Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1885-10-01

Whnt Bill Nye Kaews Absst the News
paper Bssiaeos.
A few extracts from his address before
the Wisconsin editorial associat,on: 81
need not elaborate upon the wonderful
growth of the pres in eur country, OF
refer to the great power which journalism
wlelds in the development Of the new
world. need not ladie out statistics 70
show you how the newspaper has en-
croached upon the field Of orstory, and
how the pale and silent man, while others
sleep, complies the universal history Of .
day and tells his mighty audience what he
thinks about 1t, before he goes 70 bed.
Of course this is but the opinion Of one
man; but who has better opportunity
to Judge than he who sits with his finger
on the electric pulse Of the world, judg-
ing the actions Of humanity 1t 20 much
per Judge, invariably In advances! I need
not tell you all this, for you certsinly
know it if you read ysur paper, and l
hope you do. A man ought to read his
own paper, even If he csnn0t indorse Ill
its sentiments. It Is difficult to map out
proper course for the student IN the
school Of journalism, there ere 90 many
things connected with the profession
which the editor and his stan should
know, and know hard. The newspaper
of today is library. It is an encyclo-
pedia, q poem, biograph. . history. q
prophecy, direc tory, . time table, . TO-
nance, cook book, . guide, horoscope,
an art critic, . political resume, ground
plan of civilized world, . low priced mul-
tum in parvo. Among others, 1t is .
long-felt want, nine-column paper In
five column town, lying sheet, . fee.
BILE effort, a financial problem, . tottering
wreck, political tool. and . sherid's
sale. If were to suggest . curriculum
for the young man who wishes to take
regular course in school of journalism
preterring that to actual experience,
would say to him, devote the first two
years to meditation and prayer. The en-.
suing five years should be devoted TO the
peculiar orthography of the English Ian
guage. Then put IN three years with
the dumb-bells, sand bags, slung -shots
and tomahawk. In my journalistic ex-
perience l have found .aore cause Tor
regret over my neglect OF this branch
than anysnng else. l usually keep on
my desk, during heated campaign, .
large paper weight weighing three or
four pounds, and IN several instances
have found that could feed that to .
constant reader of my valuable paper in
stead of retraction. Fewer people lick
the editor though now than they did
in years gone by. Many people-in the
last two yeafs-have gone acress the
street TO lick the editor and never re-
turned. They intended to come right
back in few moments, but they ere now
in land where change Of heart and =
palm leaf fan il all they need. After the
primary course, mapped out already, an
intermediate course of ten years should
be given to learning the typographical
art, 90 that when visitors come in and
ask the editor al about the Office he can
tell them of the mysteries of making q
paper, and how delinquent subscribers
have frequently been killed BY we'll
directed blow Of printers towel. FL
teen years should then be devoted 70 the
study Of American politics. especially
civil service reform, looking at it from
non-partissn standpoint. The student
should then take medical and surgical
course, 90 that he may be able to attend
to contusions, fractures, and 80 forth,
which may occur to himself or the party
who comes to his Office for . retrachon
and by mistake gets his epiral column
double loaded. Ten years should then
be given the study Of Law. No thorough
metropolitan editor wants to enter upon
the duties Of his profession without
knowing the dlfferer ce between . writ of
mandamus and other styles Of profanity.
With the course OF study that have
mapped out, the young student would
emerge from the college Of journalism ct
the age of IS or 96, ready to take OF his
coat and write an article on almost any
subject. He would be . little glddy at
first, and the Office boy would have to
see that he went to bed at proper hour
each night. My experience in journal
ism was in western town, in which
was total stranger. Iwent there with
IS cents, but had it concealed IN the
lining of my clothes, 20 that no one would
have suspected it If they had met me. l
had no friends, and noticed that when
got of the train the band wss not there
to meet me. entered the town Just as
any other American citizen would.
had not fully decided whether 70 become ;.
q stage robber or lecturer on phrenol-
ogy. At that time got = chance to
work on morning paper. 1t used 70 70
to press before dark, 80 always h.d my
evenings to myself. and always liked
that part of 1t first rate. 1 worked on
that paper year, and might have con-
t,nued If the proprietor had mot changed
1t to an evening paper. Then . company
incorporated itself and started . paper,
ofIwhlch took charge. The paper was
published in the loft Of livery stable.
That Is the reason they called it . stock
company. You could come up the STAIRS
into thn nfY3ro oe xs,,, nn,,lN A~IsA eNA~ A>i1