The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-08-23
THE END OF JOURNALISTS.
Where Old Newspaper Mon Goa Sermon
for Would-Be Journalists.
TFrom the PHILADELPHIA Progress 7

lpIOm tHe ITOSrCBS.l
A lady visitor, who has long been ac-
quainted with the newspaper world and
and its inhabitants, whose purpose in
life is charity, and who goes to the
newspaper men to help her in her phil.
anthropy, asked tho editor an odd
question. 'Did you ever think" she
SAID THAT journalists drop out of the
business us they get on in years ?" 81
did not" "Wcll, look around Won,
Most of tho editors and reporters mr.
young mon. Some Of the editors. in
chief may be old fellows, but most of tho
workers arc young. It has always beer
so, far back rs l can remember. What
becomes of tho journalists whohayo got
old? All that we know is that they or(
not in journalism. Is your busincs,
such terri, ) one than it takes Won Off
like cholera? No doubt there are ole
journalists working elsewhere, but yor
never hear of them. They give the 6cs,
part Of their lives to journalism. and
wherever they may be they have no.
enough energy left to make q noise
Journalism took all their vim and dash
and after that it did not want any more
1t captured new life aud new blood, an(
threw the old, worn out material nwny.
not thinking or caring what became ci
| it.
| 81 tell you journalism is hcartless I'M
grateful business for its followers. IT
makes mo sorry to SEQ n brilliant Young
| fellow go into it. In any other profcs.
Slon-l believe journalism is profession
the older he got the more power and
the higher standing he would have, but
IN journalism ho just uses himself uu
before he reaches middle age, and then
drops out of sight. The proportion Ct
journalists who get to he owners Of
! papers, or editorS-in-chcf Mt salaries
their abilities warrant, is so small that it
Is sscarcclywo considering. Mr. Ring
walt said in his lecture that you could
count the number of rich journalists on
yonr fingers, meaning journalists who
had built up successful newspaper Cstab.
iiShmcntS which they owned, but that
40 man could imagine the vast number
If failures or editor. ownCrs who n q
struggling through an existence of half
starvation. There arc some rich j urnal.
lists, bnt the majority of rich journalists
are not journalists ut all. They are
capitalists who have bought into jonn
ism, Just rs they would have bought
INTO foundry or any other business en-
terprisc. They cannot do the work Of
| Journalism, and they buy tho brains "
1t rs they wonld buy pound Of bu:tr
in thc market. You journalists arc a]l
enthusiasts i'll your profession, but its
money rewards arc seldom for You. You
may have lots of talent, but you lack the
common sense of knowing how to make
money or to keep it, if your business
manager makes it for YOU.
Journalism may give you fdmc. But
YOU can do nothing but starve on fame.
Nou arc the most impractical of men. ]
never knew an Cditor-in-chicf who was
not mt war with his business manager,
while tho business manager, who may
ho unable t" write two-lme paragraph,
kept INN from going To- the poor house.
| tlVc or SIX years ago / met II very ablo
young journalist, and [ gave him my
opinion of what he was doing. I told
him to get cut of journalism before It
was too late, before he was NIL used ND
tie took my advice, went into another
profession; has now as much honor rs he
could have had if he had remained n
journalist, and has beside q big bank nc
count, which, n thousand to one. he
would not have had had he scomcd NV
advice. [ never sec him but he thanks
mo for what | did for him. [ 10 not
understand your fascination for your bust
ness. Why, You arc its slave. You
may lead others, but you nre not Your
own masters. 9oI- work never lets loose
It's hold. | do not sec the glory of that.
You take your editorial snnctum with
you wherever You go. You are thinking
your articles when you are walking the
streets. You destroy night and YOU
luGh Mt Sunday. 1t is write, write,
think, think, necessarily. | have moi
reached the end of the chapter, but it is
long enough. l hope l will be welcome
again"