Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-08-20
Bill Nye's Address.

4
The following is the speech delivered
at the Editorial Convention in White.
water, Tuesday evening, Aug. II, by
Bill Nye:
4 Nh. President and Gentlemen Of he Press
! Of Wisconsin
l am sure that when you so kindly in
vited me TO address YOU to-day, YOU did
not anticipate lavish display of genius
and gestures. | accepted the invitation
because it afforded me an opportunity
to meet you and to get acquainted with
you and tell you personally that for
years | have been a constant reader of
your valuable paper and like it. You
are running it just AS | like 10 see a
j newspaper run.
need not elaborate upon the won
derful growth Of the press in our coun-
Try, or refer to the great power which
journalism yields in the development of
the new world | need not ladle out
statistics to show you how the news
paper has encroached upon the field of
oratory aud how the pale and silent
man, while others sleep, complies the
universal history of day and tells his
mighty audience what he thinks about
it, before he goes to bed.
vi course, this is but the opinion of
one man, but who has better oppor-
tunity to judge, than he who sits with
his iinger on the electric pulse OF the
world, judging the actions Of humanity
at SO much per judge, invariabiy in adj
vance?
| | need not tell you all this, for You
certainly know it if you read your pa.
ptr and hope you do. A man ought
10 read his own paper, even If he can
not endorse all its sentiments
80 necessary has the profession of
journalism become to the progress and
education OF our country. that the mat
Ter OF establishing schools where young
men may be fitted for an active news
paper life, has attracted much attention
ami discussion. 1t has boon demon
strated that our colleges do not fit a
Young man 10 walk at once into the
aoiive management of a paper. He
should at least know the difference he.
tween vile contemporary and a Gothic
scoop.
1t is difficult to map out proper
course for the student in a school of
journalism there are so many tbinos
connected with the profession which Tho
editor and his staff should know and
know hard. The newspaper of to-day
is library 1t is an encyclonmd;a :,
poem. biography, history. \ nronb.
ecy. directory, time table 70
nance, cook book, guide. a boro-
scope, an art critic, political resume
a ground plan of the civilized world
low-priced nlulttm in nara II i
sermon. song, a circus, an obitu.,v
picnic, a shipwreck. a s, mnbory =,
solid brewer, medley of life and deatb
grahd aggregation of mans glory and
lis shame. II Is, in short. bird'se
we" OF all the magnanimity and mean
ness, The JOYS and gri-fs, The births and
deaths, the pride and poverty Of the
world. and all for two cents sometimes
| could tell you some mora th;n,r.
inst the newspaper OF to-day i If Won
had time TO STAY here and your business
would not suffer in your ahsanoa
Among others it is a long felt want
! nine-coiumn paper in fiye-column
town, lying sheet, feeble effort a
nnancisl problem, q totterino wrecl,
polltlcal tool. and a sheriff's sale
Ii l were to suggest a curric,l,,,, Co.,
the young man who wished 10 tate a
regular course in school az ;ourno1
ism, preferring that to the sciu.l ov.
perience. | would say to him. devote
the frst Two years to meditation and
prayer This will prepare the vouno
editor for the surprise and couseouent
tsmptation to profanity which in few
yesrs he may experience when he finds
that The name { the Deitv in his doub,o-
lesded ed lrial IS spelle with a little
~, and the pereration of The article
is locked up between death notice md
the Advertisement of patent meustacho
coaxer which is to follow pure reading
matter. every day in the week and oc-
cnpv the top of column on Sunday If.
The ensuing five years should he de-
voted to the peculiar photography of
| the English language.
Then put in three years with the
dumb bells, sand bags, slung shots and
tomahawk. In my own journalistic ex-
perience have found more cause for
regret over my neglect of this branch
than anything else. | usually keep on
my desk. during a heated campaign. A
lsrge paper weight weighing three or
| four pounds. and 10 several instances I
have found that could feed that to a
constant reader of my valuable paper
instead Of a rstraction.
Fewer people lick the editor thouoh
now than did so in years gone bv.
] MANY people in the last two wears
have gone across the street to lick the
editor and never returned They in
tended to come right back in few mo-
ments, bnt they are now in land where
change OF heart and a palm leaf fan is
all they need.
Fewer people are robbing the editor
nowadays. too. | notice with much
pleasure. Only short time AGO T
noticed that a burglar succeeded in
breaking into the residence of a Dakota
journalist. and after long, hard struc-
gle, the editor succeeded in robbino
him
After the primary course, manned
out already, an intermediate course of
ten years should be given TO learning
the Typographical art so that when Wis
itors come in and ask the editor all about
the office, he can tell them of the mys-
teries of making a paper. and how de-
linquent subscribers have freouentlv
been killed by well directed blow with
n printers towel
Five years should be devoted To q
study of the art of proof-readinp. In
that length of time the young Journalist
can perfect himself to such a deoree
that it will take another five wears fe,.
tho printer 20 understand his corrections
and marginal notes.
Fifteen years should then be devoted
to the study of American politics. es-
pecially civil service reform. LOOKING AZ
it from a non-partisan standpoint. Ii
possible the last five years should be
spent abroad London is the place to
go If you wish to get a clear, concise
view OF American politics, and Chicago
or Milwaukee would be good place for
the Young English journalist to go and
study the political outlook in England
The student should then take med.
zeal and surgical course, so that he NAV
be able to attend to Commissions, fractures
and so forth which may occur to him.
self or to the party who may come to
his office for "a rrtraction and by mis-.
take get his spinal column double.
loaded.
Ten years should then be given to the
study Of law No thorough, n,etropol;.
tan editor wants To enter upon the
duties of bis profession without know
ing the difference between writ 81
lg10y1sIally,fs and ftbs, - =, LIS "a -. :.