The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-05-16

day of, sn extra fifty cents on Saturday
night, and a mark of credit on the city
editors scale of merit. He may even 60
on q spree and waste fifteen minutes of the
sixteen hours of his diurnal labor without
being locked a weeks salary. A scoop,
however. like little learning, is a dan
geroug thing, and often proves fatal To a
new beginner. 1t is apt to cause swelling
of the head, congestion of the lungs, stiff
ness of the neck, or spinal meningitis.
| Very few of the veteran reporters venture
upon the slippery heights of scoop.
The devices which reporters adopt to
obtain the news are sometimes exceedingly
/ ingenious, often hazardous, and occ asionally
disreputable. Many of our
METRoPoLITAS REPORTERS FERRET OFT
with the skill of French detective, and
the dullesi of the fraternity can instruct
| Pinkerton in the art and mystery of work
ing up case" The coroner would make slow
plUgress in the investigation of q murder
were il not for the assistance he receives
| from the reporters Ii generally happens
that long before the coroner has heard Of
cold blo"ded murder the reporters have
with full particulars of the assassin, his
confession in the prison cell, a sketch of
the life and character OF the deceased and the
opinion of all citizens touching the bastard
/ " deed" The official has only tn wait for
the appearance of the ensuing morning
papers, and go through the form of hold
ing the inquest Ii left to the resources OF
his office, it would require IN ore of the
| Gnl skus ha
reporters have gathered i'm the space of an
hour.
The periIs incurred by reporters in time
of war, when they 60 out with the army in
the capacity of correspondents, are fire.
quently of thrilling character. | need
only mention the names Of Bull Run Rus
sci, Forbes, McGahan-to saw nothing OF
the half forgotten adventures of numerous
war correspondents of the late unpleasant
ness'-to satisfy YOU that
REPORTERS SHINE IN CAMP
and on the field of battle as brightly as i'm
the varied walks of civil life Numberiess
instances might be referred To, but
forbear.
| Newspaper reporters are a modern in
ventiOn. Just when the first of the tribe
was set up on wheels, | have fOrgotten-if
ever knew but know that when first
became acquainted with the inside OF a
printing Office no such biped was connected
with the paper. They existed i'm the east,
but were unknown i'm the Mississippi val
lev. The editor and his associates wrote
the current local items, the commercial.
river and other news, theatrical criticisms
in fact. everything that went i'm the pa
per, except the advertisements, communi-
cations and clippings. The country edi-
tor, in those days, was generally his own
compOsitor, pressman, and sometimes car
rier and devil. Now, q rural editor in
Missouri has very little to do except TO at.
tend political meetings, weddings and fau.
dangOs, fill the Office Of clerk Of q court
(by deputy or justice of the peace, go
! to the legislature, and meander through
all the states and territories by rail and
river, with line of chalk on his soft felt
hat, and half inch of Faber in his watch
pocket
HIS PAPER Is A PATENT OUTSIDER,
one side of which is choice miscellaneous
literature, news a week old, aud TWO col
umns of stereotyped ads, nicely printed
while the other side is made up of adver-
tisements, editorial puffs of cross road
groceries, dry goods and patent medicines,
often so blurred and friared as to he al
most illegible. The paper reminds one OF
that curious fish, the founder, which is
black on one side and white on the other,
and lives at the bottom of the sea.
The origin of the reporter has been at
tributed to quarrel between the editor and
his assistant. The former grew jealous OF
the latter's use of the personal prOnOun
"we," eventually divided the work by
giving the assistant the local department
or fourth page, and compelling him to
drop the "we," and adopt the less impor-
! tant cognomen of "our reporter" Thi,
term has been greatly modified Of late and
reporters are kindly permitted to employ
the synonymous terms "our commissioner,
"the pencil pusher," "the news gatherer,
: etc.
The bulk and by all odds the most i'm
portant portion of the work of a leadin,
daily paper is done by the local reporters
COLUMNS UPON COLUMNS ARE FILLED u,
THEM,
and they are required to get up at less
two OF the eight pages, while the editor
: The profoundest incubations OF the edi
lOTldi DFaiH are Ottcu CTOWucO Out W mahs
5 room for the sensational report of q mid
s night murder, or a confagrstion flashes
: off with lightning rapidity by q harun
: scarum young might owl"
e Twenty years ago the most importan
feature of daily paper was the leader
n of the editor. This leader was always reas
a with avidity as the emanation of q pro
= found statesman and philosopher, and il
S times of political excitement was merely
e personal TRADE poured out upon the de
g voted head of "our idiotic contemporary.
! Now, not one subscriber in q Thousand
: reads these heavy leaders. In fact the.
i are rarely seen i'm this enlightened age
S The headline column in which they in
t variably appeared in the olden time
y now filled with Joe Millerisms and brie
mentions.
b For q short time the Geographic column
e was the chief attraction, but at present YER