Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-15
OUR NEW YORK LETTER
TRIALS OF A WRITER WHO TRIED
THE EDITORIAL CHAIR.

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CsaAsss With the Pri,tsrs-Nissry -
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NEW YoRK, Jan II knew. there wus .
di6erencs between editing" . parer and
writing for one but bow much Of q differ
sncs did not realize until my destiny placed
me temporarily in charge Of the Sunday sup
piement Of city daily, which, In accordancs
with the regulations, or rathet exaetions. u
modern Journalism, published a Sunday
paper, or rather magazine, Of sixteen pagA
In this case. deducting the space allotted for
advertisements, it meant about 100 solid
columns Of reading matter OF this bad
about forty six columns to edit
To edit h not to write. | speak thus
plainly for the benefit Of the many young
men and maidens who are to swell the ranks
Of the great army now industriously engaged
IN sending contributions TO the editors waste
basket, and who still imagine that the editor
does nothing but write for the paper.
pause here q moment to ask where, At the
present increase Of size and amount Of matter
published, are our Sunday papers to stopi
Already the contents Of some Sunday issues
amount 10 more than that of the average
monthly magazine.
While this competition is going on at such
a lively and increasing rate between news
paper publishers to give the most reading
matter for the least money, wonder If the
idea may not in due course Of tins strike
them that they may be giving to thoss who
read more than they crn really read and
digest.
Our business men today do not read one
half the contents Of the daily paper They
have only time to glance at them. They
would really be much better suitel could
some device Of journalism give them their
news in readable print in the compass Of a
handkerchief. and give them no more.
entered on my duties in q blissful i2nor-
ance Of the trials that awaited me, did not
know how to put head on al article or .
selected reprint" | knew nothing Of the
hieroglyphics necessary to let the printer
know the various kinds of type In which my
headings should be set up. | did not realize
that the writer's manuscript must lie, in .
sense ground through the editors mill and go
through a certain process before being put in
the printers hands | did know that some
thing was to be done, but the extent Of that
something | did not know. OF the signs to
be placed on manuscript to show whether the
type used should be 'brevi Ter" or ''minion" or
agate, or those to designate full face caps"
for my upper headings and full face lower
case" for my lower headings, Of display
heading" Of balancing the columns" nor
that the headings on a page should not be
damned up together or too far apart. was
in that condition Of ignorance that the small
est part Of printer was justified in looking
down on me with contempt.
n. BIN the composing room a prntervis
q much larger sized Indian than mere
writer.
You who read the instructive and enter
tanning columns Of ghastliness accident and
crime in your morning paper-you who are
unfortunately or otherwise neither writer's nor
printers you think you could easily write one
of those staring sensational headings over the
article which tell NIL about it befol you read
it and whet YOU. appetite for reading it. But
you might not. 1t is not 81 much the literary
ability needed 1t Is the printer VIII stands
in the way. 1t is the printer who mast have
just so many words fur one lin'l OF head and
50 many for another. You must i,ct y"cr sense,
sensation and Information cond 'nsel into say
twenty-four or twenty-siz words for o.ie part
of the bead" and tea or twelve for another
part, and these must neither run over uor run
under these numbers II they do ald the
spaces are uneven that is Tie Of tie paper
would in that printers estimation, lc ruined.
II you, the editor, do not "ElIiie up" your
pages SO that the columns balance" the
paper, for him, would be wreck The foreman
Of the composing room values newspaper for
its typographical appearance. This is right.
A paper, like house, should loo,; neat. Only
ba IL
something in the articles besides types. The
magnate u our composing room called oil
written matter stuff What are you
going to do with this STUFF he would re-
mark and he used to put such an infection of .
contempt on that word STUFF that it would
have made any but al old tough writer sick
to hear him Poems literally perspiring with
inspiration, beautiful descriptive articles
reeking with soul and sentiment, lively
humor, manuscript written and rewritten
so lovingly and carefully children of many
a brilliant brain-al with him was but
stuff
During all the years that had been writing
/ had bestowed no attention on the making
.up" OF paper had vague idea that the
}paper made up itself | had passed in my
PARTICLES, and had seen them in their places
Ia few hours later, and never dreamt that the
3placing of these, SO that the columns should
lend evenly or that the Pare should not look
tlike tireAome expanse Of uAbroken type, re-
quired study, taste and experience.
was aroused from this dream when first
called on to make up my eight page supple
ment OF course, the foreman expected me
to go right on like IN old hard, and lay out
In tho printed form where the continued
story should be and how many columns 1t
should fill. where the foreign correspondence
and illustrated articles should appear, where
the paste pot and scissored matter, shorter
articles and paragraphs should be, SO that
the printer could place his galleys in the
form as marked out per schedule.
was confronted within a single week with
all this mass Of my own editorial and typo
graphical ignorance, and even more than can
here be told 1t had not before dawned upon
mo that an editor should be-well, We will
say, the skeleton Of a printer was not
even the ghost Of one. | was not before
aware that In the recesses OF editorial dens
and composing rooms the printer stood
higher than the writer. Everybody" writes
nowadays But ''everyt ody' does not set
type or make up" papers.
| saw then what had done | saw that
had rashly assumed to govern a realm Of
which | wns entirely ignorant | made .
Iuu anu Tree COuIe2Son 10 ltTeultn. !
put myself before him as an accomplished
iGnoramus lie was n good fellow and
helped me through 1t was tough work,
however, for several weeks As sunday
came nearer and nearer, r,y spasnis Of dread
and anxiety increased l was seized in the
dead Of night with fears lest | had not sent
up sufficient stuff" to fill my fortyTix
columna Then l would DO taken with
counter fears lest | had sent up too much and
50 run up an overplus on the week composing
bill | worried and iretted so that by tatur-
day night l had n, clear idea at all or judg-
ment In the matter, and let things take their
own course.
But the hardest task Of oil was dealing with
the mourners-I mean the manuscript bear
ers found myself suddenly inside of the
place. where hal 80 item stood outside.
ras the nan in the editorial chair. the ar
bitter Of manuscript destiny. the despot "ho
could accept or reject the writer's article
But was very uncomfortable | hated % re-
tect anybody's writings, felt so keenlS for
them had 10 many times teen there my
self. | wished could take and pay for every
body manuscript But ! could not. The
requirements Of the paper stood like a wall
twixt my duty and my sympathy. The com
mands from the management allowed only
certain amount to be expended weekly for
original articles felt like a fiend-an I'M
willing one-as ! said mo" time after time
and sent men and women away with heavy