The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-08-30
Advice to Aspiring Journalists.

And here comes my lecture to the av
erage young man who wants to be q,
journalist. l think he invariably ap
plies to the wrong person in newspa
per office. There is one man on every
journal who just yearns for something
new, something old, something spicy
or something interesting. That man
is the city editor. No pen can tell the
Unsuitable appetite a city editor has fol
news in almost any shape.
To show you how he loves an odd
thing at all hazards, will relate the
following bit of my experience with
him. At one time, when smallpox
threatened to become epidemic in this
city, it was rumored that the pest-house
was not conducted as it ought to have
been. One evening, as the city editor
and reporters were busy at work-reg-
ular "Slaves of the Lamp"-I thought
would get up stampede. 1 went in
with roll of manuscript, and said:
swell, gentlemen, it's perfectly hor-
rible. don't want to pass another
such day."
"What's the matterp"
swell, thought 1 would do the
pest house to-day, and I've got a two
column article on it; spent all day
there
"Good enough" cried the enthusi-
astic city editor. "That's something
that will take"
"Well, it ought to. I have the state
ments of the patients here signed in
their own handwriting.
"First-rate. Let's have your copy.
Well put six-line head on it,
The reporters looked sort of cha
grined, and seemed kind of sad that
they hadn't done this themselves.
There is nothing can equal the appe-
tite of the average city editor for some
thing that will stake" Now, if were
suddenly thrown on the mercies of
cold world in any American city, and
wanted to get on a paper, L wouldn't
apply to anybody for situation. 1
would knock around town and try to
pick up something that would interest
readers. 1 would write it up in an in
teresting manner, and would take the
up to the Office and leave it
on the city EDITORS table without q
word. If it were good, he would be
Just as anxious to print it next morning
as l would be to have it appear. If it
were used, would apply for the GUS
two cents line, and would
live around at the cheap restaurants
and try it again. If it were not used
could conclude that l wasn't the style
Of writer that that particular paper
and would select another jour-
nal as the next victim. If none of
them wanted the stuff 1 wrote, would |
by and by get it knocked into me that
chopping cordwood or some such cccu-
patton was my forte, and not newspa-
per work. If the work was always up |
20 the mark there would be little diff
Guilty in making place for myself on
he sheet.
Newspaper men, like poets, are born,
1ot made. If nature has intended a
nan for journalist he will drift into
journalism in spite of all obstacles. He
nay have been educated as a lawyer, a
doctor, or a backwoods-
nan, but he will be certain to nibble at
journalism until he gets caught.
So, young man, it the newspaper in
tinct is in you, there are thousand
iron monsters all over the
country that are murmuring their siren
ong that will lure you to your fate, and
o around the cylinder you will 90 till
t takes from you all that is worth hay
ng, when it will fling you remorseless-
y into the literary rubbish heap, which
night be fifty labeled as printers label
sed up type-"Dead matter"