The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-04-17
SCHOOLS OF JOURNALISM.

III ePiueiillc,a II Scneme OF education viii
was designed to cover the whole III
Versal curriculum of knowledge. pr;
10 tical, theoretical, political, scientif
'9' theological, artistic and journalist
There was to be, according to Gle
II, Freeman's prospectus, school
,d Medicine, of Law, of Theology,
~ Agriculture, of Science, of Art,
:, Mathematics, of Languages, of Pc
emics, and of Journalism. Col. J. ]
III. Claiborne and DR.. Ethel Bark
l. dale were elected professors by IL
w General in the last named school. an
II charged with the issuance of secon
a Blackwood's " "Magi.," which was
,e be the vehicle of the culture and il
tellect OF the South.
But Gen. F's. prospectus covered to
h much ground-Was little too unani
" nous to inspire absolute confidence
e The world is so given to specialize
4 that whenever a man undertakes t,
e draw it all down to a given rule ant
under the guidance of one over
shadowing mind, there is apt to bt
f some slips in the execution of the
: programme.
1t turned out unexpectedly that
Gen, Freeman's aggregated college
failed to get foothold and conse-
quently that Jackson is not to be re-
garded as the center of light and
knowledge for the late Confederate
States; but Cornell was swift to avail
herself of the suggestion pertaining to
journalism. She grabbed that one,
and seems to be bent on reducing it to
a test. And we bid her God speed.
If there is any class of people in this
world who need educating it is the
men who engineer the newspapers.
OF course, we are willing to admit
that now and then an editor may be
found with some sense, but the great
majority need information, need it
badly-thcre is nothing they need
more, unless it is clean shirt or a
square meal.
We are surprised to notice, however.
that many of our leading newspapers
such as the Philadelphia Enquirer,
Dom Piatts Capital, the New York
Herald, the North American Review
and the Vicksburg Commercial-are
trying to throw wet blanket over
Cornell's new idea, and to laugh it
out of countenance. These and other
journals of high standing effect to be-
lieve that the only proper way to
educate Il successful journalist is to
immerse him in types, and let him
come up by regular grades of promo
tion, beginning as "devil and NOV
ing on up the ladder, round by round,
until he plants his foot on the top
landing Of Immortality. They cite
ihe Greeleys, the Bennetts, the Ray
monds, the Reeds, the Bonners, the {
Childses, the Prentices, the Frantzes, '
md the McCardles, all of whom rose ),
rom the line in the regular way, as
proofs of the correctness of their theory. d
But we consider this no proof at all
rhe distinguished journalists named Z
would have been men of mark in any d
inc. But they would have been bet +
er journalists if they had received an Ii
arly training fitting them specially 9
Or this avocation. Lorenzo Dow was d
great preacher, because his Creator I"
ad given him strong original mind, :" q,
nd his own application and Observa- VI
on opened field for its action. But a.
oes anybody suppose that Lorenzo !. y
low would have been less attractive y"
nd effective if he had enjoyed the ~ ~
1vantage of an early theological pol
hing. Andrew johnson turned out III
, be a long-headed politician. But "
oppose he had been endowed with 'ii
of Webster's Spelling Ill
ook in his youth, wouldn't oh oh
lere have been an improve vi
ent in the style of his statesman e''
lip? Greeley became great In jour
alism, but if he had enjoyed the ". "
rly culture which all journalists so nv NJ
uch need, he would have escaped 80
told volumes of labor and mounted Ou
c pinnacle of fame long before he '"'
d. :
college education does not fit a Ai
an to be lawyer, doctor, preacher, oiO
gineer surveyor or journalist. This ii-1
n only come from practical train iel'
=, which means an actual buffeting I'LL"
tn the world. But the proposition vi.
a 4.a,,,iooI odroot;on Cor any, sati
ling does not smooth the way to Vi
,cesS in that calling, strikes us as
absurdity-the opinion Of the jour d u
listic savants to the contrary not p0-
hstanding. 4 college cannot give '>P
outh intellect. That is the prerog- NJ
We only of the Almighty. But it oiu-
very materially aid the intellect pr
turning it upon proper subjects OF ), 80"
ught, action and study for a partic- 'iia'
r career i'm life and training it for anu
{ career. The college can furnish u
argument and the explanation, but lhit'
ant furnish brains and as brains VIII
needed to achieve distinction in
profession, it follows that Cornell N.
= fail to make Prentices out Of all
pupils who matriculate in her .,. .r'
ool Of Journalism. But we are 'i''i
ing to lay down this proposition w"
fight for it, that Cornell will not reius
2 any newspaper geniuses who ne'''
: seek her fountain, and there is AiiO'
- ...,,ro,,o, the
ioi' III ---..- - affec
HERMAN had better come or send cut
ebody down here to repair his dirty
es. IT he don't these Grant jockeys the |
Jump over into the pasture and the n
age all the watermelons. bear,