San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1880-12-16
Journalism PerllOus Profession.
From the London World.


Belgravia and Mayfair have long
since nude violent irruptions into
Grub St., and Paternoster Row. 1t
is writing age even more than a
reading age. Well-born gentlemen
and ladies' are spoken of by their re-
spectacle and aristocratic relatives as
having taken to literature with much
the same shrug of the shoulders as
might have been expected if they had
taken to drink If an idler Or military
officer suddenly suffers a re-
verse Of fortune, he bethinks himself
of writing for the reviews" II a
clergyman fails to hit it off with his
parishoners, Or college-eellow
gets tired of his University life, or a
public schoo,-naster becomes EN-
broilel with his chief; he flies to his
pen, and produces articles. If wives
and mothers would exc out their al-
lowance, they embody their ideas or
information in paragraphs. Every
one writes little, and great nun
Der of persons write tolerably. Ev-
ryone too, who has some special ex-
perience to recount, who is able, by
\ narrative of novel facts, to throw
new light upon existence, and who
can express himself with clearness
is sure to find a hearing, if only the
general interest of the subject is sui
fcient Two different results have
followed from this state Of things.
In the first place literature, or what
for the sake of convenience may be
called literature, was never so much
of profession or so safe profession
as at the present m 1ment IN the sec,
ond never was there such host OF
non-professional writers.
If the toiler with his pen would
make living out of journalism, ne
must adopt tactics of a very different
kind. He mnst not look at it as a
pisaller, but as the central business
of his life. It is because journalism
has become more of aprofession than
it ever was before, that it requires a
larger degree of training and prac-
tice. 1t needs. concentration on be-
half of him who betakes himself to 1t;
and it may be said with confidence
that there is no training
in the world less likely
to produce a Macaulay or George
Eliot than that of journalism. Ma
caulay was tried as newspaper writ
er and failed. George Elliot took up
the same role, and was not successful.
As a matter of fact it is probable that
the process has been reversed, and
that the aspiring historian or novel
ist has found the goal of his labors
in a newspaper office. There arc OF
course, many varieties of newspaper
writer's, and all, from the humblest
writer to the editorial Jove. rank as
journalists. But the man who IN
tends to make anything out of iourn-
alism must not look at his appren-
ticeship TO it as a probationary stage
in his literary experiences: he must
regard it as profession in itself and
unless he deyotes himself heart and
soul to his daily labors, and dismisses
the noble ambition to emulate Shakes
peare and others he will find journal
ism a beggarly business
II journalism is approached IN a
spirit of honest industry, and with
some natural qualifcaticns-if it is
persevered IN Tor years, and If the
worker enjoys an average amount OF
good fortune-the newspaper writer
Ein. perhaps. find himself IN posses
son Of about one-third Of the income
which would be enjoyed by a bArrls-
ter OF a doctor who had achieved a
cuesPJnllng measure Of success.
Yet- a.t10ugh Journalism when al
the cuaEi5es winch cOntnbut@ % se-
80 szcosss u = Ars pe-1e--berea
-.hs EsciPll-ed capacity Of vork
the rsl dT1lei slertne<s II rnlnd-
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