Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-13
MEN WHO EDIT UNCLE SANS BOOKS AND PERIODICALS.

pamphlets that are issued by the reclama-
ton service for general circulation and
to attract settlers to the new farming
regions. This is done by c. j. Blanchard,
the statistician of the service, q news
paper man Of great experience. assisted
by Mrs. Littlepage. one of the capital 8
most gifted woman writer's. Mr.. Blanch-
ard spends much of his time in the west.
and he delivered illustrated lectures on
the reclamation service recantly at tn
national irrigation congress at Albu-
uueruue and the transmississippi congress
at San Francisco.
In advertising the governments new
land enterprise Mr.. Blanchard used the
most up-tO-date methods. illustrating
reclamation service publications by the
finest of Photographic views and his lee
lures by moving pictures. The service
has well equipped Photographic labora-
tory. in which in the month Of October
tbere were made 800 feet Of moving pic
ture films. 1.265 prints. four negatives
and thirty two slides. During the same
month three special stories were sent to
about $500 newspapers in fourteen differ
ent states. for It Is the aim Of the recia-
nation service to utilize all available
avenues of publicity
x :.
Mr.. Blanchard is a nativs. of Canada.
and is forty-five years old. He gradu-
ated at the Iowa Agricultural College in
1888, and was a deputy state oil inspec-
tor for several years. Then he took up
journalistic work, and was q special
press correspondent in Central America
from 1893 to 1898, and in Hawaii in 1899.
He was chief Of the irrigation section of
the twelfth census, and was in charge
of the special investigation of irrigation
made later then became clerk, and. sub
sequent!y, chief Statistician OF the rec
<on nd
writer he has been conspicuous in bring
ing about the evolution in appearance
of government publications in recent
years. and 1t has been said of those which
come from his Office that they are as
interesting as novels, for they tell of
wonder-working achievements in style
that even schoolboy would pronounce
to be "a bully good story"
Yet Mr.. Blanchard is not an editor in
name. nor is DR.. Hugh NJ. Smith, the
the attractive bul.atins and other publi-
cations issued by the bureau of fisheries.
Mr. Hanna, an engineer: Mr.. Blanchard.
statistician, and DR.. Smith. one OF the
most famous icthyologists in the country,
are cited here as among the many gov
eminent officials who do editing ass
side issue. and the excellent work they
do justifies singing them out from among
the many government officials VINO DO
editorial work in conjunction with duties
n
Perhaps the worst example of editing
government publication is the Congress
sional Record. which comes out daily
when Congress Is in session and which
has Just as many editors as there are
members Of Congress. 1t is no ref1ect1on
on the abilities of members of Congress.
who include some of the cOuntry's ablest
journalists. to mention this familiar fact.
MANY members of Congress and many
other government employees might make
the finest kind of editors of government
publications If they had the chance. but
such chance is not in the line OF their
present duties.
Editing, in the full sense Of the word Is
a class of work that is not performed at
the government printing Office. because 1t
Involves the prerogative of alteration. of
striking out or adding to copy" Of select
ing material for publication. There are
scores Of men in the government printing
office who could do this in most expert
fashion If they had the chance, for there
are many former editors at the big print
cry, but when copy reaches the public
printer 1t is already edited, and all that
the public printers employees do is to put
it in type and correct 1t. in accordance
with the established standards. That Is
not editing. but II Is work equally as re-
sponsible as editing. and If there exists a
government editor who has had any con-
siderable experience at editing who can
say that he never was under obligations
to any proofreader. he is totally unlike
any other real editor that ever existed.
IT is at the Agricultural Department that