The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-03-04
THE AMERIcAn JOURNALIST.
Pen Piesure Of the Man VINO Helps to Make .
sata8 ~ Newspaper.


Pen Pisturs Of tina Man Who Helps to Make :
148 Newspaper. ~
Our average American journalist Of to-day
may be taken to be from 25 to 80 years Of
age. and perhaps he Is rather thin and round
shouldered. He Is well and quietly dressed.
He Is spt to have clean-shaven face, except
a Mephtstophelean mustache, and his face
has noticeable pallor peculiar to those who
work 1t night. He Is most noticeable for his
eyes, which are apt to have peculiar dila-
tation, which also comes from being more
used to the light of lamp than Of the sun.
In crowd, the experienced and observing
newspaper man can pick out his fellow In
nine cases out Of ten by these peculiarities,
and especially by the rowing eye, which has
been taught to take In everything at a glance
while = arently half closed and seeing moth
ing, IS its owner walks through the streets
with unusually rapid gait; for our journalist
is always a rapid walker. In his personal
habits he is obliged to be correct or sink out
Of sight. No man of irregular habits can
stand the strain of writing and thinking
clearly from late at night until early in the
morning, and our average American Journal
ist of to-day does not drink as he used to, al
though, like many other brain-workers, he
is often subject to periodical spree Of day
or two. He does, however, generally smoke
like furnace, and the more furiously as the
night goes on. A newspaper Office late at
night is no place for disciple of Trask. Pro-
family is his besetting sin, but this he most
often practices when he discovers, too late to
change it, that through oversight he has used
a singular for plural, or has omitted the
conclusion of an elaborate premise, and that
his writing has gone before hundred thou
sand readers, more or less, In mangled
form.
JOURNALISTIC EDUCATION.
So far as his journalistic education goes,
the broader IL Is the better. It is apt, how
ever, to be like very broad river-shallow,
running rapidly, with deep pool here and a
sand bar there, but all making to one end.
His reading Is the reverse Of Quintilian's ad-
VICE. read msltm sed non multa. His
chief merits are readiness, adaptability and
abstraction. He must be, and generally is,
ready, if necessary, to write leading edito-
rial, which shall be compressed, clear and
upon the causes Of the down.
fall of the Polish Empire, at 2:3O In the
and at the same time listen to the
merits of the "boss Amazon Troupe" as
they are laid down by Its advance agent who
who puffs vile tobacco smoke and smells Of
lager beer. He must stand ready to write
half column "obituary " of General Ignatioff,
though he may never have heard of him be-
fore, and he must be ready to cut that half
short without apparent abruptness,
In order to help the night editor In padding
an important telegram from the seat of war.
In memory, he must be able TO carry in his
head anything that has been in the paper
within week, so that old news may not be,
and he must remsmber what has
recently been said or written On any given
subject within given time. He must also
be consummate actor, able to hear start
ing piece Of news without changing counte-
nance, and able to act as if he knew nothing
Of subject, while he knows all, in order to
get aperson to tell what he knows. In the
art Of putting leading questions he must at
least be rs expert as an ordinary criminal
lawyer. In conversation, he must be able to
hold his own on the subject which his listen
er Is most conversant with, and this he very
often does by rapid cram," especially for
an important interview. He has the cant
terms of art at his fingers ends, and knows
chairoscuro from mcrbidezza, and knows an
etching from an engraving. OF foreign Ian
guages he has enough smattering to utilize
French and German newspapers, and per-
haps can struggle through with an Italian
publication. The theatrical jargon he is
perhaps more familiar with than with art or
religion, and he can give an intelligent idea
Of the construction and motive Of play.
HIS SENTIMENT SIDE.
Strsage to say, sentiment and sympathy
play large part in tins worldly and wise
character, and tears will be seen
sooner in his eyes at pathetic piece Of ACT
ing than in those of the persons around him,
and it Is the sentiment and sympathy which
enable him to put himself en- rapport with
person whom he wishes to interview, and so
he is enabled to draw the unhappy victim.
His sense of honor is higher than he is gener-
ally given credit for. Fidelity tc his paper Is
sacred thing to him; wild horses may tear
him TO pieces before he will reveal Office Sc
:rets. In conversation, not for business pur-
poses, he is apt to be dull, and he never
write personal letters, because, in both cases
It Is a waste of good copy. So far as his Of
ice work is concerned, he must be able to 60
through hundred or more Exchanges" and
cut the articles which will be of interest to
his paper, and to boil them down or expand
hem by rewriting. OF prospecting In treat
ing of . subject he must have good idea,es-
pecially Of the importance oflocal news, and
Ibis knowledge of journalistic perspective Is
also one of the most valuable OF his acquire
ments. He must be familiar with proof
reading; know how many words 60 to . line
In type from agate to BREWER; how many
line make . ssstick," and how many sticks
make a column, so that he can literally write
TO order by the inch. He must be able to
the news, and to write headlines,
which is one of the hardest knacks TO acquire
simple as it may seem. Out
side Of the Office he must be able to write In
the baggage car Of fast train, or on his hat,
or anywhere that pencil or paper can be held
and used, and his writing must be intelli-
gent and picturesque in description, 80 far -
possible. All these things our average Amer
lean journalist must be able TO do, and TO do
them under pressure, and the wonder is that
his work is so finished as 1t is.-The Ameri-
can.
Wars Multipleds Dangers.