Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-11-06


N. Quad's Talk with the Boys"1
There are reporters born for the profession;
there are others who learn it as a trade. 1t
is the first who make success.
To be good reporter one should be fairly
educated. He should be well posted on gen.
eral subjects. He should have good mem
DRY, . clear head, lots Of pluck, and the de-
termination to Withstand temptation. His
style Of writing should be easy and smooth.
Let him relate his incidents and happenings
in plain, every day garb. But there is much
beyond this. He must have what the boys term
"a natural nose for news" One reporter will
pass broken-down wagon and simply realize
that an accident had occurred. Another will
investigate and perhaps find runaway and
broken leg in the same thing. One reporter
will pass within block of where some terri
ble accident has occurred and find no hint Of
it Another will be drawn to the spot as il
by magnetism. One will see three Or four
gamins running across the street and simply
realize that he sees them. Another will scent
q fire, accident, row or robbery in the move
ment.
The reporter who learns his profession ms
man learns to file a saw, tumbles into bed at
night with feeling that he is done with the
world for the next seven or eight hours. The
reporter born for the place also sleeps, but
the first sound Of the fire bell pulls him out
OF bed Footsteps running past his window
mean great deal The one is satisfied to let
news come to him through official records or
by chance. The other makes friends
with the police, firemen, letter carriers,
and indeed with all grades and classes
Of men. II he is good fellow he
can get 500 men to act as news-bringers.
While murder, arson and yobber y are pub
lie news, and soon find their way to police
headquarters, from which any reporter can
receive particulars, there are scores Of in
cidents and accidents TO be picked up and
published long before they are officially re-
ported. One citizen may know of child be-
ing scalded in his neighborhood; another OF
q theft another of an accident to q work.
ingman; another Of a runaway in which a
person was injured, and SO on through the
list And the successful reporter must have
considerable knowledge OF human nature,
and his mind must contain sieve through
which to sift his information. Nine men and
women out Of ten who give information either
to reporters or detectives exaggerate. II a
household awakens in the morning to find
that thieves have paid them q visit certain
results will follow. The loss will he exagger-
ated; there will be talk about the family be-
ing chloroformed; some neighbor, who was
sound asleep at the time, will remember Of
seeing strange men about or of hearing
strange noises; suspicion will be directed at
dozen different persons; three or four women
in the same block will assert that attempts
were also made on their back doors or kitchen
windows In brief, instead Of plain, simple
fact, tho reporter will find his item SO mixed
and confused that he must sift and analyze
and throw out until common sense tells him
that he has arrived at the true facts.
The reporter is trusted as to his facts He
must be a man worthy Of THIS trust He
must trust others to certain degree. He
cannot make a journey of three miles to
verify the statement that a man fell off
scaffold and broke his leg, but he must know
something Of the man who gives him the
news. Neighbors often revenge themselves
ON each other by giving false news. A man
may have fallen, but perhaps sprained
ankle was all the injury received You
must hive the acumen to sift these things.
In seven cases out of ten if the average man
gives you the information that "a man up
on Blank street tumbled of his shed this
morning and broke leg and four ribs the
real facts will sift out:
l. He was not on the shed, but on the fence.
2. He did not break his leg. but cut his |
knee
3. He did not break four ribs, but his wife |
that he cracked one.
And the successful reporter will have temp |
tatious without number. Each day and each |
night will bring them. His professional du- |
ties carry him where he must be exposed He |
will be asked TO drink and smoke and gamble |
because he is a good fellow. Men who feel |
under obligations to him will pay the debt |
by holding out temptation. He will mingle |
the misery and wickedness of a city with the |
charity and morality. If he is not on his |
guard one evil habit after another will creep
over him, and a few years will Id him to
The numberless wrecks floating and drifting
and driving about on the sea Of tho lost
But YOU want to be a reporter. I would |
not discourage you, but warn you that
here is much Of the dogs life in the pro-
iession. The salary. ranging from SIS to
s25 per week, is well earned. The reporter
IS like soldier In front Of the enemy. He
an call no time his own: his hours for sleep
belong to the fire-bell and accident: he must
be alert, vigilant, careful, prudent, untiring.
There is a feeling Of responsibility which he
,annot throw off; there is monotony in
,rimes, fires and accidents which rob them of |
III the romance You have thrown around
hem. But there is room for you