Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-21
A NEGLECTED VIRTUE.
The Ability To Write Legibly and Well
To Make Good "COpy.o
From the Examiner.

From the Examiner.
1t was Dogberry's masterpiece Of wisdom
when he declared: ITO be a well-favored mar
is the gift Of fortune, but to read and write
comes by nature" 1t seems to be true of writ.
ing, certainly, that if it come not by nature il
comes not at all. BY writing we mean not the
art of composition, but the semi-mechanical
act Of putting words On paper in a legible hand
and in proper form.
How rare gift this is no one knows 30 We !
as an editor. A folded (not rolled) manuscript
written in good black ink, on but one side of
the sheet, in lines not too far apart. with words
well separated and fairly well formed, accu-
rately spelled, punctuated, capitalized and
Photographed. SO that when read and accepted
there Is nothing to do but to give it to the
printer with strictinj functions to follow copy
how rare windfall Is that in any newspaper
office. Instead OF this idea manuscript, what
scrawls in pencil or pale ink greet the editor
eyes; how they cover both sides of the sheet
and meander along the margin; how the words
are misspelled, abbreviated, run together
with what scorn does the writer disregard such
trifles as capitalization, punctuation and para
graphing. Such q manuscript doubtless, has
its value as "a means of grace to the editor who.
OF course, is always looking for opportunities
to let patience have her perfect work but
other value it is likely to have none, save to
editorial waste basket at cent pound.
We have limited at the probable destination
OF manuscripts Of this kind. Most of them
find their way to this limbo very promptly Blu,
the trial of a journalists life is when he gets
hold Of such manuscript that is little toe
good to be declined, but not good enough to be
printed until it has been laboriously tinkered
up line by line. This is the drudgery of the
profession, from which there will be no escape
until the millennium. when everybody viii
make good copy" The typewriter has done
something to alleviate the lot of editors ant
printers, but the machines are expensive and
canno. therefore be generally used.
Many writers for the press wonder ''why
that little thing OF mine wasn't printed. Tn
sure it was quite good as several Other
haps it was better, only-the editor couidn'
| read enough of it to decide whether it wa,
good or bad. and, after wasting all the time ht
could well spare over IL, tossed it into tn,
ever-ready waste basket. Or perhaps hi
found that, while he could read the words wei
enough there were SO many authorizations an(
mistakes OF one kind and another that it woulC
take half an hour to put it into shape fol-
printing, and the article was not worth 81
much labor, or he hadn't half an hour to spare
for that purpose, and so-the waste basket o
two articles offered an editor, of about equa
availability" that one will be chosen every
time that Is most legible and is best prepared
for the press. In these days Of active compe
tition writer who sends ''bad copy" i,
| seriously handicapped at the start A goo(
manuscript seems to have across its first page
in bold letters written for publication" while
on a bad manuscript an experienced journals
| clearly discerns the legend 'foreordained fol
the waste basket"
We have called the making of "good copy" {
neglected virtue. There is something in tina
phrase worthy OF o second thought. Considera
ton OF the rights and comforts of others is the
first mark Of gentleman or gen.lewoman
Why should one who writes letter or an arti
Gle impose q fine on the one expected to read i
"a fine Of time and labor-that is wholly un
necessary as well as grossly unjust2 1t is selisi
duct manifests. To write we'll, to spell AMI
punctuate well, IL q virtue, kind of religious
duty. an obligation that one owes to onet
neighbors as well as TO himself.