The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-15
JABEz JoHNsoNrsM.
An Editor of the New ork World Exalts the
Reporters Calling.

JABEZ JOHNSONISM.
An Editor of the New ork World Exalts the
Reporters Calling.
John A. Cockerill, in the Journalist"
In the salad days of my journalistic career l
was sent to Frankfort to report the opening OF
the Kentucky Legislature. was then doing
city work on the Cincinnati Enquirer. under the
guidance of my esteemed brother, Joseph B. Nc
Cullagh. In the cryptlke cd hotel in Frank
fort met, one evening. 9 .ather remarkable
member OF the newspaper llild, named Jabez
johnson. The name of Jabez always mad
a. peculiar fascination for me, especi-
ally when abbreviated Familiarity to Jabe
Everybody addressed Mr. johnson as Jabe, and,
next to the newly-eected Speaker of the House,
he was the most popular man in the pennyroyal
town of Frankfort. He was a TALL csdaverous
man in the last stages of consumption. and ne
had been humorist. He had achieved celeb
rity on the Louisville press writer of quaint
sayings over the shockingly hilarious nom de
plume II use this this term Familiarity and ad-
visedly) of "Yuba DAM" He was no longer
and the things that he said were oracular and
didactic. Everybody listened to Jabez as to one
about to solve the mystery of life.
/ shall never forget the benign and patronizing
air of Jabez as he folded his long. thin arms
across his chest and looked into my shrimp face
So you are going to be a journalist, are your he
said. in his weak. husky voice. ventured to
| remark that my ambition lay in that direction.
Don't 90 1t, continued JaDeZ, Win q touch OF
the pathetic 'It's the most unsatisfactory
thankless and unremunerative calling on the
face of the earth. The daily newspaper is an in
satiate monster. 1t eats up blood, and brain,
and vigor and youth. and makes no return. 1t
is indispensable. You write good thing for
the press to-day, and before you have
had time to enjoy your labor the
next days issue comes along with big story or
sensation and You are forgotten. There is no
moment for sef-gratuation Then, you may
/ sonia nd Ay or1tt IN Ia a drav
paper, and if some measly sheet, down the street.
next morning has a little item that you failed
to get hold of, the manager raves and wants to
know how you came to miss that important piece
of news. He overlooks your dozen good specials
and only sees that nasty little fly in the ONT
ment. / haye been twenty years in the harness."
solemnly continued Jabez, land have nothing
to show for it tell you, young man, if you
continue in the newspaper profession you'll be
sorry for it, Take my advice and try something
else.n
And yet Jabez was great man in my eyes
He had local distinction, and he had established
for himself individuality. His croaking had a
bad effect upon me, but, as felt that had no
fitness for anything else, determined to
tinue in journalism-the more especially that
my salary of $40 week at that time seemed to
be in the neighborhood of aff1uence.
Poor Jabe passed away soon after he lefta his
lecture on my plastic mind He is sleeping
somewhere near Louisville and many of the old
jokes that he conceived and printed are still
circling around the fre-places of Kentucky, and
so even Jabez, the journalist, did not live
wholly in vain.
In after days of disappointment and gloom
there were hours when the raven utterances of
Jabez johnson troubled me. There were sea-
sons when it seemed to me that the daily news
paper was a Minotaur, and / longed to be a
sailor or careless cowboy. But soon began
to realize the greatness of the daily newspaper
and to know how valuable the sober, faithful
reporter was to its existence. saw bright fell
lows, full of promise, dropping to the rear be-
cause they were overcome with Jabez Johnson
ISM They could not labor and wait
I saw better scholars than myself
fainting by the wayside because they
we're not faithful. I saw the man of yesterday
mourning IN his cups and bewaing the tempta-
tons that beset him. Meantime the great press
rolled on, unmindful of the weak and sinking,
and Indifferent to the Jabez Johnsons, pro-
claiming always: Come unto me. and serve me
with fidelity, and will reward YOU"
This was my inspiration. And who shall say
that those were not glorious days when worked
until 3 o'clock in the morning and then lay
awake for an hour or two after going to bed in
the hope that I might catch the sound
of fire alarm and secure an item about
the burning of stable or steamboat for the
last fifteen or twenty copies of the days edition.
And who shall measure my pride when fell
down celar-way at a fire. and had to be taken
How l treasured the copy of the paper which
next day contained an item penned by a sympa-
thetic reporter, detailing my accident. How /
should like to have had Jabez johnson see me
then. Right there could have closed my ac-
count with earth, simply to have had it written.
as of thu old French sergeant, "Died in the line
of duty" Alas! what would / not give for a
touch of some of that old, seepless enthusiasm!
That was a splendid school of the reporter
Everybod talked Of the story of the day. Every
body knew the reporter who wrote the account of
the cockfght, giving the names of the nice people
| present, and nobody knew or cared much for the
solemn person who wrote the editorial matter
The reporter clasped hands daily with humanity
He trod the corridors of the grandest colleges
How broad the curriculum! From the race
course to-day to the pulpit side tomorrow
From the prize-ring to the bier; from the morgue
to the opera; from the haunts of vice to the wan
home where tender childhood cried for bread
and persisted because mankind was cruel; to-day
recording the utterances of the statesman to-
morrow giving to the world the last speech of the
man on the scaffold. Ever painting, painting
scenes from life; ever writing the eternal history
of busy world.
/ still meet with Jabez Johnsonism along the
paths of journalism. but the self-respecting,
ambitious reporter is daily coming to his re
ward. He is to the newspapers has been
truthfully said-what the coral insect is to the
islands that grandly rise from the sea. He
builds and creates. Without his silent, patient
conscientious labor there would be no journal
ism. The elder Bennett never lived more use
full day than when. climbing over the ruins of
the great fire of '35, he felt that he was boy
among the rocks and mountains of Scotland
and told the story of what he saw for his little
newspaper, with that simple ardor which the
historian in his chamber never feels Charles
Dickens was the best of reporters, and his
stories were simply pictures of humanity from a
note book.
The career of the reporter is arduous, at times
repellant. and at all times full of dissatisfaction,
seif-reproach and longings that may not be
| realized. But where is the profession that is
free from these drawbacks9 The daily grind
may prevent sociability and the kindly inter-
course which temper existence. hut this makes
men self-relant The career OF the reporter
must develop every good point in a man. 81
can have plenty of college graduates for $15
week to write editorial essays for my paper" said
d. r. Locke TO me on one occasion, but what
want is man with taste and judgm enough to