Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-07-05
SALA ON HLS WORK.
His Natural Capacity for Blundering-Jour-
naiistiC Secrets.

IPall-Slall Gazette.l
The Echoes for the Year 1899 will.
hone" SAYS Mr.. Sala, " be taken with the
LAWYERS saving clause. errors excepted
! have a great natural capacity for blunder-
ing, and owing TO that fact and the circum-
stance that nv eyesight, normally weak. IL
growing weaker every year. while my
handwriting, which was once Joy
10 the CompoSltors, has become their
desrair. il is possible that great
many errors, typographical and other
wise. may have crept in'o these pages
We have often admired Mr.. Sala's beautiful
cletkly hand. the neatness OF his letters,
the symmetry Of their formation. the deli
cscy OF their lines, with envy, and feel con-
fidont, in spite Oi these pesslmistic sem
fences, that it will b. long before compost
tors do not welcome Dir. Sala's "cOpy.' |
In his preface Mr.. Sala lets Us into one or |
two little Journalistic secrets which we do .
not hesitate TO reveal. ~ have had he |
.ays, during a career much less OF 4 literary |
than Of journalistic character, extending !
over more than tiyc-and-thirty years, I
great deal to do with publishers. | may |
add that Of some thirty works 10 which /
my name is attached, not one has made It's /
appearance in book form without it, hay-
Ing previously passed through the columns
Of a newspaper. or the pages OF magazine.
or some other periodicals.; and it has been
10 me matter OF standing astOni>hment that
book sellers should have cared to buy. or
the public to read, that which, aS rule,
bad been written in desperate hurry,
and the defects OF which no subSe-
qucnt revision could cure. The few
ard unsuccessful novels which | have
attempted have been. as literary per-
iormances. more hurried than my news
manor contributions; for very many OF the
latter were penned in far-diStant countries
before the days Of ocean teegraphy, and
special correspondent abroad did not DE
fore he was tied 20 the tail OF 4 wire) work
every day in the week; and (unleSs he
ives on the war-path) he had some little
leisure To look about him, confer with him
sell. and model his article in his mind, be-
committing that article to paper. But
when the Journalist is at home, and
to the functions Of writer OF lead
! ing articles adds those OF reviewer. an art
critic, a dramatic critic, and a scri0bler OF
| gossip--to say nothing OF the production OF
| a large quantity Of miscellaneous work OF
which the public have no more suspicion
| OF his being the author than they have Of
| his being the Mabd-all that he does (the
| leading article always eNcepted) must be
| done in hurry. The exercise last named.
| indeed, must 81 necessity be deliberately
| planned. carefully thought out. and written
! with the greatest care and attention.
| Il ills oply column and one eighth OF
| largest tyre; lis actual composition does
not occupy more than two hours; but 1t
| least. preliminary three hOurS-lnd often
more-must be devoted to the mental adj
| justment OF it, form and manner. In M
! course Of twenty-four hours il il completely
, FORGOTTEN. ! have written some 1000 Of
! these ephcmcral essays; and j can con-
! scicntiOu-lv declare that very few OF their
! number have teen hurried in their compo-
| sitiOn. IL an artisan is 10 be allowed b
iudge Of his own work, | NAV say that
! The very best OF the poor stun which |
| have produced has appeared in the Lead
inc columns Of a daily newspaper to which.
during a period Of twenty-seyen years,
have been constant contributor; and now
that am growing old and past service,
sometime, reflect. with no small amount
| Of bitterness. that the papers 10 the pre-
| narration and execution OF which | have
| devoted all the knowledge and oil
the capacity which | may possess,
and which contain the whole mar
row OF what mind / may have, will
never see the light again; and that shall
only be remembercd-li | am remembered
at all-orly ~ 4 writer OF mass OF deslll-
tory ESSAYS and sketches ~ foreign travel;
Of a mass Of bald chat and four bad novels.
The last. perhaps, show more than do any
other OF the things which have written the
marks OF sloyenliness and haste, for when |
am In England work At my trade As u iOurn-
slist many hours every day except saturday,
and the few rOmsncts which the proprl-
etors OF periodicals have induced me to
write have been flung or in the brief inter-
walls between the daily spells OF grinding
newspaper toll; flung of so rapidly that
have often. while rushing through an in
stalment OF tale for the copy OF which
the printers boy has been clamorlng IN
the passage. forgotten the very names OF
the characters whom | had Introduced In
the preceding portion"
Mr.. Sala has a great army Of correspond
ents. bailing, he says, from every quarter OF
the globe, and belonging to all RANKS and
conditions OF society-irOm noblemen ana
fine ladies to paupers and heketot-ieaVe
men. "From reverend diyincs snd grave
psychologists TO school-b0ys and school'
girls, from general officers to hospltal or
derlles, from physicians to undertakers,
from mad doctors TO mad folk-all
seem TO UANt AItfNu ~ IN
clusion that the Echoes OF the week
in the Illustrated london NelcS are =
series Of answers 10 correspondents, ana
should be nothing else; and they be'iege
me with questions and importune me to
answer them forthwith" lie sometimes
speaks responsibility Of these friends 81 his
concerning their queries, but some OF them
apparently contribute not only TO Ms
wa,te-psper basket hut to more inter
esting regions OF Mecklenburg-square.
"U MENTION" be writes in his
preface, with gratitude the unknown
ladies and gentlemen who have from
time 10 time sent me presents OF po'
tatoe., Indian corn, kentish butter, apple
lam. Bath divers, and gingerbread nuts
one good soul offered to send me
some eonger-eel, but the dreaded g'f'
fortunately did not arriye-l do SO
certainly not with any inert intent
Of limiting that repetition OF such fayor'
would be agreeable to me, but with view
10 respectfully deprecating the sending tC
me. under any circumstances whatever
packages Of what the Americans tern