464- 
[DECEMBER, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
an audacious and plucky newspaper belligerent, but fights 
without malice, and is a generous conqueror; receives the 
hardest blows with serenity of countenance and of spirit, 
as though he heard gentle angels whispering, saying: 
”Peace, Charles, prithee peace! Possess thy soul in 
patience and bide thy time, for that vain man wearcth a 
scalp wherewith, in the 
Providence of God, thou 
shalt ere long adorn thy wig¬ 
wam !” and he doth possess 
iiis soul in patience, and he 
also bideth his time ; and 
finally, like a true journal¬ 
ist, he conspicuously takes 
the scalp of the offender at 
the very time it would be 
most awkward for the vic¬ 
tim to appear in society 
bereft of that ornamental 
hereditament. 
Mr. Dana is a hard work¬ 
er. The Sun is his pet. 
He loves it and is proud of 
it. He keeps a vigilant eye 
upon.everything ; and, like 
his subordinates, is ready 
to do any piece of work 
whatever, that may come ;o 
his hand. His literary and 
editorial cxecutiveness is 
surpassingly prompt ind 
decisive. This helps aim 
to go through his work 
with a celerity which re¬ 
lieves it of much of its 
burdeusomencss. He i3 
genial and companionable 
with his assistants ; but .10 
one can more effectively 
assume the imperial 
when distinctions of posi¬ 
tion should be made appa¬ 
rent and the lines of order should be sharply drawn. 
And now let us see how all the work done by this army 
of accomplished and industrious men is finally brought 
to a focus in the pages of the Sun. 
It is ten o’clock at night, as we mount to the editorial 
rooms. The apartment of the Editor-in-Chief,Tn the 
northeast corner of the edifice, looking out upon the City 
Ilall Park, is all aglow. Ordinarily he only comes down 
at night to take a general survey of affairs and look over 
his proofs, but to-night, matters of uncommon import¬ 
ance have come to hand, aud I 10 is at his post, with a full 
staff, at a later hour than 
usual. 
Everybody seems to work 
ns though under whip and 
spur. Reporters from the 
public meetings,fires,fights, 
and scenes of accident and 
crime, rush in with their 
notes and set to work as if 
for life. Messengers hurry 
to and fro from telegraph 
offices. Other messengers 
likewise hurry to and fro 
from divers other points. 
Visitors come hurrying in, 
all out of breath, wanting 
to see the Managing Editor, 
or the Chief, on matters 
of pressing importance : 
and all are disposed of 
with promptness, celerity 
and courtesy. Mangled and 
tumbled papers from the 
city, the country, and the 
uttermost parts of the civil¬ 
ized world, lie in heaps up¬ 
on the floors. The pens 
scratch ; the scissors click ; 
the Chief's bell rings sharp¬ 
ly out for the boy; and the 
“condensers”—three men 
whose only business is to 
take the core out of corre¬ 
spondence, reports, and ex¬ 
tracts, and articles from 
other papers—are “ refining 
as with a refiner’s fire” the 
matter which is to appear in the morning’s paper. 
The space in the Sun is too valuable to admit anything 
except the very cream and marrow of the news and in¬ 
formation t6 its columns; wherefore, telegraphic dis¬ 
patches are reduced to “ Sparks,” long communications 
to paragraphs, paragraphs to “Personals,” and articles 
to “Jottings.” Not long since a column and a-half re- 
contents of the paper; con¬ 
sequently, on his judgment 
in selecting articles to go in, 
the character of the paper of 
the next morning in a great 
measure depends. 
the nature and length of late reports, and fixes up news- 
matters outside of the local departments. The Night 
Editor holds a position of great responsibility; inasmuch 
as, with the exception of such articles as the Editor-in- 
Chief or the Managing Editor has marked “Must”— 
which means that articles thus marked must rjo in —he 
has absolute control of the 
always to maintain an independent attitude in the dis¬ 
cussion of religious questions, treating all sides with 
fairness and giving all sides a hearing, and endeavoring 
to measure -and judge them all by the standard of the 
divine laws. 
