An Editor's Duty by Editor

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 30, 1861

An Editor's Duty.

By Editor

PRUNING is a part of an editor's duty, a part which is always unwelcome to him. He must regard the intelligence of the reader, the standing of the periodical, the reputation of the church he represents.

Some persons seem to think that it is the editor's place simply to print what they may send him, no matter how it is prepared. The most unfortunate thing about it is, that they take offense if he corrects what they write.

Now here is a letter before us, in which we are blown sky high because we abbreviated an article sent us some time ago by the writer. He says, “I do not like such abridgments.” “I wish you to understand me, that when I do write an article for publication (For I do not write often) that I wish you to put in your paper Just as I write it verbatim.”

This quotation is just as the brother wrote it. But we should do him a serious unkindness if we should follow his direction, and, in like manner, publish his letter entire, signature and all. His spelling presents us with the following words: “eaqual,” “necassaty,” “new” for knew, “blend-id,” “mungreled,” “mawk,” for mock, &c.

We do not censure a man because he cannot spell, nor because he cannot write English. It is his misfortune—often not at all his fault. But when such a man writes for publication, he ought to be thankful to the editor for correcting his puerile MSS. This brother fires up very indignantly. He says: “I did not expect to find an old episcopal Almighty bishop in the Editor of our paper.”

Now this is not amiable. But to bear it is part of the tax every man has to pay who assumes official position; and we therefore smile and take it, with all the charges of “pride,” “usur-pation,” &c., put in as condiments. The brother says: “I have kept a copy of this article.” We advise him to keep it. We shall keep that now in our possession as a curiosity worth preservation.—Methodist Protestant.