The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-08-09
A youRMAImr-s vvoRK-
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lifexazy than cf . journalistic chaxacses. extending over more than i've and thirsy years, . great deal tc do wish puhlisAess l may add that, of some tkizsy woxks to which my name is attached, noe one has made iss appearance in book form with out its having previously passed through the columns of newspaper, CT the pages ofa magazine ex some ether peri odacal; and it has been to me matter of sanding assonishment that booksellers should have cared to buy, or the pubic to read, that which, as rule, had been written in desperate hurry, and the de- fects of which 10 suhseqvens revisicn could cure. The few and unsuccessful novels which have attempted have been. as literary performances. more hurried than my newspaper conu,busions tor very many of the latter were penned in far distant countries betore the days ci ocean telegraphy. and special cores pondent abroad did no, before he vas tied to the end of wire work every day in the week: and tunless he was on the wsypath1 he had some little leisure to look about him, confer with himself, and mold his article ic his mind before com hitting iha, article to paper. But when the )osrnaliss is as home, and to the functions of writer of leading articles adds those of reviewer, an art critic, . dramatic critic and scribble1 of gossip ito say nothing of the production of a large quantity ot miscellaneous work of which the public have no more suspicion of his being the author than they have of his being the Mahdi-all that he does (the leading articles always excepsed) must be done in a hurry. The exercise last named, indeed, mus of necessity be deliberately planned, carefully thought out. and written win the greatest care and attention. ls fills only column and one-eighsh of large type ; its actual con- position does nor occupy more than two years; but, at least, preliminary three hours-and often more-must be devoted to the mental adjustment of it's form and manner. In the course of twenty-four hours it is completely forgotten. lhave written some several thousand of these ephemeral essays, and can conscien- tously declare that very few of their num- Der have been hurried in their composi- ton. If an artisan IS to be allowed to judge of his own work, may say that the very best of the poor stud which l have produced has appeared in the lead ing columns of daily newspaper 10 which, during period of tweniy-seven years, have been q constant contributor :; and now that am growing old and past service, sometimes reflect, with no small amount of bitterness, that the papefs to the preparation and execution of which have devoted all the knowl- edge and all the capacity which may possess, and which contain the whole marrow of what mind ] may have, will never see the light again and tha, 1 shall only be remembered-if l am re membered at allonly as writer of a mass Of desultofy essays and sketches of foreign travel, of mass of bad chat. and four bad novels. The last, perhaps, show more than do any other of the things which have written the marks of slovenli- ness and haste; for when am in Eng land work al my trade as Iournalis, many hours every day, exeep, Saturdays ; and the few romances which the pro- piietors of periodicals have induced me to write have been flung of in the brief intervals between the daily spells of grind ing newspaper toil; flung of so rapidly that have often, while rushing through an installment of tale for the "copy |" of which the printers boy has been elamoring in the passage, forgotten the very names of the characters whom had introduced in the preceding portion"
 Mir. Sala has great army of cores pondenss, hailing, he sayA from every quarter of the globe, and belonging to all ranks and conditions of society-fTom noblemen and hne ladies to paupess and tiekef-ofleave men. "From reverend divines and grave arch1ologisss to school boys and school girls. from general off, dus to hospital osderiieA Eom physi- ciaNs to undertAkers, from mad doctors to mad folk-ail seem to have arrived at the c6peiusion that the Echoes of the Week, Nin the Xssfraks1 Lcsdes Newg are sesiss of answsrs to correspondent, and should be nothing slse i; and they besiege me sf<h questions and importune me to ansveftkAm forthwith" He some times speaks hsproachfuliy of thess friends of his coaesGsing their queries, but some of them appusnfiy coatnbute not only to his wasts-papU basket bus to uAosS hsSsSs*A1k tSBso0S 3E AhE0- burg Square If l msntioa, writer in his pselace, "visa grsatsds fke ~sn- known ladies and gendemsn vho hass from time to time sent me presents ol potatoes, Indian corn, Kenfish butter, apple jam, Bath Olivess ssd eisesossad nufs--one good soui offered to sssd nc some congss-sel, bat the dreadful giA fortunately did not arrive-l do 70 CT. tainly not with any inert intent of histins that repetition of such hvors would U agreeable to me. but with . view to re- specsfully deprecatiag the sending to me under any circumstances whatever, pack. ages of what the Americans term pro. duce'S
 4 Brief Sermon on Crsnks.
 Burlington Havkeye.l
 What would we do were II not for th< cranks! How slowly the tired old vodd would move did not the cranks keep |