to congress and has an
editorial article three columns long, written
by himself, showing how tho country il lost
unless he is nominated IN aminuto the mana
ger is gloomy all day, because he doesn't be-
lievc that article Is going in the paper. No
reason for it, You know, only he is just SUI
perstitious enough to believe that the manu-
script will be lost in the waste basket ten feet
deep before the author is half way down
stairs. Then, there's is the leader writer, too.
II he found his pen sticking in tho paste,
he'd suspect Dan, down in the office, in u
minute. When he finds his desk opened and
all his pencils gone, he suspects the proof
reader, and when the paper comes out dated
Feb 81, he suspects the makeup. And an
other thing: if ho picks up pen by the
wrong end, no will turn IL around and say
something before ho will write with IT,. l'vo
talked with him about it, hut he won't give
any reason for it, As for the news editor, do
you see that mountain ofeNchangcs on his ta-
| biop We'll, before you get down stairs that
young man will lean out of the window
TO watch your appearance at the counting
room door, and ho will say I'll
bet n dollar that old cuss stole the Boston
Transcript and the Denver TribWc' He is
snpcrstitiOus about everything that happens
and every man that comes in. lie believes 1t
is bad luck to drop the scissors down the elc-
| vator well. Did it once, and they straddled
| right into both eyes of II regular advance
paying subscriber, who was looking up to see
tho elevator come down. He believes i'll
| Mascottcs. Gets five letters week from some
body, and the boys believe he has one. He
won't work on Sunday or the fourth Of July.
| Says wen n man works on Sunday it is II sign
he's lonesome. Ifhe wants tolget anything out
of the library when he is sitting ut his desk,
he crosses the room before he takes down the
book Crosses it again before he sits down.
! If we run out of paper the pressman believes
| ii is sign that the paper won't be out. II
| printer asks for money before pay day, it is a
| sign he hasn't been on the paper quite one
week. II is also sign that he'll never do it
again. If the pressman asks printer
for II dollar, 1t is II sure sign that the
| printer hasn't cent. When the foreman
finds handful of pie in with his quoins, and
! picks up sidcstick and starts down the
room, making loud remarks, it is n sign he is
going to land for the devil Oh, newspa-
per office is the most superstitious place you
can come to-"
"And yoursclf?" said the Old Subscriber.
Now do you believe in any of these
| things?"
II" said the Solemn Editor. ooh, be-
! lieve it's about tme-??p
The Old Subscriber nodded thrice, put on
his hat, rose to his feet. and the Old One and
the Solemn One passed slowly, but not too
slowly, down the winding stairs.