Year: 1860

l


Did it ever occur to you, most agreeable
reader, that editorial life is not an unrufled
sea? Did you ever pause in looking over q
newspaper to think of the ceaseless toll that is
necessary to provide for you the columns and
paragraphs you so easily scan :? This editorial
writing-what a ceaseless tapping of mans
brains it is! No matter how he feels-the
paper must be out at the appointed time, and
| his usual contributions must fill the accustem
ed niche.


| The limited space of a newspaper column
does not allow the editor to treat any subject
at large. He must not attempt an extended
discussion, no matter what he writes about !;
but he is expected to touch on variety of
themes every week, and just touch them
nothing more; so that his readers may not be
wearied by long articles. To write long es-
say or series. would sometimes be a great re
lief But if he does either, ten chances to one
he will hear of it. Once or twice, in u long
editorial service, we have yentured to do this
dangerous thing. Fortunately we heard no
complaints, though we have no doubt many
were uttered. Now and then, however, we
have been complimented by brother saying
to us: d" That was very good article of yours
i'll last weeks paper, as far as / read but it
was so long, l was called off before had time
to finish it "


Editorial writing is pleasant enough, and
easy enough to a man accustomed to it-when
he has once determined what be shall write
about. But this selection of topics is not easy.
For single paper or two, any man will find
subjects at hand but when it comes to wri-
ting for the same readers year in and year out
when one calls up the subjects already pre-
sented, some briefly, others more deliberately,
either by himself or by correspondents, the
difficulty of selecting so as to avoid selfrepe-
tition, is quite embarrassing. As to waiting
till something suggests itself-till it comes to
you-that is out of the question. The res
pectable but ill-named boy is at your door al
ready. He is calling for copy. You must sit
down and write at once. What If half doz-
en- persons in the Office are earnestly discussing
Church matters or politics? What if some
irrelevant interrogatory is urged with singular
indication of oblfviousness of what you are
about or not; you must feel your way through
like d man walking in a narrow pass during a
dark night and, having reached the end of
your sheet, you may take long breath, and
turn away III sSGtlICD iulGT Suillc OtHGi SullleCL
And there is no end to this, for as soon as you
have succeeded in arranging for one number,
the burden Of another is upon you, from the


first week in January till the last in December.


But to the writing Of editorials is to be adj
ded the aggregate of other duties. Here
is correspondence we'll meant and full of scnsi-
bic sayings. But it is badly written, perhaps
badly spelled, perhaps poorly put together
! ou must go over it. y ou must dash out an
unnecessary word yonder. You must be
grammarian for the writer, wha either has ney-i
er learned grammar Or has permitted himself
to write without revision. Y You must, in short,
prepare his irregular composition for the press.
and, where we cannot make out precisely what
he intended to write. guess at it and let. your
readers have the benefit of your guessing.


To read newspaper for pastme is a very
inviting employment. But here are twenty re-
ceived by the mornings mail. You take the
scissors in hand and glance over them. What
a treat would these be to some people-peoplt
who have leisure to read them through But
your work is to scissorise. You are looking
for scraps Here is one but it was in your pa
per last week. Here is another but it is too
sectarian. Here is third, but it is one of
last years creation, that has lodged d while on
the shores of forgetfulness, and is now swept
again on the tide of news to float until it can
find another standing place. After an hour or
two of search, you gather up the result. 1t is
your column of clippings from the exchanges
What search for so meagre reward.


Well, have you done? See there is roll
of proofs. The type is set, and the foreman
wishes to make up the form. Here is a letter
upside down-there is word you never saw
before-here is a sentence without meaning-
What are'you to do +? Look at every letter
read every line-mark every intended correc-
tion-and send it back to be printed afteryour
alterations shall have been made. You must
do this at once. Delays are dangerous p
You must not take half day for it. Drop
everything you have before you, and read your
proofs. The press will be waiting for you, and
unless you are in time, your place will be ta-
ken by another, and your issue delayed Hap
py the editor who, when his sheet is out, does
not find dozen errors that he could not find
before! Thrice happy he who, besides all
this does not find many that he did not see
still glaring upon him in all their deformity
and provoking calmness, despite of all his
care !-Baltimore U. s. Journal