Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-07-04
A TRIP.


The individuals of the Virginia
newspaper fraternity are the most
practical people in the world, as we'll
as the most philosophical, never fail
ing to take In a sound sense saw aud
usually endesvoring to live up to it.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
uninitiated public thinks news
paper editors life a bed of roses
and that he has good time GALL
wanting over the country, the truth
is there are few professions more
laborious than that of the newspaper
mana country editor in particular.
He is not only drummer, pur-
suing his indefatigable begging
itinerary. travelling night and day
to accomplish some business object,
and while riding on rail, water
or vehicle pushing the pencil or
working his thinkbox; but he Is
denied the privilege of a drum
mer when at home or at head
quarters, in that the latter has
some breathing spell, while the edi-
tor has to try to catch up by manual
and men tai effort for the time lost
when away. But it is in vain that the
drummer or the travelling editor at
tempts to disabuse the public mind
of the fact that travelling, though
it NAV exert mind aud body to the
fullest, is anything more than soft
thing. And so the tutored editor
never stops to argue with the face
tious and "know-it-al1'' critic whose
white hands and fulsome paunch
with studded necktie denote him
quite a competent judge of what
hard work is.
There is one time during the year,
nevertheless, when the Virginia edi-
tor is willing to plead guilty to the
arrangement of having a high old
time and little to worry about.
Members of the Virginia Press AS
ISOLATION usually reckon eleven
months and three weeks in advance
on the time when they will steal a
week from every cumb'ring care, leav-
ing the babies behind to chew the
rag and convert into pulverized crys-
tails such crockery as the "com-
mander-in-chief" has carelessly left
In lower closet, and the "devil''
to make and devour all the in
digestible cpl" that his fiendish
hands can manipulate. The pres
ence of newspaper is studiously
avoided during that carnival week,
and the man who is supposed to
know it all, for one week out of the
tifty-two lives in blissful ignorance
of passing events, and even the bull
letin board of kings lost corona
ton passes his occult vision with
the utmost indifference. Here is an,
other thing that the knowing public
slips up on-when 1t thinks the
editor is a most-blest mortal if
knee-deep In the midst of his ex-
changes. To read when you wan
to aud desist when you like is
not one of the boons conferred upon
the newspaper man. Every mail
that brings an armful of exchanges
adds to the ceaseless grind of tired
life, for they must be read whether
the eye and head rebel or no. Hence
no small part of the enjoyment of the
weeks annual outing is the relaxa-
tion felt because the editor has con-
cluded to let the shop run itself aud
the world move on for a little while
without his help. Bat he pays for
it when he returns to find his ex-
changes and his letters mountain
high, each one to be taken up where
the thread was lost and worked as
though it were but yesterdays pro-
duct; for there has been a gap in his
chronology that the newspaper stu
dent cannot afford to leave untitled.
The work of the "devil" and his
imps is taken as a matter of course.
aud only mental note is made of the
fact that another issue replete with
catastrophe is spread upon the file.
Our week of jubilee came little
earlier than usual this year, through
various causes which presented them
selves to the Executive Committee
of the Press Association. But it
came, and with it some little outside
fun for a few of us that was not
down on the set program. A bunch
of Irvingtonians resolved to get to
that Virginia Beach "blow out" bat
stood not on the order of their
getting. The ladies of the party did
not know the itinerary that the men
had mapped out for them and con-
cluded to preface their schedule by
a few days at Pen-Mar; so a week
before the meeting was ripe they
scurried of to the northward. The
others remained behind as long as
eagerness would warrant, when the,
too hied away, even before their en-.
gagements would permit.
Up to Baltimore, aud out on the
Western Maryland, they followed the
trail of the fair ones, and caught
them on the fly at Pen-Mar. Hagers
town was reached and toured in q
few hours. We want to give oui
Hagerstown friends little pointer
Don't tell visitors that you have nc
attractions except view Of the city
from high building or tour of il
on the belt line. We found others)
Here began the pleasure of pleasures
to be taken in charge by the Nor.
folk &Western Railway which courses
the prettiest of Maryland, West Vir-
glnla and Virginia and presents at
fractions well styled "the Alps of
America" We often wonder WHY Sc
many faddists harp on going abroad
before they have sought out the
charms of their own country; but
de gusti6us non est aisputandum, and
so comment ceases.
Passing Sharpsburg and Antietam
the Potomac was crossed. A message
ahead brought friends at Berryville
and Front Royal, to say "howd'y'do''
and swap kisses. As the sun was