The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-05
SEVEN THOUSAND ESSAYS.
A Prolific Writer Whose Best Work Is
ANONYMOUS.


Preface to George Augustus Salas Latest Book.
have had during career much less of a
literary than Of a journalistic character extend
ing over more than fve-and thirty years, great
deal to do with publishers l may add that, Of
some thirty works to which my name is at ached,
not one has made its appearance in book form
without it having previously passed through
the columns of newspaper or the pages of a
magazine some other periodical; and it has
been to me matter of standing establishment
that booksellers should have care to buy or
the public to read that which, as a rule, had
been written in desperate hurry, and the effects
of which no subsequent revision could cure.
The few and unsuccessful novels which
have attempted have been. as literary perfor
mances, more hurried than my newspaper con-
tributions; for very many of the latter were
penned In far distant countries before the days
of ocean telegraphy, and a special correspond
ent abroad did not before he was tied to the tail
of wire) work every day in the week; and (un-
less he was on the war path, he had some little
leisure to look about him, confer with himself,
and model his article in his mind before com
hitting that article to paper. But when
the journalist is at home, and to the func-
tions of writer Of leading articles adds
dramatic critic, and scribbler oG g0s
sip-to say nothing of the produetitn Of
large quantity of miscellaneous work d which
the public have no more suspicion Of bis bel6
the author than they have Of his being tue u III
dial that he does 1.-THE leading articles alwa1
excepted) must be done in hurry. The exercise
last named, indeed, must of necessity be delibefz
ately planned, carefully thought out. and writter
with the greatest care and attention It Ct
only column and one-eighth of largish typ It's
actual composition does not occupy more dian
two hours; but at least, preliminary three heil1
and often more-must be devoted to the men
tai adjustment of its form and manner In 444
course of twenty-four hours il is completely for
gotten. / have written some Z, 900 Of Theses
ephemeral essays; and can c0nscientiously de-
clare that very few Of their number have
been hurried in their composition. If an
artisan is to be allowed to Judge Of his own
work, I may say that the very best Of the poor
stuff which have produced has appeared in the
leading columns OF a daily newspaper to which,
during period of twenty seven years / have
been constant contributor; and now that / am
growing old and past service sometimes re-
| fleet with no small amount of bitterness. that
| the papers to the preparation and execution of
| which have devoted all the knowledge and all
the capacity which / may possess, and which
! contain the whole marrow OF what mind I
may have, will never see the light again;
! and that / shall only be remembered--if
am remembered at all-only as writer of
mass of desultory essays and sketches
! Of foreign travel, of a mass of bald
chat, aud four bad novels. The last perhaps
show more than do any .otber Of the things
which have written the marks of slovenliness
and haste; for when / am in England work at
my trade as a journalist many hours every day,
| except Saturday; and the few romances which
the proprietors of periodicals have induced me
to write have been flung off in the brief inter
walls between the daily spell of grinding newspa
per toll flung off so rapidly that / have often,
for the copy Of which the printers boy has
been clamoring in the passage, forgotten the
very names of the characters whom had intro
duced in the preceding portion.