The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-03-26
An 0pan Letter.

81 want you TO tell me how to begin newspa-
| peg correspondence" modestly demands an as
/ piiing young woman. Il live in small town
| where there ia nothing but sewing for. women
! to do-for pay. ! believe would make good
| newspaper correspondent My stories, the few
| have sent to magazines and papers, are gen.
| orally accepted aud paid for. want TO go to
| Florida. but cannot afford 70, 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 '.go
| t. 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 sowing, because it
doesn't pay, IT, writing, because 1t does
| pay, shows herself utterly unapprecia-
! tive OF the work. Newspaper CORE
spendence is not trade, mechanism,
an industrial pursuit to be chosen on
the. ground of its being a remHnerative
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 write there is
70 possible doubt about that. That she
Lives 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 a conviction of a
certain destiny does not require to have
that conviction propped up by admiring
and miscellaneous encouragement. LII
q woman "bclieEes she would make a
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 nine-page letter written
on both sides If the thinnest possible
paper. soliciting their approval or admi-
ration Worth is proved alone by work.
What acan one dos Probably she does
not know kerselt tin she tries, and how
c5n she expectan entire stranger to cast
lor horoscopeP The successful people
are those who. if they feel a conviction
of Il certain line of talent, follow that
line and make of ii an art, not a trade,
religion, not an industrial pursuit.
The girl who begins newspaper CORE
Spondencc because she loves it, because
it is TO her a JOY, an expression, an in
tellectual necessity, wall very likely in
time work it up To q remunerative pur-
suit. But it will undoubtedly require
some time The one who seizes it to
relieve tho 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 en1ists 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 pare If she does not hold
her work above the level of mere local
chronicle, Of the exclusive narration of
transient and triiling events; if she does
not bring to bear on il 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 a work
of significance, and the woman who re-
CARDS it as an easy way of earning
money has of its scope too little conn
Drehfnsion to invita- further discussion,