The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-09-29
Women Journalists.


Gail Hamilton appears TO have degen-
Grated into feeble scoid. She has lust
now fallen foul of lady correspondents
and Journalists, and the Inference to be
drawn from her jeramiads, is that wOm-
en- have injured journalism and had
better quit II altogether. In such a case
Gail would find her occupant gone, and
one benefit would accrue, for the world
would be spared Il good deal of twaddle.
She says, 81 do not hesitate TO affirm, as
the most painful and unexpected result
of my own observation, that the groSsest
violations of courtesy, modesty, delicacy,
and decency, attributable to correspond
ents, have been perpetrated by women"
This is "A pretty broad assertion, and
we hardly think it can be supported by
facts. The most shameless Interviewing
is done by men. We do not hesitate to
admit that very gross breaches of good
taste and intrusion upon personal and
domestic privacy have marred the col
umns filed by lady correspondents; but
instead of proving that women are not
needed i'm journalism, it simply proves
that a higher order of women are needed
in journalism than some of those who
have taken up corresponding and report
ing for livelihood. The same can be
said, with far greater emphasis, relative
to men penny-a-liners. The press can
never he elevated until the lewd fellows
of baser sort, who thrOng most news
papers offices and ply their trade OF
picking up carriOn bits of news, and
pushing into places where their presence
is an insult, are either whipped into
good manners and decency, or super
ceded by an entirely different order OF
men. ru
There are certain departments of jour.
nalism that are prstty low down, anC
the methods they oblige to use are Ger.
! tainly not elevating. Women who
engage in this work, DO not, in tn,
/ larger number of cases, choose it becaus,
/ il il pleasant or to their taste; they en-
I gage in il to get their bread, and if they
refuse To adopt the sensational an,
offensive tricks which men have in
vented, they are denied employment
| Moreover we know of cases where tin
reports of women have time and agail
been So mangled, marred, cut, and in
tcrpolated by men editors, that whe
sent out to the world under their name
they could scarcely recognize what pun
ported to be their work. Sentiment
and prejudices, oftentimes scurrility an
abuse which they never dreamed of il
dulging in, were skillfully twine
through the original article, and the
were obliged TO bear the OdiUm of tn
private overflow of editorial bile, or els
lose good paying position.
There are women, and we know son
ffof them who detest the kind of woT
they are obliged to do for bread. The
work under ineXorable task-master
who will take only what they fancy IL
public demands, and these task-maste
are all men. Let Gail apply the las
where il belongs. IL is all very fine
talk about elevating journalism an
frowning down personality. The trut
is that great deal of writing women &
is mere piece-work, done to order lii
shirt or vest-making. The woman WI
lapplieS at the door of the newspap'
office must furnish what the editor want
or she may starve.
Women have not been able to stem Il
tide, and in many cases they are not
: blame. They have done, and can yet {
valuable work in journalism. The
have obtained foothold in the prOfe
sion from which they never can be Q,
Z PEELED, and their influence through q
I lpress will be felt more and powerful
I each wear. The fault lies ut the door
those who cater to a depraved publ
! annette. and with the public TIN
\ hankers for unhealthy mental food.
p fetter "A wOman's brain, and then upbra
! her for not elevating journalism, illu
trates the spirit in which the Egyptian
| perSecuted their Israelitish serfs for n
s4making bricks without straw.-RcrOi