The semi-weekly Republican. (St. Francisville, La.) 1872-1872, 1872-03-22
Famine in the Journalist
Market.

A New York correspondent of one
of our exchanges writes as follows {:
Never has there been time when
good journalists have been in So
much demand here T; and, as a neces-
sary sequence, in s11cl limited sup
ply as they are at present. New
York is the great central market for
newspaper writes, as it is for every
thing else, and whenever an out-of-
town journal wants one or more ca
pable men, it sends to this city to
get them.
SCRlBBLERS IN REQUEST.
There is hardly a week out of the
entire tifty-two in which applications
arc not made here for reporters, city
editors, writing editors ana manag-
ing editors and it is very seldom
that these applications are met. I
now have i'll mind IL very wealthy
gent'eman-ho has just purchased u
newspaper in one Of tho great cities
Of the West-y;ho bas bcca in town
for fully a month trying to make up
4 journalistic staff. A day Or two
ago he had not succeeded in secuy-
ing the service Of a single person.
O; course he could get many men,
but they were not of tho kind he
wanted. So it is with every proplle-
tor in need of journalistic assistants.
Those whom he wishes to procure
are not procurab,c, and those he can
engage his Satanic A[a;esty would
not have. Ihc gentleman to whom
I refer is worth four OF f;e millions
Of dollars, aud is willing to pay l;hcr-
ally, bat hardly any resident Journal
list will gut tie city for anything like
the sum he can earn here.
Various causes have contributed to
decrease tie number Of competent
and trimmed journalists. The pr!nci-
pal OF these is s,nnl.ness Of comnc,ls-
atom rs compared to What may lie
gained, with elual intelligence anl!
labor, III almost :sy otter calling.
Almost any ,ei'aGN Ml.p enters into
any sort OF business, whether it lie
law, medicine OF s'iop-.erling, and
,!ovutgs himsc!; TO it tor teH or twelve
years, Will be Hh!c to earn at Tie cad
uf that time III least twice or thrice
what Il journalist can earn, after
much more labor and devotion, omit
ting TIE question Of capac.ty, than
the professional man OF trat.eslnan
has pravticcd. Nearly every kind Of
work, except journalism, is ci,mu!a-
tive in lis results The owner OF !,
corner grocery, also buys with dis
crim;nation ans! sticks to his coun-
ter, can. after certain while, dispose
of his establishment for o handsome
bonus. The journalist tolls early
and late for a number Of years ex-
hausts his brain and strength and
health, and then his services are
dispensed with because lie is no
lorger necessary. All that he gets
from his avocation is q mere livei-
hood without prospect of OF any
thing better. This has been shown
SO often thatmany newspaper writer's
have retired from their profession on
principle, or rather from Interest,"
resolved to have some prospect OF
independence when they have fallen
into years. Not one Of these, in my
acquaintance, having industry, in-
tegrity and perseverance, but has
materially improved his condition by
his change Of calling.
JOURNALISM AS A PROFESSION.
Journalism is growing every month
to be more and more profession.
The days Of typos and amateurs is
passing, if it has not passed. Men
who, before the war, could get q sit
uation because they conld string a
few words together, or fill a column
in two or three hours, have ceased to
be eligible. Something more is re-
ouired now and yet, as have said,
salaries are not at all adequate to
the ability and training demanded.
Any man competent to fill q respon-
sibIe position on a leading New
York newspaper, is certainly worth 1
and should receive one hundred dol
&lyy