Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-02-14
so1snED CONTRIBUTORS.
Idle Talk to writers OF Rejected
A Hess'. ,i,ies for the fress.

oaabte Ia1h 10 Nftt"fSD " R'JsftcH
Articles for the Press.
rsere is constant complaint from
ihe.S ambitious writer's that they can
pew - nroper hearing In the maya
nolEssd newspapers. They send their
; fns' ope market after another only
VARY tbem repeatedly declined; and
v mn, ,hese successive disappointment
o sss evolve the belief that there IL .
'os, ,o,yaey against them on the part Of
eons i,;,ors who thus complaccntly dis
nv ', - ,beir pretty dreams. 1t seems
poso ostble 70 them that there can be
sninions about the value Of the pro-
Mo Mans to which they have devoted
mich time and thought.
and then, to be sure, they re-
Ny wv. nice little notes from these
Z cs, .,aa autocrats, commencing their
vat. = and regretting that 1t is not avail
W.T. s,a and that simply strikes them as
su .s,, added TO injury. II their manu-
n's srta are really worth praising, they
~ ~ wby are they not worth buying
"a uublIshing? The inconsistency Of
.hs thing is palpable, from their point
y view; and they can not understand
oditors should take the trouble to
,'aelaim sincerity in such deliberate
Va conclusive way. They see material
"a bv these same editors which they
.nre does not surpass theirs in lit
.,srv merit. Perhaps they detect some
:, tbeir own ideas in the accepted con-
..,hrt;ons: and it is difficult for them to
.roid the conviction that they have
.a,aobow furnished fuel to boil the pots
n lurking and favored competitors.
In a certain sense, these industrious
,oets essayists and novelists are not to
Name for harboring the feeling that
.ome sinister influence is at the bottom
!, their numerous disappointments
Tbev are often right when they think
nat their efforts are at least equal to
,ha average Of those that find purchas-
ara Many of them do really good work,
,ud it is no wonder that they are sur
r,sed and chagrined whom it comes
,teadiU back to them. But they do not
understand the conditions which oper-
,ta to their disadvantage. They are on
The outside, and the controlling facts are
m the inside 1t is not impossible for
them to realize the circumstances
under which their manuscripts
are necessarily considered. They
DO not know how many other people are
cspsble Of doing work as admirable as
their own in every respect, and how
little out of the abundance of such mat
;o IT ha I'D l.
,place for 1t is possible that the best
choice is not always made; but when
mistakes of that kind are made they are
not Intentional. So when editors write
complimentary notes they are actuated
BY honest motives, and mean just what
they say. They can not furnish an ex-
plantation in detail; but they do the
next best thing, and may safely be
taken at their word when they assure
contributors that given productions,
though meritorious, are not available.
The whole matter is one of demand
and supply. There is no sentiment in
itsnd no discrimination except on strict
business lines. The editors are not less
snxious to buy good things than con-
tibutors are to sell them; but they can
utilize only a stipulated amount, and
that is very small in comparison to the
quantity from which the selections are
made. During recent years there has
been wonderful increase of the writing
tabit in this country. The time was,
and not very long ago, when the people
who could perform literary service Of
reasonable merit we're exceptional,
whereas they are now plentiful in every
section. This causes over-production,
and the multiplication of manu-
scripts that truly deserve praise is
greatly in excess of the wants of the
editors. A thing of superior quality is
certain to be taken at fair price, no
matter where it comes from. But liter
afy miracles are scarce, and the editors
must accordingly purchase what they
need out OF what they find in the mar
Eet-not all that meets their approval,
out only so much of it as is essential to
lneir purposes. They give preference
70 writer's of established reputation,
naturally enough, for reasons of =
PRACTICAL sort which prevail in every
BUSINESS; and beyond that they do their
cnOoslng with trained intelligence and
aesree OF impartiality that leaves no
yus, cause OF complaint Louis
Gl0be- Democrat