Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-09-09

department He knew In a general way Of
what was necessary TO be done, but he had
no close acquaintance with the processes
The limitations of type were never appre-
ciated by him and he was frequently at a
loss to understand some of the things that
occurred This cropped out now and then
when he undertook to supply a display
heading for some article in which he was
interested. He would invariably run
counter to "style,' that fetish OF all COM
posing rooms, and just as often surrendered
after a struggle to fit his ideas to the
fact that the type would permit the use of
only so many letters and words in a line.
The time that must necessarily elapse pc
tween the furnishing of the copy and the
pulling of the proof was also somewhat
beyond him, for he generally wanted to
SEGA proof of his article almost immedi-
ately after the copy had been sent to the
printer. This was the result more of i'm
patience than of unreasoning insistence.
.
The desk at which he did his work was
the despair of everybody but himself. lie
could find things on 1t, but no one else
could, save when given exact instructions.
1t was the most hopelessly disordered piece
of furniture about the office, and yet he
knew at all times just what was on It and
It. Once during the senatorial deadlock in
1901 he telephoned up from Lincoln that
certain letters would be found on his desk
In a certain place. These letters were to
be given to a messenger. who would de-
liver them. A visit to the desk was very
unpromising, but a short search disclosed
the letters just where he said they would
be found. Some OF them were several
years old, but he knew they were there
Added to the letters in the heap were
dozens Of scraps of paper, on which he
had jotted notes. or had written para
graphs for the editorial page. sometimes
an article that had been started and laid
aside; often an article that had been COM
pleted, and then laid away until a more
opportune time. 1t seemed veritable
chaos. but the man who worked at that
desk knew what was stored there. A we'll
meaning but over jealous Janitor once put
the desk into apple-pie order. He didn't
do It a second time.
Mr.. Rosewater frequently delighted his
intimates with chats about the great men
OF the world with whom he had come In
close personal touch during the last thir-
ty-f1ve years. He had an inexhaustlble
fund of anecdote of these personages. and
his correspondence with them is of i'm
mense interest. He was frequently urged
to prepare a volume of memoirs, but could
never be induced to take the time from
his other occupations TO get the matter
into shape. Such a volume would have
been of great value, for 1t would have
given a short range view of some of the
greatest men of modern times, as well as
an intimate insight into the history of
some of the most important OF modern
political campaigns.
Toward his employees Edward Rosewater
was ever kind and considerable; he was
more, he was generous before he was just.
He liked to see about him familiar faces.
for he knew that mans continuance in
his employ bespoke satisfaction on both
sides. His personal attitude to all those
OF the editorial stan who had been with
him long enough to become acquainted
was one OF frienly Intercourse. 1t was not
an uncommon thing TO find him in the
reporters room chatting. discussing the
events of the day, or recounting some past
political or personal experience. He never
went to the extent of destroying the
necessary discipline but any man about
The Bee ONCE was always welcome to the
front room" and II he had a favor to
ask or complaint to make, and II was
seldom the latter. he received attention
and always got what he went after.
Nice.