Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1884-04-19
CONL ON PEENI-A-LiNL RS,
Habits and ilaunts Of space W riters
.--Sharp Practices OF metropolitan
News N a X ePs.

Habits and NauDtS of space w riteTs
.--&Harp Practices OF ygrtropalitan
News-JIakers.
[I.ondon Cor. Philadelphia Press
IN describing the London newspaper
pres Of day it is no inapprop late
beginning. l hope, to descend to the
low est round of tho ladder, and to in
troduce your readers forthwith to the
''penny-al liner" He still exlsts-poor
fellow-nnd at times plays an import
ant part in the pages Of daily journal
ism Indeed, with Il clear run of luck,
vent re to state that the liner is the
most read al OF the day and when be
he's CHANGED to fall on a gr, at seusa-
ton aud is successful in reta ng the
MI nopo,y, his readers are to be num-
be. ed by millions, and are limited only
by the united circulation OF the several
prints publishing his "cc py.' ct the
author Is doomed to bush unseen while
vast ng his sweetness in soAle gin shop.
The liner" then, IS 'the p cGer-np
of unconsid red trities" the seayenger
Of the press. As such he is attached to
no one paper but contributes to all.
he belongs to no s.a and acknow.-
edges no superior. / Is da ~ work de-
pends entirely upon his own selection,
and his anxiety at Ill hours is ior news
When his search is successful, he pro-
ceeds to use his blacks q carbonlZed
papc.', lis stylus, and his WITS, in order
to produce some six or ei.ht tiimsies,"
VI ich he afterwArd drops iuto the re-
spective &c ..itor's" boxes of Feet street,
in the hope that one, two, three, or zen
more of tie .ournas Oh the following
dav viii contain his item OF intelli-
gence. The liner is paid by the line
for what is used only, and hence his iD-
come Il most precarlous ne. Per
chance some windtall may put heap
OF god N lbs way, at lare inter 10,
but IN tue ordinary course his "hins;os'
are thrown into the waste basket rs
soon IS received.
SuL-etlitors are but human, and
bad y-wrltten, almost illegible, horribly
spelled. and frantir ally ungrammatigal
expressions on commonplace subjects
are liable to try their pAuelce unduly.
81 it dowu' i, rue which is not to
the liners" interest to observe. On
the her hand, one OF the chief quail
tica.ions OF his craft is to enlarge, eX-
pad distenl, dilate the most matter
O.-fact circumstances. -Artful liners
write small. cramped hand, and leave
no margins for corrections or space be
tween The lines.
If so 70. tunate as to secure some s0r.
o. ensagemt nj by one OF the morning
or evening papers, the liner has Il
stimulus to laEor hol city, VIII h
-,
out. There is every reason
to oppose that low-class liners"
make til ma. or part OF their incomes
out of the douciers they rece We for sup
pre- sing le jorts. lrovi led there lie n
combination among them, they can
safely promise to keep it out of the
papers," AID they are sometimes bribtd
to hu IA up what probably never would
lave appeared at all; for it is the
ignorant man who m ,gniiies his per-
sol al affairs that is most DESTROYS Of
paving hush money.
The feeling of rivalry is SO strong
among liners" that they do not hes. tate
to betray each other when it serves
their purpose. An anus nS incident is
related by MI James Grant, formerly
ed tor of rhe Morning Advertiser. \
Liner W 0, in those days, was allowed
Access to the sub editors room placed
on the table repo.t OF the romantic
elopement of rich beauty with Il
s:able-bov. The sub-e tor a absent.
and before he retitrne another
elmer" entered the room, saw
the heading of tie copy ami
pur;oined the news. hen, he
set to work to rewrite the statement
.hich WAS a most interesting one. AID
under his own na G, 70 ,k 1t back to
the Of &c. I e a co ). t Il ,ly :. peared.
Eoth diners sent III their bills, and
the dishonest one was trst at the cas- /
iers count +, ard Went his way with his
i.l-go ten gains. On the arrival OF the
Il al author scene eHsued, and the sub
editor was called upon to prolUce the
MSS. On his dong so the victimiZed
liner was bew' .ldered to find hat it
was his rivals handwr ting. y collision
subsequently TOOK place, in the sub
EDITORS presence, between the two
"penny-a-llneIs, and 10y and by tne re-
, erin nations reached so great II heig:lt
tina the real author, dete mined to be
rev,nged on his enemy at al hazards,
broke out with greaS energy in these
words: cir the article is mine. That
man must have stolen the Ply lie on
youg de,k for there IS MT q WORT OF
truth in the Story. 1t w,s pure inyen-
to- Of mine from beginning to cad"
COME WITH THE CROWD.