The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-05-03

is needed from day to day. He is the
contemporary historian. and quietly
submits to oblivion; in fact takes it
for granted and puts on no airs" The
editors life Is truly one of slavery to
duties. He labors almost In seclu-
sion, outside the world, as it
were, for the edifcation of the world.
His life of toll on the daily paper
goes ON from day to day over the
everlasting "copy' that must give
life and zest to his paper. He has
few. if any, moments for idleness or
for recreation. His life is one of I'M
ceasihg toll. His first duty in begin
ming the daily round of never-ending
labor is to carefully scan and digest
fifty or more exchanges, compiling
therefrom vast amount of in
formation pertaining to all sub
iects and to all things.
A panorama of the active world is be-
fore him, every day, and from among
the many pictures and scenes that
pass he notes and complies and re-
produces, or condenses the more
striking features of the comprehen-
sive view. What a world of print he
scans, and how quickly his practiced
eve and mind takes in at a glance
what may afford note or an item OF
news. More rapidly than the
novice imagines columns OF
matter are prepared, and then
mind and the hand take hold of ava
riety of subjects, and the white slips of
paper tell, often in awful scrawl, for
the editor has no time to write well
about social and political and bust
ness facts of the day and time. A va
riety of subjects are treated, and any
amount of issues discussed. The
editor must be ready for any emer,
gency, from the discussion of a pro-
found political subject to stat
ing the lightest society fact
he must write on finance
and on religion, on agriculture and
on the learned sciences; he must write
gaily or sadly. as occasion may re-
quire; must deal with any question;
and on a daily paper all this must be
performed without any other prepara-
ton than accumulated stores ever at
hand. The mind is always paying
out continuous threads of thought
and the wonder is that it lasts so well.
Editors do not always die young.
Though they must be par
ticularly loved of the gods,
there must be dispensation
in their behalf. that their good works
may live long IN the land. The edi-
tors influence is very decidedly felt,
and it should be exerted always for
righteous ends. Miss Field pays
journalists glowing tributes. A cor
respondent who lately called on her
said: perhaps no one ever stopped
to think of it, but there is
a distinctive difference between
the people who read the daily news
papers and the people who do not.
In Miss Fields department neither
belles-lettres nor bric-a-brac crowd
out the semi-daily papers. They have
a place in her parlor and space in her
life; and as a natural consequence she
brings to bear on the current queS-
lions of the hour just and thorough
| acquaintance with them. A vigorous
daily journal crowds out an immense
amount of nonsense and frippery in
woman's life, if once one happens to
| reflect upon it. But it was our pur-
pose to write only a paragraph pre-
senting the words of Miss Field in
honor of journalists; and here the
white sheets of copy paper have been
talking over lot of stuff about edi-
tors duties and their labor. 1t is the
way the thing goes. 1t is simply il
Illustrative of the manner in which the
thread is unwound, that fills up news
paper pages. The life of servitude to
public demand must be supplied, and
the greatest anxiety with all devoted
journalists is that they may lack ca
pacity to satisfy this demand.
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