Mr. Dana is one of the largest stockholders in the Com¬ 
pany, and the editorial monarch of the establishment. 
His sway is imperial and despotic. No one does or cau 
call him to account. lie has had large experience in news¬ 
paper affairs, in subordinate as well as in controlling posi¬ 
tions. He has been reporter, city editor, managing editor, 
New York correspondent, Washington correspondent, 
Paris correspondent,and Foreign correspondent generally. 
Like Napoleon,therefore,he knows his profession through 
all its grades, and can' judge aud do justice to ail his sub¬ 
ordinates, and pity all their woes because he lias felt the 
same. He has a wide knowledge of public affairs, and 
A man came from Staten 
after the ferry-boats had 
In addition to the forego¬ 
ing, there are the Financial 
Editor, the Political Editor, 
the Market Editor, the Lit¬ 
erary Editor, the Musical 
Editor, and the Mail and 
Weekly Editor, whose sev¬ 
eral functions are indicated 
by their titles. Then there 
is the Ship News, and the 
Telegraphic News, furnish¬ 
ed by associations, by cor¬ 
respondents, and by agents. 
Then there arc the Special 
Correspondents stationed 
in the important and pivotal 
cities of America and Eu¬ 
rope. Then there is the 
army of Voluntary Corre¬ 
spondents which the enter¬ 
prise and liberality of the 
Sun have called forth, “ and 
which covers the land for 
multitude.” Nothing of 
importance cau occur any¬ 
where, that some friend of 
the Sun will not at once 
telegraph to it, or describe 
by letter in case there be 
no telegraph station in reach. 
Island one night not long ago, 
stopped running, to bring the Sun news of a fire which 
was of importance, hiring a boat and rowing all the way; 
and verily he had his reward. Liberal pay inevitably 
awaits all such voluntary news-senders ornews-bringers, 
at the Sun office. 
And still further: In addition to all the aforementioned 
persons, there are gentlemen of high culture and special 
gifts on the editorial pay-roll of the Sun, who constitute 
a powerful force, and are abli to furnish, on call, articles 
of ttie highest merit on any 
subject which it may be de¬ 
sired to discuss in the col¬ 
umns of the paper. 
We have still to mention 
the most important mem¬ 
ber of the editorial force of 
the Sun, to wit: Charles A. 
Dana, Esq., the Editor-in- 
Chief, whose function is 
one of supreme importance. 
He must hold the entire 
force in a firm but elastic 
grasp, marshal all its di¬ 
verse elements into harmo¬ 
ny without impairing their 
individualities, and give 
consistency and unity to the 
general sweep and purpose 
of the journal. He must 
scan, day by day, the events 
of the world, and single out 
for publication and com¬ 
ment those which arc either 
of the most general or 
special importance; and in¬ 
dicate to his subordinates 
what they are severally to 
write about, what the scope 
and tone of their articles 
shall be, and what shall be 
the policy of the Sun 011 
every subject; the general 
intent being: That the Sun 
shall be independent of par¬ 
ty, aiming always to bring 
out the truth, no matter 
who maybe helped or hurt by its publication ; to sup¬ 
port honest and capable men for office, no matter to 
what, party they belong; to secure the enactment of good 
laws, no matter by whom they are proposed ; never in 
any case to admit into the columns of the paper any 
thing that is contrary to public or privale morality or 
which cannot be freely read in the family circle; and 
EDITORIAL ROOMS. 
also of business, commercial, and scholastic matters; has 
travelled much both in Europe and America ; speaks 
the modern languages with fluency; has an intimate 
acquaintance with many of the leading minds of both 
hemispheres; is familiar with literature, philosophy and 
metaphysics; sympathises with the progressive and 
ameliorating movements of the times; has always been 
