Concerning Contributions.
By Editor
A CAPITAL thing is it, in an editor’s estimation, to have a large circle of genial and lively contributors. It gladdenneth his heart to see on his table well-written manuscripts, sparkling with animation, flavorous with earnest thought, or musical with poetic melody. In such circumstances, he rubbeth his hands, and saith within himself, “Lo, a good paper cometh forth this week, that will please honest people!” His motto, therefore, is “Success to such writing.” But that there may be a true understanding of the conditions which attend the conducting of such a paper as our own, we will append a few essential regulations, relating to contributions: 1. The editor, while inviting the “pen thoughts” of many minds, must be courteously autocratic in disposing of them. His position makes him responsible first to God for a good spirit, and then to the reading public for an interestig paper, which requires that he should have unquestioned liberty in the selection of his materials. 2. No offense should be taken by persons if their contributions meet with delay or final rejection. Such a disposal of an article does not necessarily impeach its merits, as its delay or exclusion may be caused by an excess of matter in the editor’s hands, on similar topics, or written in a similar vein, the printing of all of which at once would make a dull paper for lack of variety. 3. There must be liberty in the printing office to correct faults in rhetoric or grammar, and to reasonably curtail articles where they may be improved thereby. 4. Short articles—other things being equal—will have perference over long ones.—Sel.