Many visitors to this site -- such that there ever any -- may find that, given the bustle of the season, they do not have the time to read and absorb the various postings hereunder each day; and, based upon a superficial glance, some may leap to the rash conclusion that these pages are filled with hastily prepared pap and meal; or, worse, a slapdash hash of inconsequence and tomfoolery; or, worst, a steady diet of gruel (to quote The Bard) "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." But, the truth is far from that.
First, one should note that any daily publication of consequence, from time to time, struggles to fill itself with worthy news and opinion, owing to the pressure of going to press or the wont of compelling matter. The grand journals typically have large staffs and are, generally, able to avoid "filling", such as with a story about two ducks named Fred and Ethel in the local pond.
Second, our own staff is, by any measure, modest in size; yet, the demands upon it are no less great. We have been wisely hesitant to rush into the digital maelstrom, so we still do things the "old-fashioned" way -- e.g., painstakingly setting the type for each posting. Moreover, we must address the typical business of publishing: complex design and layout; frequent editorial meetings; routine attorney consults regarding libel, defamation, slander, plagiarism, false utterance, postal fraud, scandal, and outrage; etc. All, I might add, without remuneration.
Third, though still toddlers, as it were, in the world of words, we have the great promise of our Other Contributors. Even now, they are composing as yet unwritten tomes of great weight and scope -- no doubt considering how Pythagoras or Aeschylus or Herodotus would hold on a particular point -- taking care to allow each thought to mature fully, unlike certain of our hasty visitors.
In all, we will continue to create, as Shelley once wrote (perhaps seeing ahead to this project with unfailing clairvoyance) "a record of the happiest and best moments of the happiest and best minds." And, we are happy to do so.
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