The Red Cloud chief., 1901-07-19

There Is a popular impression. a
very general one In fact, that the ed
itor OF a magazine never reads the
manuscripts which are sent to him by
unknown writer's; that all such manu-
scripts are returned unread, or are
thrown into capacious waste-baskets.
A great many writer's believe this be-
cause they want to believe II. And.
really, anything becomes plausible II
one only believes Il hard enough and
long enough. II would never do for
those who write, and whose writings
are not found acceptable, to believe
anything else: for the brain-children
OF a writer are as precious to him rs
arc the blood-children OF a mother TO
her. Each Ia perfect In the eyes OF Its
parent. Therefore, the editor cannot
have had any acquaintance with these
GRANDCHILDREN. II he had had they
would have been Immediately adopted
into the magazine family. So, you
see, the case Is perfectly clear and
easily proven against the editor. Here
and there II IL conceded that the ed
itor does occasionally read q manu-
script. But that IL only when some
famous name IL attached to Il. And
some persons go SO far as to say that
the editor does not read ever these
manuscripts. They prove their ground
again by saying that II the editor had
read the manuscripts by these famous
folk he never would have printed
them. So there the editor In again
trapped. The simple and natural de-
ductlon Is. therefore. that he reads no
manuscript at oil. II | may drift for
a moment intoFpersonal "Reminiscences,
l will recall lease where a consider
ate lady. who had ascertained In some
occult I'M that | had n great deal
OF leisure on my hands. sent me Il
manuscript, and said that, as a test OF
a personal reading. she had left out
| every "a" and and "the." and II
was for me to supply the words
wherever missing as proof that ! had
read the manuscript. II was a brief
article Of some eleven thousand
words! 1t so happened. unfortunate
ly. that at that particular time I was
very busy. II was true that my occu-
patton was not important: II was sim
ply that I was preparing a number oil
the magazine for my readers! / pre-
sumo I could have put the work on fol
a week. But I didn't. and the manu-.
script went back without the missing
words supplied. I see now that It wa
a mistake. For that particular lady
has had me in the pillory In the pub
lie prints q number OF times. and hal
clearly proven the case Of an unreal
manuscript against me-. She has thu
far withheld the facts OF the missin,
words, but. OF course, that is an un
important detail In proving her case
I remember another instance OF n yer!
sweet young lady who inserted SOM
Of her most beautiful rihhnE: between
the pages OF q manuscript. II so hap
pens that I have no particular tast,
for ribbons, and as the members o
my family do not care for the com
bined colors OF bright orange and
rose scarlet, I had no special use fol
the ribbons and so put them back IL
the manuscript. Naturally. 1t was an
other case against me. | was caugh
'red-handed" AZ 1t were. With tn,
knowledge OF how 1t Is done. any on
can easily figure out how impossible
1t Is for q young writer to get int
one OF the modern magazines. Thi
is particularly true OF the young au
thor OF distinct promise. The NOR
ability he shows In his irst manu-
script the tighter are the lines draw
to keep him out. And a. all the mag
azine editors think and act as on
man In this particular respect It I
easy to see what a formidable from
the young author has to face. It |
hard on the young author. ! allow
but to give way for an instant woul,
mean calamity to the argument Of tn
unknown writer that a writer wlthou
fame cannot secure an audience TO
his wares in the magazines OF to-day
And the editor must make good tn
unknown writer's argument. in fact
that Is what he Is there for, pure an
simple. Every publisher OF a maya
zine employs an editor solely to keel
merit and unknown writer's out of hi
periodical! That is all an editor does
The magazine editor, in other words
Is a man to be cnvied! He lives a III
Of perfect cas- and luxury! His per
sonal friends write the contents: tn
compositors set the type; the printer,
print the magazine. and the publishe
publishes It.. SO. what Is there left 70
the editor to do? Nothing but to pla!
golf!-Edward Box In Ladies Hom'
Journal. :,