Words by Editor | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 11, 1875

Words.

By Editor

A POPULAR impression prevails that while every other luxury is expensive, words cost nothing, and may therefore be freely used. But no opinion can be more erroneous. Words cost more than money; they cost what can never be replaced—they cost time; not the time of the writer—it is easier to write long than to write short—but the time of the reader.

Every needless word that is printed in these columns, is a fraud and a robbery upon every one that reads it. And we are set by Providence to watch over the rights of the readers.

To put good matter into the paper is not half of the editor’s work; he has also the harder, more needful work, of keeping bad matter out of it, and by bad matter we do not mean that which is immoral; we mean what is wordy, dull, thin, spun out. We have on hand at this moment no end of contributions that would have appeared had they been shorter.—National Baptist.