The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-04-13
An Omen LETTER.

II want you to tell me how to begin newspa-
per correspondence" modestly demands an as
where there Is nothing but sewing for women
| to do-for pay. believe would make good
newspaper correspondent. My stories, the FEW
orally accepted and paid for. want to go to
| Florida, but cannot afford to, unless can get
an engagement as correspondent"
Now the person who regards news
paper correspondence as trade by
means of which she may be able to Ego
to Florida or anywhere else, has not
the faintest element of capacity for it,
1t requires certain creative type of tai
ent to be an acceptable newspaper
| writer, whether in correspondence or
| any other line, and the woman who
wants to turn from sewing, because it
| doesn't pay, to writing, because it does
pay, shows herself utterly unapprecia-
| tive of the work Newspaper CORE
| spondence is not n trade, a mechanism,
an industrial pursuit to be chosen on
| the ground of its being a remuncrative
vocation. Like all forms of literary
work, it chooses its votaries, to large
degree, rather than waits to be chosen
by them. If woman is born with
| talent to write she will writc-there is
no possible doubt about that. That she
olives in a small town" has nothing to
do with it. The size of ones native
village does not necessarily determine
the size of ones intellectual capacity.
The person who feels conviction of
certain destiny does not require to have
that conviction propped up by admiring
and miscellaneous encouragement. Ii
a woman "belicves she would make q
| good newspaper correspondent" let her
| proceed to business forthwith. What's
to hinder? There isn't newspaper in
the country that wouldn't welcome the
fresh writer who had anything to say.
If she has any ideas there is every pos
sible opportunity for expressing them.
And if she has anything to express, she
will quietly do so and not inundate
| strangers with a nne-page letter written
on both sides of the thinnest possible
paper, soliciting their approval or admit
ration. Worth is proved alone by work.
| What can one do? Probably she does
| not know herself till she tries, and how
can she expect an entire stranger to cast
| her horoscope? The successful people
are those who, If they feel a conviction
of a certain line of talent, follow that
| line and make of it an art, not u trade,
n religion, not an industrial pursuit.
The girl who begins newspaper CORE
| spondence because she loves it, because
| it is to her joy, an expression, an in
tellectual necessity, will very likely in
| time work it up to remunerative pur-
suit. But it will undoubtedly require
some time. The one who seizes it to
relieve the emptiness of her pocket in
stead of the fullness of her mind had
far better save her postage stamps. II
this should appear unsympathetic, the
reason lies in the fact that the miscella-
neous desire to earn money is not an af-
fair that enlsts profound sympa-
thy. Newspaper correspondence, rightly
! viewed, is an art. The special CORE
spondent of journal has an influence
and place second only to that of the
editorial page. If she does not hold
her work above the level of mere local
chronicle, of the exclusive narration OF
transient and trifing events; il she does
| not bring to bear on it her best work,
| and refresh her resources from the finest
thought and widest suggestion of the
day, then is she unfit for the RESPONSE
bility that is intrusted to her. News.
paper correspondence should be work
| of significance, and the woman who re.
CARDS it as an easy way of earning
money has of its scope too little com.
| prehension to invite further discussion.
4 n n \