Smyrna times., 1877-10-10
How they Got into the Newspapers.

TO study the fascinating Louisiana case,
which seems to be always with us, as HOLY
Writ says of the poor, four amused them
selves one night in discussing the divers
ways by which they came into their present
line of business. These were Messrs. White.
of the New York Tribune; Handy, of the
Philadelphia Times; Carroll, of the New
York Times.
These three gentlemen all told me that
it was more accidental than otherwise that
they became newspaper men. None of
them were especially educated for the pur-
pose, nor had they influential family con.
nections to urge their claims, nor even
acquaintances with the enewspaperiraternity
They came in by chance, and stayed in be-
cause they were competent Mr.. White is
the Irt6ane'S chief correspondent at Wash
ton; Mr. Handy is leading editor on the
Philadelphia Times; while Howard Carroll
does all sorts of work for the New York
T,mrS, and does it we'll
Il, l.. White is about thirty.five wears of
age. He was born in Massachusetts, and
early worked in the foundry business which
his father carried on. The monotony of
this he occasionally varied by working on
farm in summer and attending district
school in winter. Farm labor paving him
SNS ri''D lNA WYNN IC SOl IL DldCO Ill Il
cardboard factory, earning 50 per week.
Working along in this way to pay expenses,
he finally got into college and graduated
His first newspaper work was few stray
articles for a temperance Journal lie
commenced on the TtJtosc, about ten years
ago, at the prnccly salary Of s. week.
This was merely nominal and was fixed
for the purpose Of finding out whether
there was anything in the young man or
not. In short time he was advanced to
$l3 per week, then $50, then $25, then $50,
and so on, rising along in the usual way as
he showed capacity. Nobody interceded
for him or prOppcd him up with influence,
tor, as | have said, outside influence is of
no service in journalism, even if a Young
man can command it. Mr.. White now
ranks as one of the best correspondents on
the American press-a considerable adj
vance from ten years ago, when he started
on s. week. Yet without natural
capacity he would have failed long aro.
and dropped out of sight in the army of
those who try and find that their forte does
not lie IN the newspaper line.
NJ. p. Handy is one of the rising young
men in the business. He is not vet thirty
years old, and can turn out more matter.
telegraph, than any man of his age. know.
lie was born in Missouri, his father being a
missionary there from Virginia. Upon the
breaking out Of the war his father returned
TO Virginia. taking young Handy with him.
In 1862 Rev. Mr.. Handy was arrested bv
Federal troops and confined in Fort Della.
ware as political prisoner. "Moses," to
be near his father, moved there and work ed
on a :arm and in a drug store at the hand.
some salary Of $3.50 a month and board.
But being barely fifteen years old, young
Moses thought that board was the main
thing after all. His father was soon
released, and they returned to Virginia.
All this time he was only getting such
education as he picked up in scraps, which
some people suppose is the best, after all,
for the rough and tumble of life. After
the war, the Nirginians finding little left
IN this world, naturally turned their atten.
ton to the next, and Moses made a good
thing canvassing for religious newspaper
10 be exact, his total commissions were
thlrty-tve dollars, which he thought at
That time handsome start for q young
man. He spent twenty-five dollars for new
clothes and plug hat, five in travelling,
and landed in Richmond with the lemain-
ing hve and few postage stamps He
walked the streets for three DAYS, trying to
get work. His five dollars melted rapidly
away, despite close economy. His money
and his courage gave out about the same
time, leaving him nothing but an empty
Delly ana few postage stamps. But in
the moment of despair he got work in the
mailing room of weekly newspaper at ten
dollars month. Shortly after he did
some handsome work for the DtSDatcd, in
connection with Mr.. Greeley's visit to Rich
mond, and in consequence got regular work
on that paper at fifteen dollars per week,
which was soon advanced to double that
sum. He went to Cuba for the New York
Irtbonc during the V;rgiaius excitement,
and made ten strike for that paper, beat.
ing all its rivals.
Howard Carroll is not yet twenty five
years old. His father was a civil engineer
by profession, and a brigadier general in
the Federal army. He was killed in battle
the day Howard was ten years old. When
IN his teens young Carroll attended school
IN Germany some time. Returning to New
York when twenty, he applied at the New
ork Times office for work. They laughed
at him. He did not look like a person
who could write anything worth reading.
lie went away and did what he ought to
have done in the first place, wrote an article
on student life in Germany. His article
was better than his appearance, and he was
given work "by the piece" earning five
dollars the first week and seven the next.
Showing capacity, he was given work at
thirty dollars week, which was soon
doubled, and he is now one of the main
men on the working force of the Times
ReifcM.
EFFECT OF WRAPPING-PAPERs ON DYEs.-
1t has been found that wooden fabrics dyed