The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1890-07-03
TYPEWRITlNG AND LITERATURE.
Advice for Those Who Wish to Make a
Good Impression on Editors.

Advice for Those Who Wish to Make a
Good Impression on Editors.
mo, I cannot use the typewriter re-
marked a literary man the other day,
NOR can dictate with any satisfaction.
And there are good many other people
in the same boat with me. heard one
we'll known writer say not long ago that,
while he could get along well enough
with his correspondence on the type
writer, he could 10 nothing at all in
the way of literary work. AS for dicta
ton, it was simply an impossibiEty for
him. He bad tried it repeatedly, but
had never been able to succeed. it waS
the more singular in lis case because he
was formerly Il public speaker a1j was
in the Earit Of spc&li1r without NAN
usc1iD3; ana he is &o-1l as q t..1l',...,. BE-
ing fluent, ready @.J rapid. r even
said TIA. lie could not dictate = ~"-~oc-
ton in tErewIitton COPY The o~i.- sat
isfacti..y thing for linn to do w;ss - take
the COZ y himself and write in the change
Then there is -; he must be max
ing something like $500 week from his
literary work in all directions One
would think that he would be almost
compelled to employ a stenographer,
but | understand he does all his
work with his own hand. 1 have
heard of a very prolific editor who
was induced by his friends to Tighten
his labors by employing stem
ographer and typewriter. In his case it
worked very curiously. He had no
trouble about debating, but he found
that by this means he was enabled to do
great deal more work than he had done
previously-that is, a great deal more
writing-and 80, instead of diminishing
his labors, he really increased them.
I'm my own case | can dictate letter
fairly we'll, and l could do a piece of
journalistic work in that way or by type
writing it; but anything that is to have
the literary touch must be carefully
worked out with the pen. And do not
believe that it is simply Il matter of prac-
tice; though to be sure it is possible
that it may be. That is, if one were
trained from child to use the type
writer instead of the pen or pencil, the
art of composition might come naturally
to him when lingering the keys. But
greatly doubt whether it can be learned
late il life. Take the case Of -. !
feel confident that the notable decadence
of his style in recent years, which is un-
nlistakably very marked, is the result Of
his use Of the typewriter. Formerly he
was most fastidious in his style, but now
he is sloyenly and careless. The change
is really wonderful to ono who has read
him closely for years, as have.
80 am far from thinking the type
writer an unmixed blessing. At the
same time I believe that every manu-
script offered for publication ought to be
typewriter. l believe that would-be
authors would find it to their advantage
to go to the small expense which the
copying of their efforts by the typewriter
would entail. Editors, find, are much
more willing to examine such mann
scripts than those which are written In
scrawling. grabbed and uneven hands.
even if there be some individuality about
these. It is not individuality that the
average editor is looking for, it is some
thing fresh and striking and original,
and he is loath to take the trouble to de-
cipher bad chirography on the bare
chance of finding something worth his
while. So my advice to the young men
and young women who add so much to
the governments postal receipts year
after year is to have their productions
typewriter. They will save postage, Of
course, as a typewriter manuscript is
less bulky than one done by hand. And
in case of several reflections and reat-
tempts they may save in postage the cost
of the typeWriting. New York Trib-