The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1890-08-23
TYPEWRlTING AND LITERATURE.
Advice for Those Who Wish to Make q
Good Impression ON Editors.

No, cannot n, use the typewriter" re-
marked literary man tho other day,
"nor can dictate with any satisfaction.
And there are IL 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 do nothing at all in
the way of literary work. AS for dicta-
ton, it was simply an impossibility for
him. He had tried it repeatedly, but
had never been able to succeed. It was
the more singular in his case because he
was formerly public speaker and was
in tho habit Of speaking without a man.
uscript; and he is noted as n talker, be-
ing fluent, ready and rapid. He even
said that he could not dictate correc-
ton in typewriter copy. The only sat
isfactory thing for him to do was to take
the copy 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 lie does all his
work with his own hand. l 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
prcviously-that is, a great deal moro
writing-and SO, instead of diminishing
his labors, he really increased them.
SIN my own case can dictate a letter
fairly well, and l could do u piece of
Journalistic work in that way or by type.
writing it; but anything that is to have
the literary touch must DO carefully
worked out with the pen. And do not
believe that it is simply a matter of prac-
tice; though to be sure it is possible
that 1t may be. That is, if one wero
trained from q child to uso the type
writer instead Of the pen or pencil, the
art of composition might come naturally
to him when lingering tho keys. But l
greatly doubt whether it can bo learned
late in life. Take the case Of -. /
feel confident that the notable decadence
of his style in recent years, which is I'M
mistakably very marked, is tho result of
his use of the typewriter. Formerly he
was most fastidious in his style, but now
he is slovenly and careless. The change
is really wonderful to one who has read
him closely for years, as I have.
$50 am far from thinking tho type
writer an unmixed blessing. At the
same time believe that every manu-
script offered for publication ought to be
typewritten. 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 manu-
scripts than those which are written in
scrawling, Grabbed and uneven hands,
evenif there besome 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
tho 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-
telnpts they may save in postage the cost
of the typewriting. New York Trib-