The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1883-07-07
The Profession of Journalism.
from the Chicago Tribune.I

May | come III !?
A Young man whose clothes were sus-
piciously new, and ppon whose face
there was complacent, self-satisficd ex
preston, stood in the doorway of the
editorial rooms and propounded the
above interrogatory IN very loud aud
declamatory tone of voice.
"l suppose you can, said the horse
reporter, "unless you arc afflicted with
some constitutional malady which pre-
vents you putting one foot III front oi
the ether, or have got pair Of hobbies
on. There have come daisy fellows come
up here lately, but you are the first one
that wanted to know whether he could
go through an open door.
81 don't mean exactly that" con
tinued the young map. What L
wanted to know was if ! could come into
the room for few minutes"
Certainly you can; only don't say
anything to the effect that we ought to
have O pleasant summer sfter such a
rainy spring, or you may find yourself a
pallid corpse III the donjon keep beneath
the meated turrets of the castle"
81 want to see the principal editor
the one who makes engagements with
journalists. | have some thoughts Of
entering the journalistic profession.
"You mean that you want to hire out
as deck hand on newspaper, don't
you?"
perhaps that is your way Of cx-
pressing it, sir" said the young man,
Fbut our professor Of rhetoric alway s
told us that
,"Oh, you're a college graduate, are
you?' said the horse reporter. g
thought you had kind of J-shali-now.
go-forth and take-charge e-of affairs air
about you. l suppose you graduated
last week?"
eyes, sir, was the reply, "and L
may say that my oration--"
Il know all about ii, s." interrupted the
horse reporter. You spoke a piece
about 'Life's Mission. But there are
now more young men who started cut
to carve, by Lies Mission, niche
high in the Temple of Fame, chasing
large red steers over the arid plains of
Texas or delivering mackerel to the
first families than you can shake stick
at.
"But, sir, said the graduate, the
annals of every country IN which the
highest civilization has obtained, show
that it is the men of letters who shape
the dest
"There you 90 again, said the horse
reporter, "talking about shaping des-
TIMES and all such cruel as that. Don't
you worry about destiny. The chances
are that even if you were to fall over
what you don't know and break your
neck, tomorrow somebody would look
after the destiny shaping business ali
right. Your best hold for the next year
or two will be checking off barrels of Al
sugar for some wholesale grocery house
over on River Street. Destiny won't
get left in the meantime"
"Then you do not think [ will be
able TO make my mark In the Journalistic
profession
"You might" replied the horse re.
porter, eff you were to go up stairs end
fall over some type, but not otherwise
at present.
HBut | might do some preliminary
work." suggested the young man
"wrlte some sketches and things of that
kind
eyes, you could do that"
"What would you suggest for nom
de plume ?"
"Well," replied the horse reporter.
81 should say that Affable Imhecile
would about fill the bill for you"
"Good day, sir. | Will keep my eye
on journalism and await an opportunity
to join it's ranks.
"All right" said the horse reporter;
| but in case the street car conductors
get up another strike you had better re-
move your optic from journalism and
| head for the car barns"