The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1901-01-06
EVOLUTION or THE EDITOR.
From Ben FrankIiR's Time There
Have Been Many Changes.

When BENJAMIN Franklin embarked on |
the journalistic sea. the title 1.-The edi- |
tor was not a generic term. Mali mat |
ter so addressed reached the office OF |
The PENNSYLVANIA Gazette with such |
promptness as was considered pOsthaste |
in those days. Franklin was not only the !
editor, but also foreman. typ"setter and
the genius that squeezed philosophy into
plain black aud white on his primitive
hand press. In the course of time
"Vox POpuli," Constant Reader and
IAN Old Inhabitant" Obtruded them
selves, and with their assistance The
PENNSYLVANIA Gazette began to shake on
Franklins individuality.
There is not historic veriicatlon Tor
the statement, but it is assumed that
this period marked the inception of the
associate or assistant editor. As time
wore on views expanded, and the vest
pocket newspaper kept pace, widening
its utility from that of mere purveyol
of thought to a domestic necessity when
window sashes warped. Meanwhile the
assistant editor was given an assistant,
and the departments began to assume
definite characters.
The occasion had not really arisen, but
there came a titular revision, aud in the
distribution Of designations the general
! ity of associate" was dropped, that func-
I tinnary either in the singular or plural
| being known as the genius presiding ovef
| some of the departments. AS matter
| of fact, however, it was usually more
| than one. but the telegraph editor the
! city editor, the financial editor and the
| like came forth in a procession Of evolu'
| ton The literary, art, dramatic and SCI
ence departments appeared simuitane-
ously. and then, "lOng felt want having
| been discovered for the farmer the agrl'
cultural department became necessity.
| Its guiding head must be student OF
cause as we'll as of effect. He must know
the weight of a potato at each stage OF
its development and tell whether roost'
or or hen will hatch from an egg by
holding it to the sunlight This is de-
partment largely to itself and, as nature
is constant, is less subject to change than
some of the later editorial creations.
The universalizing of athletics occa
stoned a noticeable gap in the then vel
recruited staff" for that is what the
composite editor became in the expansion
process. A sporting editor was as muci
! of a crying need as any other OF the spe
ciaIists. He must be an encyclopedia o.
athletics, wear a diamond and smoke per
tectOs, but the tough talk" of some o
the fraternity is an affectation aud not
qualification. In his department there 1
} another colony of subs" including ex
, perts on baseball, horse racing, crlcke
and the indoor sports. Golf is a recen
; addition and demands a man fluent II
: curious words and inclined toward DC
destrisnism. Another requisite is hi
ability to find his way home after q day
! unnervng excitement on the links.
These are all more or less fixtures on
! we'll equipped staff. IL any one Of to
9 sporting editors is in danger Of fndin
q ! himself without his familiar occupatio
:. In the course of years, he is the horS
editor. whose idolized equine may som
. day drift into the zoo among other rar
l. beasts. But the horse editors sun ba
: not set hOpclessIy since the automobil
s has come into vogue. lie can just a
g we'll become the hUrseless editor ana l
Y more modern than any OF his confrcres.
But even to contemplate 1t, the spe
tacle would be the most distressful OF a
the changes OF Journalism. The vet
u thought OF n horse editor. his nose kee
to the scent OF blOOded trottcrs. reportir
an automobile race amid the nOxlOI
odors Of gasoline eXcites pity.
The editor and the staff may have Ia
en- their place as fixtures, but the prcr
"auto" and sufiix less" are destined
work wonders in editorial nomenclature
Baltimore Sun.