Literature and Life

de his pleasure in a short, stiff note of acceptance, or he may mask his joy in a check of slender figure; but the contributor may be sur

ievements will always be warmly welcomed; that even his failures will be leniently and reluctantly recognized

mes; when he will seem exacting and fastidious, and will want this or that mistaken thing done to the story, or poem, or sketch, which the author knows t

ut the editor will wait the evidence of indefinite failure to this effect. His hope always is that he

ce done well than of a second success. After all, the writer who can do but one good thing is rarer than people are apt t

so high. His only hope is to surpass himself, and not begin resting on his laurels too soon; perhaps it is never well, soon or late, to rest upon

nes. It is for the contributor to be exacting, and to let nothing go to the editor as long as there is the possibility of making it better. He need not be afraid of being f

r even the handwriting, of a contributor who had pleased me, and I forgot thousands who did not. I never lost faith in a contributor who had done a good thi

gginson, Aldrich, Stedman, and many others not so well known, but still well known. These distinguished writers were frequent contributors, and they could be c

or poem, and I doubt if it gave him more pleasure. The editor is, in fact, a sort of second self for the contributor, equally