The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-07-26
journalistic superstitions.
SOME OF THE PECULIARITIEs OF THE MEN
WHO MAKE NEWSPAPERS.

Who MAKE NEWSPAPERS.
Burlington Hawkeye.
T'ATe editors us superstitious as theatef
actors, and sailors and railroad men 27'
asked the old subscriber, sitting down in
Queen Anne chair and putting his feet
timidly under center table inlaid with
Mexican onyx. ".
EYES," said the solemn editor, "they
are. Ever since newspapers were invented
| by Cadmus, journalists in every depart
ment 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 togo
to Congress and has an editorial article
three columns long, written by himself,
showing how the country is lost unless he
is nominated in minute, the manager is
gloomy all day, because he doesn't believe
that article is going in the paper. No
reason for it, you know, only he is just SUI
perstitious enough to believe that the man.
! uscript will be lost in the waste basket ten
| feet deep before the author is half way
down stairs. Then, there is the leader
writer, too. If he found his pen sticking
in the paste, he'd suspect Dan, down in
the office, in 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. 30, he suspects
the make up And another thing if he
picks up pen by abe wrong end, he will
turn it around and say something before he
will write with!it. I've talked with him
about it, but he won't give any reason for
it, AS for the news editor, do you see that
mountain of exchanges ON his table Well,
before you get down stairs that young man
will lean out of the window to watch your
appearance at the counting-room door, and
he will say i IL bet dollar that old cuss
stole the Boston Transcript and the Denver
Tribune He is superstitious about every
thing that happens and every man that
comes in. He believes it is bad luck to
drop the scissors down the elevator WELL
Did it once, and they straddled right into
both eyes of a regular advance paying sub
scriber, who was looking up to see the ele-
vator to come down. He believes in Mas
cottes Gets five letters week from some-
body, and the boys believe he has one. He
won It work on Sunday or the Fourth of
July. Says when man works on Sunday
it's sign he's lonesome. If he wants to
get anything out of the library when he is
sitting at his desk, he crosses the room be4
fore he takes down the book. Crosses it
again before he sits down. If we run out
of paper, the pressman believes it is sign
that the paper won't be out. If a printer
asks for money before pay day, it is sign
he hasn't been on the paper quite one
week. 1t is also sign that he II never do
it again. If the preSsman asks q printer
| for dollar. it is a sure sign the printer
hasn't cent. When the foreman finds q
handful of pie in with his quOins, and
picks up sidestick and starts down the
room, making loud remarks, it is signhe
is going to land for) the devil. Oh, a
newspaper Office is the most superstitious
place you can come to-"
"And yourself p said the Old Subscriber.
''Now, do you believe in any of these
things ?''
II 20 said the Solemn Editor. 'Oh, l
| believe it s about time--???"
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