Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-06-07
EDITORIAL ROOMS.
THE OVERCROWOEO HIGHWAYS AND
BYWAYS OF JOURNALISM.
Writers Who Are Always Welcomed by
Intelligent Editors-The CHAT and
the Possible Grain Of wheat
CaSt-Irun Facts

IJca Howard IN Philadelphia Press
The highway and byway- OF journalism
are overcrowled IN thi, Cit Suniry
l,urnals utilize the services OF young men
t. whom Iay is secondary object
Graduates from Yale, Harvard and
Columbia apply every month 10y the score,
and are quite coutent t. uaEe the humble,t
cumpeu n Ulon for work which they conceive
them-elveS specially tittei for. They start
in brI>kly go along rapidly and drop out
almost universally. but their place, are
snon filled. and streams flow steadily now
from all our gniversitie. direct 10 editorial
rooms. where they are on tap all the time.
TneSe young men rarely succeed Their
tendency Is towarlS fine writing; they
have ideas which they wish TO ventilate.
but which the blue pencil ruthlessly
evisceratsS
THE EDITORIAL PAGE.
We have no room IN metropolitan news
paper, for ideas, except upon the editorial
page ami csndnr compels me 10 say there
Is no very mark.d ampiituiinOus develop
ment of ideas even there y u will find
the editorial page often trencheI upon by
important dispatches from here, there AMI
every where. while the editorial, them 'elves
Of the ne We columns printed in larger type
and diynIfisd 10y the Us" Of the impsrsonal
I'VE The Associated Pres and other press
associations cover ths Out-nf town news SO
thoroughly that. unless a man is a special
ist and has peculiar faculties IN respect Of
new, finding. or for some personal reason is
desired, there really i no chance that can
see for correspun Ience pure and simple.
Now ami then, a great paper sends
special corr p rnient 10 devote time and
money and thought and labor to the devel-
opment of soma special ubject, ami all the
great papers here like thDss in Philadelphia
have their special staff to SEMI to signiti
cant points IN extraordinary occasions, so
that the doors at which stranger can
knock wouli seem to be narrowed to two,
the editorial an the news doors
INEXPERIENCED NEWSPAPER MEN.
Sharp para sraphi,t Is and writers with
ideas are always welcomed by intelligent
editors, but as all editors are not
intelligent and a many are jeii-
GUS and enviouS and GvaricIOus.
il is not always tine fact that they are wise
enough in their generation to pay attention
u new corners. Tue fact i, new cOmers as
a rule bring bushels Of chsf The wise and
intelligent editor says: There may he
grain of wheat: | will carefully winnOw and
sse.7 But the average editor does nothing
OF tee sort He pitches the chaff and with
it the possible grain OF wheat away. By
the other door reporters enter to find them
selves coutr Intsd at rncs by two classes Of
men-those who work for salaries and thooe
who are on space, paid accounting TO the
length, not Of what they write, but Of what
is published
Every new conner is looked upon with sus-
picion as ons more 10 grab and grasp por-
tiou Of the allotment Fortunate is he.
however, who, having received an assign
ment makes so much of il, not necessarily
in length but in merit DriOus narration. in
crisp, breezy description, that he attracts
the attention Of the ultimate authnrity
Chances are dead against him. Ninety
tim aS in a hunirsi the sub-edItorS read and
edit" his copy, as it is callei-that is they
strike out everything except the caSt-iron
iacts. so that Pegasus himself would be COM
PEELED to walk humbly AMI meekly along
the towpath Of preceisnt, even though he
knew he was provided with wings that lifted
him for rapid transit in the upper air.