EDITORS AND THEIR LABOURS.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 56, 24 April 1878, Page 2

EDITORS AND THEIR LABOURS.

[The^f qllq wing- appeared jn: tK& : >" NW -New'Zealaiid Bresaj-W^ewa^'ifpttarKwh pub* lication.it was specially written, but inany of ,the.. remarks appear to v be ■ sa.appjlicable ta ' the • generality of country subscribers, that w.e.reproAu.ce them, jn gut columns!. It would appear to ne a very preva* lent^opinion - that ra gpq4;edacatipn ia - the one, thing necessary to jjt a man for ,th,e .occupaneyi ,'oi jibfe] editorial "chair* !Ina^e^*-tp sucK ;a^ dpW this idea; yvef^,thkii%^tea&^^ > j^fied.''' into the of; th\e needy, ;ojf theambiti,au.s r andit i^ gehier^Uy, lookedl upon as tie dernier rjessorf ,bf 'th.e edu-* cated T^ith; fortqne. l^aa;.dealt. Harshly, 'and injpecuniosity foree'd to. seek a. Jtivelihood. Than this, nothing; can be more fatlacions. : The aspirant, to the sanctum ;tas r a grievance to air op a^hobby ;to humor, akd^e writes to the'local organ for that puitposev The sob,-. ,Vjec + t_ matter hislis" re.ceiTOd mature con> si^eration^' its saUeht points 'mentally^ and. its' lights and shades made> r the in.ost of;, so. that on perusal this argu»ments adduced appear most convi^ciijgj, 't^e^/sentences.-reaa -anSF trip--.pmglyV'an,d<the writers&>rfch\rith believes ' thit^nels^a marvellously bleverfello^ that the Fourth Estate is his especial! vocation, and that, he is nothing- inpref jior less j'tbiii a-'heiyen-:bprjaje»ditpri H>•scdfEs atlthe idea ■ that -the^e J qititig of : ai journal :is-j ; cajfeulateii to produce any- . mental, strain,' and m. imagination has^ A f knocked^ innumerable articles withy a similaCgasb and rapidity. He enviesc • thbs'e . .^hpjgjß Jdinesii^re XeaM m suchc pleasant places,. ; and m his .mind's eye-r-niakes, jhental < calculation-: off iisjjrearly.income: had; :he?siKh?a golden mine at I his i ; opmmand.^^ IPGOTi^misglJidedl PGOTi^misglJided aaa^lj I hpwi-deepjy are you, djece'.iyed ? -Once ~geß; yojcir neck, into, tite^ypke^nd: will you :rfegi;et the>ch^>ice. : ~ ft is onething,:tCh^orjc; for .pieagurp^Mid 'another>fcxr [fewa^fvHowever, having implicit 1 faith an himself , . < proh'fic m his ideas,. andTrii^: his^dsjrii,-; c sti motion- — perfectly' conversant Tfii|h aU subjects, he resigns: a luorativeTposition m which, there was: not- sufficient scope foVhis Abilities,, accepts, the. gujdanpe. of some-jabscure-Tr^g, merely , as' a stepping-stone to fu-^ , ture :^greatn§Ss, ;.^d e .p'rio^^.ds : '.tol : jmake> .the- wo^. tremble; J aiidr^a ; V nsLjUe forI'himself ...' j^e dfty^twp QblUjnini&fe4e--,Jvpted to^sQaln^PKil^picig^mst the | City Fathers for tSe stoppage; of the ' supply of^, wafer jm't^e next tßffc quafity'of the gas" is attacked ;■ while in* a third, th^e i ppund^^^ comes' to Jthe rescue^ ] and pxoir^eX fofl^ !&r ''% leader.' By'tj^ui.t^e^loc^'sa^j^^Vape.ej^usted,. . and iflejf jmu^ih cogijt^bnV, jthe Scribeind^gesi^what h.e^(wsls'jtj);be itmas-: terly exposition^of .the dbinesficpdlitics "of; the Peruvian^. ,s,i^f hi* '^omnibp, he-. h^s played^> pa?d"'w|ac]i r eleptrify* the natives, but^to' liis.ittit.er, idisguit, anj indignant subscriber sacnfegiousfy re--jers to is 'as tirrsritii vn^x^^, a^iii irigly asTcs'of what 1 e^rthjy j^tereJt bouldi such %r su.bject^possejss| f^rv the; readers. l^.the Trumpet;^ .^o, iv, ; d'esjpair, he falls back jUipph^ju^local. trttfpics ' once , mpr.e--7tjio ' ,fown . pump is?, again '^^ndled,'"'Jtlie gas' meter isigaia; " turned on^'^nd sleeping V of" ( the jußt,;h;e res|;s bWt^ntedly from his: labours m the firm. r belief thajt he has: ■ disarmed -ueprpach v Vain' delusion, t: Alas .for. th« mujtabilitj^of human hap? piness;! ' * While" one" patron jeerihgm inquires whpn ; he,TOLll-'haye done? pound-, ing" away; at the receptacle forj&lgra'nt. quadrupeds, another suggests that it is? high time the water question were ' pumped^dry, while a thif 5 1 asfe when, he is going to give his readers somethingjfresh:#^ TooXlaike hjßr: snds)the- Jeditor'sl chair is not an, "easy ,' r ,one, a.jyi the,triith of JthV faKJe'of fbjajotdvman and* the ass comes home toi hirn'm-a^'manner-tiev,er realised before. : He, discovers, m, a way that somewhat wounds hjs.te.ndersensibilities, that an editor's life is not ill " bepr and skittlies/^ atid'Althoufifh. haying the wtnee , to-byallsr md. baby i.sho.ws^ jaAtorn^m^i an4l, prize .fights, f there are dcpasipnally* "little 'episodes. cropping%p whibK act as drawbacks.;. »Most people have a,n idea thaj^it ia: '. much easier. task- fb guide the destinies : ;of daily- journal ia'a' sinatHWw.n than ; in a lar^e.'6jty.;;.-.Tliis'is:f]|'{lelt^'idiii and: \to such I r merely say^ let; the m aave a * trial, aiid they will discover their mi s-u itake. The dwellers ia citiM mpre^ .COsmopoii a:i m theirideas^tLlan >-ciil residents, an;j [ acts' 1 which are per«(fb/med m the world's theater hAVfi JUk

