Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-01-22
A MEMBER OF THE PRESS.
BY GEORGE J. MANSON.

From the New York Citizen.
WHAT is a reporter? ?
have heard, in my time, two defni-
tions of a reporter, or, as he generally
calls himself, ga member of the press
One was from gentleman who labored
under the disadvantage (according to Mr..
SaXe's idea) of being "a very funny man"
His definition of reporter was this "a
man with cast iron body and no soul"
The other definition heard from lady
who, though not "very funny was ex-
ceedingly pleasant and agreeable, aud was
often guilty Of uttering very good things
She called reporters, expressively and la
conically, "ink wigglers" l do not know
which of these definitions is best the
reader must choose for himself.
When we come to the qualifications of a
good newspaper reporter, we say that the
principal one must be that of impudence.
| never knew a modest man to be a re-
porter, or, to speak more correctly, a good
one. There are a few modest men in the
profession, but they are soon lost sight of
and forgotten. And this impudence on
the part of reporters is of great benefit to
the public, if they would think moment
on the subject. If it were rot for this
same impudence the readers of newspa-
pers would not be edited with half the
gossip that is afloat. 1t is through the i'm
pudence of the reporters that you hear
little items of intelligence of all sorts,
about the Prince of Wales, the inventor
of the Atlantic Telegraph, the japanese,
Mr.. Weston, the famous actors and act
resses, the President of the United States,
Wendell Phillips, Anna Dickinson, the
SOrOsis, and last, but not least, the "Wick-
eldest Man in New York" While other
people are outside the show, and think,
and wonder, and surmise as to how things
are, the enterprising reporter goes in to
the great presence (whoever he, she, or it
happens to be) only soon to emerge there
from with his note book tlled with an ac-
count of just how things really are-and,
sometimes, fear, how they are not. The
reporter must never weary of doing his
duty to that large constituency to which
he speaks every day-the largest any man
can speak to-the mighty public.
To illustrate what impudence will do
Jet me relate an apecdote. A message
once arrived at certain newspaper of
flee that a frightful murder had been com
mitted in q small village near by, and that
the inquest on the murdered body was to
be held in the course of the day. Re
| p0rters were, of course, dispatched from
all the various city newspapers TO give an
account of the affair. On their arrival at
the village they were informed by the
ceroner-rather an uuusal circumstance
that he would not allow any of them to
be present at the inquest. The reporters,
however, were not TO be put of, They
held a consultation among themselves.
and resolved on a course OF action, As
each witness came out of the coroner's
room he was politely taken in charge by
gentleman of the press standing near
the door, and ushered into another room
where the other members of the craft
were sitting around large tabls, looking
| very solemn, after the manner of officials.
The witness was then told 10 repeat over
ms testimony the same as he had done be-
tore the coroner, the reporters remarking
tnal they were there to record II for the
Satisfaction of the public. Being mostly
young men from the country" and nj
particularly sharp, thewitnesses sunpoced
II was all right, and proceeded 20 give
Tier testimony with even greater yolu
bllty than they had given it before tbr
coroner. The long account OF the inouest
occupying four or five closely printed
columns, which appeared in the morninp
papers, was due, aside from the work, Il
the enterprise--or shall we say imp udenc,
of the reporters
Capital stories are told of the different
varieties Of reporters, especially of thosc
OF the old school, which is now. happily
passing away. There is the ffightiuliy
eager reporter, who is always on duty
never forgetting his mission. I remember
one OF this class who was TOused from hii
! slumbers one night by disturbance OF
his doorstep. His alarmed spouse com
PEELED him to descend and see what III,
matter was, and on opening the door h,
discovered man stretched across tn,
threshold In it, MARY, Mary" crieC
he 70 his better half bring me my note