Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-10-21
AN EDITORS DREAM.
By SCOTT Way.

BY SCOTT WAY.
Once upon time village editor sat
in his quiet sanctum industriously pc
rusing the political editorials in his daily
city exchanges. Atlength that which he
read began to have its legitimate effect;
the editor nodded once, twice, thrice;
his eyes closed, the city daily fell from
his nerveless fingers, and three flies lit
upon his bowed bald head and balanced
all, and swung corners, and crossed over,
and promenaded all around, to the music
of the rythmical editorial snore. The
village editor was asleep; and, sleeping,
the village editor dreamed:
He sat at his desk with weary fingers
and aching head. The last local item
had gone into type, the last inside read
ing notice had been setup. and the young
est apprentice stood grimly by, with lines
of Impotence upon his brow and dau5
of ink under his LETT eye, waiting for
more copy. Suddenly there was step
without, the door opened, man entered.
and taking the vacant chair in front of
the editors desk, to which the editor
had politely called his attention, he
said:
my dear sir, my name is John w.
Smith. am subscriber to your paper,
as you very we'll know, and being in
town to-day thought would take the
opportunity to call and tell you that l
like your paper all but one thing: You
don't print enough matter on the tariff
question. Poetry and stories and funny
paragraphs and local items may do well
enough to fill up paper with in ordinary
times. but just now the country is awake
to the tariff question, and if you want to
keep your pancr alive you've got to give
your subscribers light on the tariff You
should not have less than three columns
of editorial and Eve columns of extracts
on the tariff every issue. That's all I've
got to say, and hope you'll bear it in
mind. BY the way, owe you for two
years subscription, and one of these
days I'll call in and pay it. Don't forget
to let yourself loose on the tariff; good
by
AS the man who wanted more light on
the tariff passed out, little nervous
looking person came in and took the
vacant chair.
s'Ah," he said, with little smile that
ILL.,
my dear man, / see you are absorbed in
thought, as an editor always should be-
And that reminds me that you are ne
glecting almost totally neglecting
science. Too much of politics, too much
OF politics, my dear man; your paper
will never grow i'll circulation while you
neglect science for politics. You should
devote not less than four columns week
to science. That's all / came in to say.
Be in some day and pay you my sub
scription. Good day; but don't forget
to give us plenty Of science"
The footsteps of the man who wanted
science had not gone beyond the editors
hearing when third visitor entered and
took tho vacant chair as if he were &C
customed to sit in it.
Il am sorry to notice that you are ne
glecting politics just at this important
period. he said, kindly but gravely
"You should strive to keep the vital
principles of our party constantly before
the people. like your paper in all but
its lack In this respect, and some
day, perhaps at the beginning of next
year, will subscribe for it. see it
now every week at Browns Office liz
you would write about five columns of
fresh political editorials every week
you'd see your papers going right up IN
circulation. That's what told Brown
yesterday, and he agreed with me. A
story and . scientific article occasion
ally and q little local matter and some
marriage and death notices to please the
women are all well enough, but can
tell you that country paper to amount
to anything. and have any influence, has
got to be full on political matters. That's
al I want to say now. Wien you want
any points on politics III begIad to help
you out. And. by the way, don't forget
that I'm candidate for the legislature;
good~day.n
The next visitor who took the vacant
chair thar sat in front Of the village edi-
tors desk spoke as follows
z stopped in to-day, sir, to tell you
that do nor want your paper any longer
In some respects it Is good paper, but
you do not print enough news matter.
You should hare i full page Of news at
least / don't care anything about
yonr protective tariff and your tariff
Of revenue only. or anything Of
fhat SORT wasn't the news When