interest for them, not participated m by their bucolic brethren. The field of labour and the sphere of critcism have a muci i wider extension for the former than for the latter, and while the , one can freely range over continents or colonies for.its -pabulum for criticism^ or condemnation, the other is bound -up within the narrow limits of Eatansyilie, and Bingtown and its fortunes is a world m themselves. Talk about slavery I know of no drudgery to equal that of a country editor compelled to eternally hammer at his literary anvil with the one piece of iron from year's end to year's end, arid yet be- expected to produce, sparks widely different" m character. If a man be compelled to write ipr 313 days out of the 365, it must follow as surely as day follows night that he will pump himself dry beforethe task is accomplished, that he will string together rubbish without sense or meaning, for he writes not because he has ideas on his subject,, but. because he has his column to s fill; This" fact is now generally recognised, and m cities such as Melbourne and Sydney : the daily journals possess a regular staffj the chief of which writes but on special occasions, and no T^riter is expected to contribute more two leaders, a week. By this means, worked out/ energies and overtaxed mental faculties ape avoided ; the brain power is allowed to recuperate, ideas have time to develope, and, as a consequence, the leading columns are looked upon as ex cathedra statements on the subjects upon which they treat, and are, m fact, what they presume : \o be — " leaders of ' the people." Possessed of 'two things, an editor's life would be a delightful pppupation— a subject upon whioh to write, and the ability to do bo when it is found. -' To the professional , scribe, the former is by ;f ar the more difficult of I tKe f two/for put a text into his hand ' upon which he is to hold forth, and his difficulties are at an end, Not so the i amateur, even though he had all the letters of the alphabet after his name. Ask him to write the most : commonplace local, and set the youngest member of the staff, to the same task, and not only will the latter have concluded before his opponent has .commenced, but the 'prentice hand of the tyro will be imprinted upon his work. Although , I,do not assert that all printers make clever Pressmen; it cannot be denied that when they have sufficient ability to , east Aside the stick and rule and take up the pen, they- take the foremost posi- " tions m the ranks of journalism. Without going back to that philosopher and statesman, Benjamin Franklin, we have m 'our own day, Horace Greely, James Gordon Bennett,' Brett Harte,. Mark Twain, and Artemus Ward m America, the two Chambers and a host of others at Home, while ia the Colonies their »ame is legion* (To ie Continued.)