Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-12-11
1-RnN. j 800 ulALI YRdE.

| ing newspaper man. -f5enry' tse0rge'
The working newspaper man is o
| laborer indeed one who goes through
this life, tired, buffeted about and un-
appreciated Few persons ever con
/ slider the trials of the editor. Fewer
/ realize that his labor is both of brain
and body. Some men brag of their
ability as letter-writers. The average
editor has written ten thousand
words where they have written one.
4 He has used enough ink to float a
steamboat; enough paper to bridge
! the ocean enough gas to light Phil
| adelpliai His scissors have made
more intiaions INTO exchanges than
there are holes 10 II thousand combs.
of honey People speak, Of the grind
I OF toll Newspaper men have e1pe-
irie1,cedit. How would you like to
have hundredsof people telling you
how 70 run your business? How
would you relish the task Of writing,
when your head was dizzy. your mind
tired, your thoughts running ike SO
many mad devils through your brain
How would you like to do q kind act,
and then be insulted for it; to be the
prey Of the dead beats of every ave-
cation in life to be sassed, and elur-
red and hunbugged! These are but
few items in an editors career
But suppose the editor is also the
contractor, collector, compositor and
business manager; which is frequent
ly the case in country offices, imagine
how little spare time he has for pleas
IRE. He comes to bis Office early in
the morning, after probably laying
awake all nighS, wondering how he is
going to meet his next paper draft
The compositors meet him with calls
for copy He sits down to write;
but just when he begins to warm up
to his subject, in comes tramp to
ask for exchanges, or creditor with
that ''little bill.n He has lost the
run of his article, and looses all heart
in it. Still he writes on, but his ideas
are scattered. Then a subscriber"
drops in and wants him to come down
right away to see his garden, or
puff" his butter. And, thus the day
passes away, and the night finds the
editor heert-sick and weary. But he
dares not to go home and enjoy the
comfort Of wife and children. Such
and such meeting is being held
SO and SO viii speak. A live paper
must note these things The editor
must be there. And SO, midnight Of
ten finds him, tired and sleepy, plod-
ding home. You think this picture
over-drawn 1t is, alas, too real.
There is no time for play foa work
ing newspaper man. To be still, is
to be bankrupt. To fold the hands,
is to close up the shop and silence
the rambling wheels, Take look
into a newspaper Office, if you think
the work is trifing. Hear the "click'
of the little type as they drop into
the stick, and think how difficult it
must be to pick up and put back into
the boxes, thousands upon thousands
each day Then the proofs must be
read and corrected, the forms made
up, the paper wet down, the press
work, mailing and Office work done.
And the same thing occurs week az
ter week, month after month, year
after year. Is itany wonder that the
editor is often peevish, quick temper
ed and sickly? Is it strange that
few live at ease Henry George,
theorist though he be, never wrote
truer words than: among all the
workers there are none who work
harder than the working newspaper
man. 7
s-------s-----~-.~~------~------- .tt +