Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-07-10
THE COUNTRY EDITOR.
A CITY PAPERS DESCRIPTION PART
LY TRUE AND PARTLY NOT.


| try editor can get into more scrapes without
meaning to do it, and can get out Of then
without knowing how be did it, than any one
| now known to fame. He can get up earlier
| in the morning and stay up later at night; ht
can give more free show advertising for The
| privilege of being called deadhead when ht
goes to see how hard he has lied, and be car
pay out more money for running expenses
and get less returns In available cash thar
anybody not magician.
The editor of country paper can keep the
press waiting longer to get in four line ad
vertisement for some man who intends en-
barking in the business of hedge trim
ming, and yet start the press in better
time to catch the train running to supply
four subscribers in Stump Town, than any
other man on earth, unless it be the editor OF
some other country paper. He can wear q
hat longer and coat shorter than most peo
pie, and he has to do this in order to keep an
advertiser who wants TO pay in goods He
cen go all summer without shining his shoes,
and he 10 expected to dose or be called ''stuck
up" by the people .ho edit his torch Of pro
gress for him. He can bear with meelness
the assaults of the collector of bills, the raids
of the peddler of books, the charge of the
patent medicine man from the city and the
visits from the cashier who holds his accept
ance.
He can stand it TO be cursed for his unclassi-
fed idiocy by every magnate in the town,
and then, when his sianderers die, can write
elegies Ike Jewels, five words long, that on
the stretched forefnger of all time sparkle
forever" He can do all this and raise big
family, each year seeing the second boy in
cased in the trousers the first has outgrown;
each year seeing the girls go to meeting in a
last summers hat because it is cheaper than
when the fashion was young. And when the
editor has tried for the last time to make 81
keep the promise made for three he can die
as easily and be buried as cheaply, and for
gotten as quickly, as any vagrant that ever
craved a drink
SOME OF HIS TRIALS.
When the country editor washes the roller
On Saturday night and locks the Office door by
setting box Of plates against it he is the
most thankful of mortals He is glad to be
alive; glad he got through week when he
hardly expected to; glad things have been no
worse than they We're, and glad to look for
ward to whole day Of idleness Yet hemust
go to church, for the sewing circle will not
consider it proper for man to conduct that
lever of nlightenment-the press-unless he
has the appearance of piety. But if he goes
to hear the Methodist minister the Baptists
say he is partial. He is expected to contribute
good hard cash to every scheme projected by
the brethren and sisters, clerical or lay, in or
out of church, and then he can boom the bare
faced fraud "as matter of news" Sunday
night. when he lays away his boiled shirt for
next Lords day, he feels the approach Of
Monday with sort of dread
He goes to sleep with an intuition that
some man win be In to cuss MIN about some
item in last weeks paper-has no idea which
one-and dreams that he tried to run away,
and couldn't possibly do it, When he goes to
the Office Monday he finds theroller has fallen
down In the lye jar and is ruined, and he will
have to buy new one; the boys have climbed
III through window and mashed the only
font OF script trying to print visiting cards
for their girls, and some clumsy meddler he's
pied the only case of type he had distributed.
BY the time he gets these little things
Strengthened up cash subscriber comes in
and discontinueS his paper because no notice
was made Of his wooden wedding. Then a
boy comes in and orders Josh Hills paper
stopped on general principles, and the fact
that some three years subscription stands I'M
hquidated on the books does not seem to dis
turb josh in the least. Various other male
dictions from unexpected sources, both be-
cause Of what he didn't do and because of
what he did, are hurled at the editor during
the forenoon, and then he ready for work,
still grateful that his miserable Life is spared.
He is business manager, solicitor, reporter,
editor and proofreader, and besides he does
whatever general work the rest Of the force
leaves undone, He takes pride in telling
the patrons Of his sheet that he can ''run Off
the edition" quicker than any man he ever
hired, and when it comes to setting type he
doesn't take a back seat for any of 'em."
THE OTHER SIDE.
But long hours, heavy work, INADEQUATE
compensation and abundant cussing are not
alone the lot of the rural journalist. He is
not without honor even in his own country
However selfish men are, however prompt to
condemn, they are still quick to give the edi-
tor easy precedence to public consideration.
he issecretery of meetings at which the one
big fish-the national ban!1er-presides. He
is given the first fruits of the garden and
orchard, the choice product of farm or fire.
side labor, and simple acknowledgment In
the paper is pay enough. He Is recognized
authority on matters Of history and public
policy. He introduces great speakers when
they come to address the people. and sits on
the platform on all occasions
There are even better things than these for
the man who runs country paper. He
loves the work and could not be weaned from
1t He knows every men whose name he
writes from the mailing list each week, and
their varied characters pass in review before |
him as the pencil ghdes forward. He knows
every road and hill and creek In the county, |
and would esteem it lighter disgrace to libel !
a preacher than to urge drainage for high !
ground. He knows the history OF the older |
inhabitants and knows how TO datter them.
Now and then he comes to bis work in I'M |
expected vfgor and frames an article of such |
strength that men mention it TO him with |
ITaisa AT other times an inspiration guides |
bis pencil and produces real poetry. Some |
Tunes be sees success crown cause he has |
and then he reaps reward for |
weary toll he reads his columns over when |
the rush OF the week has gone by. and knows |
that there are good things in them No man |
on earth has such consciousness of tie no |
hliltv Of the Don rs he hiccco Herald
Two hundred ard seventv-rve iades are |
clergyner n the United States and occupy |
pulplts as such