Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-10-25
rAe EDITORS DUTY


ia Does Not Represent Authors'
Large Circle II Renders
~ wonder said Eugene, with sar
dopic smile, what reason OF per'o""'
hostility to me the editors OF our mag
aziues can have? l have sent ar'ioio'
to all of them. and, although say ~
very much better articles than they
generally publish, but they are all re
turned Now the editor OF magazine
should he above personal likes and as
likes, and Judge articles upon 'heii
merits" Alas aud alas! that was
probably the ground OF the editorial
vordict in each case. With a clear
.xnowledpe of what he wanted ana
with an immense supply of papers al
ready accepted and paid for, the ed
itor. ALWAYS on the lookout for some
thing better. did not find the price
less pearl in Eugene's essays. ana
courteously retu rned them -,
One shrewd author. OF deteotise
turn of mind. determined to ascertain
beyond question whether his manu-
script had been examined, and II ho''
to put the delinquent editor to shame
He carefully united some OF the more
advanced pages by delicate thread
wholly unaware that his happy device
was as ancient as the competition OF
articles for acceptance. When his ar
ticle returned to him he seareheu
eaoerly and found his secret thread
unbroken, and invoking the shade OF
Junius. he composed whitening
epistle to the editor, as if that per-
sonaoe had been a very Bedford, or
Grafton. or even the King himself.
The fact of the unbroken thread was
| und enable 1t was as intact as when
| the subtle-minded author placed II.
/ Not only was it unbroken. but 1t mad
| not been even seen by the editor.
With the frankness of Mr.. Parnell con-
Tossing that he had purposely de-
ceived the House of Commons, the
editor. but wholly without blame,
would have confessed that he had not
seen the thread because he had not adj
vanced so far in reading the manu-
script. And yet you pretend to ex
anime manuscripts carefully" thun'
d red the indignant author in his let
ter. But let him reflect. Does he sup
pose that it was necessary to read the
whole of his letter TO ascertain that he
was exceedingly angryp Certainly not
The author would hope not. The lettel
4 Cd To, b1aya wi !
wrath from Alpha to Omega. Very
well. Then was it necessary for thu
editor to read every page of the manu-
script essay to perceive that it was no
suitable or available? Must man ed
the whole apple to ascertain that it i
puckery, or sour, or tasteless? Doe
the good author himself, in his NOR
lucid moments. read the whole of
dull book to discover that it is not in
teresting?
What plea could an editor urge upol
4 gentle reader who should justly com
plain that the editor had governed hi
conduct by pity for the writer instea
Of regard for the re der? He has en-
tered INTO an engagement vi HoHO
, Nth the reader, but he has no engage
, ment it'll the writer of any kind what
, ever He has promised the reader t
make the best magazine possible. III
has promised nothing to Triptolemu.
who offers him dull paper upon tn
t aesthetic sympathies OF penguins. TriI
, tolemus thinks it far from dull But
is Mr. Editor who must decide on b,
a half of the gentle reader --Georg
) William Curtis, in Harper's Magazin,