The Misanthrope’s Corner

IT must be nice to be one of those big- gun columnists with a research staff to gather notes for you. How painless, said she longingly, to have the day’s news clips put in front of you, already marked and summarized by hired minions who are easily replaced when their minds snap from direct contact with the morning papers. This way the columnist has the news broken gently to him, enabling him to ease gradually into a temperate reaction to the day’s big story.

Contrast it with my way: staggering up when I hear the Washington papers hit the door and juggling a cup of coffee, a cigarette, and a red Scripto over a front-page story about the Navy’s plan to put women on submarines. This is why you will never find George Will trying to light a pen, or Anna Quindlen writing “I can’t think of a worse place to have cramps.”

About the Author

Florence King

Florence King was a contributing editor of National Review.

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IT must be nice to be one of those big- gun columnists with a research staff to gather notes for you. How painless, said she longingly, to have the day’s news clips put in front of you, already marked and summarized by hired minions who are easily replaced when their minds snap from direct contact with the morning papers. This way the columnist has the news broken gently to him, enabling him to ease gradually into a temperate reaction to the day’s big story.

Contrast it with my way: staggering up when I hear the Washington papers hit the door and juggling a cup of coffee, a cigarette, and a red Scripto over a front-page story about the Navy’s plan to put women on submarines. This is why you will never find George Will trying to light a pen, or Anna Quindlen writing “I can’t think of a worse place to have cramps.”