The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-01-12

But ] was very uncomfortable l hated To re-
ject anybodys writings, felt SO keenly for
them. had so many times been there my
self, | wished could take and pay for every
bodys manuscript But | could not The
requirements Of the paper stood like 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 tlend-an an
willing one-as | said mo- time after time
and sent men and women away with heavy
hearts. In cases tried even to get from the
rejected little sympathy for myself. told
them how hard il was for me 10 say mo"
tried to convince them that mine was q
much harder lot than theirs, and that mine
was by far the greater misery.
And how many times after ! had suffered
and rejected the MSS. did ! try TO answer in
u manner satisfactory To them this question;
did know Of any newspaper or magazine
that would 10 likely to accept their matterT
How | tried TO say that did not, in cheer
full, consoling and encouraging manner, in a
manner which would convey To them and fill
them with the idea that the town was full of
places yawning and gaping for their articles,
until they were outside of my office them
selves, when was willing that the cold I'M
welcome truth should freeze them.
Then received letters asking for the re-
turn Of manuscript. On entering on my
duties found the shelves piled with them
legacies left me by various predecessors
whether read, accepted or rejected, l could
not find out. But there they lay roll on roll
silent dust covered. 1t seemed n literary
receiving vault, full of corpses.
v& ngta
for young writer to look upon. Those many
pounds OF manuscript-articles which might
make n sensation if printed-truths, maybe,
which had not yet dawned on the world-all
lying unread, dead, cold and unpublished
Lone, lorn ladies came to me with the chill
dren OF their brains. | referred them ut
times to the editor of tho daily up stairs. He
referred them to me back again. Sometimes
this shuttlecock process was reversed. The
daily editor fired the applicant down at me.
[ fired him up again. Tho trouble in all
these cases lay in the inability of these people
torecognize re lection when il was mildly and
sympathetically applied. II was necessary in
some cases for us to fire these people up and
down at each other dozen times before their
weary legs gave them hint OF the true state
of the case
| saw more than once the man who thought
to clinch an acceptance of his matter by Civ
ing me long explanation of his article, and
its value 10 this or that interest. | had the
traveller from distant lands, who wanted to
tell in print over again what he had seen. |
received copies of verses, accompanied by
modest notes from the sendcrs that they
might find place "in some corner" of the
paper. was besct by u delusionist who had
n theory for doing away with death and who
left me, Us he said, to prefer death" and die
in my sins, because told him | had really
40 desire 10 obtain information on the sub
ject.
Then | had the space grabbor" to deal
wi.h-thc poor fellow who writes to live AT
so much per column, who tries 10 write rs
many columns as possible and half of whose
mind while writing is working moro to gill
up lis columns with words rather than ideas
But our modern system of elephantine jour
nalism is IA IA measure responsible for the
space grabbing" tendency since our daily
ami weekly journalistic mammoths and
mcgathoriums gapo ever for moro and more
matter. There is so much space which must
bo filed, and il not filed stuffed. Every de-
mand brings some sort of supply, and as the
paper IluSJ 10 SIubctl, lilc bIubbti u
developed to stuff it,
| bad also to cope and meet with the lit
erary rchasher. The rehasher is another
Journalistic brother who writes the same
story, experience, description, etc, over and
over again in different ways He wrote 1t
years ago 1t proved success. He has been
writing it ever since. lie serves it up roast,
baked boiled, broiled fried, stcwcd.
These processes may endure for several
years Then he shovcs it on your table, GOV.
cred with a thin dlsyuise-a gravy, so To
speak-uf his moro recent opinion or expert.
Gnce But il is about the same dish. The older
and more experienced journalistic nose detects
1t by the sumo old smell Finally it comes up
as hash, plain hash, dry hash, wet hash,
baked hash, but after all the same obi hash.
Our papers aud magazines even today
abound with the work of the rchasher. 1t
is Just as good for the young readers Every
ten years generation comes along for whom
the rehash is quito new Thoy do not know
that il Is the Same old hash written and read
years and years ago by people dead and gone,
The pretentous magazines dish up moro or
less of this hash Ii il served up in style,
ganished with spri%s OF fine language and
sentiment and has often n dressing of ele
CANT illustrations poured over 1t. But it's the
same old hash for all that II you look over
the magazines for period say II twenty
Yeas you VIII find these ohashg4-art.cles de
scriptiye Of Rome, Egypt, London the Bay
oau1 tapestry, travels il countries worn foot
sore by travellers for generations, the essay on
Dqnto, Shakespeare, Goethe. As for the
frontier romance and "Wlld luiun' story,
that has been ground and roground into hash
so fine that II has become spoon yictuals,
and is eaten only 10y the young and callous Of
the reading brood.
A literary colleague, friend and fcnd OF
mine, who commands an editorial chair says
that no allows his rehashers to serve him the
Same article four times providing tho gar
nshing and dressing Of the dish shows artistic
cookery. But he shuts down after that.
This Is not only charitable on his part but
possibly great benefit to the rehasher, for
if be IL allowed - go on unchecked, tho
mental rehashing process viii become auto
matte, the result OF which viii bo the uncon-
scious reilashrng of tho rafns article through
all eternity.
This experience gave me, IN certain respects,
an entire change OF heart. viii never think
hard again Of an editor though he does not
return my manuscript even If send
stamps. will st.Ll continue TO think kindly
Of him though be declines with thanks. ~