The Washington critic., 1886-09-14
AN EDITOR DISTRESS.

THE CRITIC feels sorry for Miss
Rose Elizabeth Cleveland, who is now
editing Chicago literary publication.
She is very bright woman, well
read and often a most clever writer.
She has, however, fault that Is not
at all uncommon with her sex, of
dipping little too freely. If not
deeply, into psychological and trans
cendental problems. She yearns to
master mysteries ;hat others have been
unable to fathom, and this has natu-
rally had au effect as well upon Miss
Cleveland's style of writing as upon
her manner Of reasoning. The result
Is that when she talks with her pen we
find.in her conversation a suspicion OF
Carlyle, flavor Of Emerson and dis.
tinct odor OF the Concord School OF
Philosophy.
Such a person Is not adapted to
wrestlo with the average contribution
department Of any publication, and she
so virtually admits In the latest issue
of Literary Life. taking into her conf.
dence "thc whole pack AMI parcel of
human editors and cOnfussing TO them
"this fear, this suspicion, this first
failure of confidence In the perfect
unanimity between editor and con-
tributor.' Miss Cleveland should not
allow herself to be SO worked up over
this matter. In fact, a failure Of "unn.
nimity' between editor aud cDntribI-
tor is such an old story that we are
sorry to see even a lady inexperienced
in journalism as Miss Cleveland practi.
Cally is make note of 1t.
Quite upon the other hand, if she
had discovered the existence of such a
unanimity, It would have been well
worth talking about 1t would not
only have been interesting news, but
furnished the text for an essay on "Our
Gradual but Unmistakeablo Progress
towards the Millennium" We will
leave 1t 10 the reader to imagine what
must have been Miss Cleveland's idea
of the contributor by quoting what she
says, after crying aloud in tone that
seems TO come out Of the wilderness
and in the Latin language, "Hence
these tears
There Is no smile upon the face Of the
editor of inexperiencc. There Is to her d
fearful shattering of her dear ideal, Il fear
full scattering Of her fondest hopes, In thl.
intimation Of something short of lack OF
absolute oneness between herself and hei
contributors.
The cold and callous would think
from the above quotation that Mis-;
Cleveland needed exercise, but wher
she goes ON TO say what she does be
low, it is evident that this is not The
trouble:
She we,ps she wells her face, she h )pes
she dreams, the grasps N The thin air int
which tie ideal referred to seems to bt
about to lccate, She prostrttes herself upOr
the sands OF that vast deep wherein tn,
above mentioned hopes seem about tC
alioht.
No woman who does all these thing;
stands in need of any more exercise
Still it is plain that Miss Clevelan
needs something in dealing with he
contributors, and as she has seen ii
10 take US into her confidence, we vii
1eciprocaic by Informing her that he
great and long felt want is a capaciou
Waste bal ket
There is nothing like the plti&t
forbearing, cver.vigilant and receptive
waste basket, Miss Cleveland, in prop
trly adjusting the relations between
The editor and the contributor, Sa
Weller once said that the "have. his
carcass next to pcrpetiwell motion was
The greatest thing going" And before
the waste.bOsket even perpetual motion
has to retire. Go get thee waste
basket, Miss Cleveland; so get thee {
waste basket-or an Office cat.