The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-04-16
MISCELLANY.
NEWSPAPERS MEN.
sOnnd Advice TO Young MeT who are Am
bilious To Become Editers.

- NEWSPAPER MEM
sonnd Advice TO Young Men who are Am-
bilious 10 Become Editors
A young man came up to me the other
day and said he would like to get good
place ON The Free Press and hoped would
help him to get it. He thought he could dc
work ON newspaper about as we'll as any
one else-in fact, he was sure of IT, He was
Que of these young men who are quite will
ing to accept position as eai.or-in-chief
and work his way up.
said to him There are several hun
bred men here. Just take a look around,
pick out your man, and wen go to the
managing editor, try and get the man dis
charged and then try to persuade the man.
,ger that you, who never saw the inside OF
newspaper Office before, can do the work
better than that man, who has been prob
ably ten years doing the work he is now at
"Oh," said the young man, ~ don't
want to have anyone discharged
Now if that young man had been of a re-
Elective turn of mind he would have seen
had happened in just when a vacancy oc-
surred he must have some one discharged
Se'ore he could get place. pointed this
5ut to the young man.
But" said he, I" the newspaper ranks
must be recruited at some time, You can't
all live forever"
This, regret to state, is fact. We can't,
md I am sorry for ii candor, however,
,ompels me to admit that we can't. 1t is the
one drawback to our otherwise perfect exist.
ence. Kos
And here comes my lecture to the average
young man who wants to be a journalist.
think he invariably applies to the wrong
person in a newspaper Office. There is one
man on every journal who just yearns for
something new, something odd, something
spicy or something interesting. That man
is the city editor. No pen can tell the in
satiable appetite q city editor has for news
in almost any shape.
To show you how he loves an odd thing
at all hazards, will relate the following bit
of my own 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, rs the
city editor and reporters were busy Mt work
regular g Slaves of the lump III thought
would get up a stampede. | vent in with
4 roll of manuscript in my hand and said /;
"well gentlemen, it's perfectly horrible
don't want to pass another such day.
+" What's the matter ~
Well, l thought would do the pest
house to-day, and I've got tive column
article on it spent all day there"
Good enough cried the enth lsiastic
city editor. " That's something that will
take"
WELL it oaghtto, I haye the statements
Of the patients here signed in their own
Handwriting.
. First-rate. Lets have your copy. Wen
,ut q six-line head on it,"
The reporters looked sort of chagrined,
and seemed kind of sad that they hadn't
done this themselves.
There is nothing can equal the appetite of
the average city editor for something that
will take" Now if l were suddenly
thrown on the mercies of n cold world in
any American city, aud wanted to get on a
paper, wouldn't apply to anybody for a
situation. would knock around town and
Try topick up something that would interest
readers. Iwouli enleasor to write Il up
in an interesting manner, and would take
thsmanuscript up to the Office and leave it
on the city editors table without word. II
il were good, he would be just rs anxious to
print it next morning as would be to have
it appear If it we're used, would apply
for the customary two cents line and
would live round at the cheap restaurants
and try It again. If it were not used /
could conclude that ] wasn't the style Of
writer that particular paper wanted, and !
would select another journal rs the next
victim. If none of them wanted the stuff ]
wrote, would by aud by get it knocked
into me that chopping cordwood or some
such occupation was my forte and not
newspaper work If the work was nj
ways up to the mark there wonld be little
difficulty in making place for myself OF
Che sheet Dstroit Fya Press.