Evening journal., 1888-09-28
IsneclaI corresnondance.l ]

Which the Average Reader Il Xsoiully
Ignorant.
Special Correspondence
CHICAGO. Sept 27.-Chicago is as IA
nous for its newspapers as for anything
else, Ihero arc no greater newspapers
anywhere than those printed in this city.
No better examples can be found % tho
marvellous organization concentrated on
ergy. lavish expenditure and executive
genius which combine to mako tho great
public journals Of this country. News
papers 80 before the public eye, day after
day, morning and evening, the whole year
through. altogether tho most important
and Indispensable fabricated article min
istering to the wants OF man, entering into
his daily life and consciousness as nothing
else foreign to himself can possibly do,
and set the public does not know how
newspaper is made Tho bright pages arc
placed before tho readers oye, quickly
telling him the worlds daily story, but
back Of these pages all 10 mystery TO him.
They arc there, and ho knows they come
with unceasing regularity and unAagging
interest, but how they carle to be, how
They were designed, built, carved and
nodded, he does not know. The nowspa-
per is IN open book. tho making Of news
paper puzzle which tho average reader
has mover had an opportunity to solve.
One Of the principal streets in Chicago
is Madison street. 1t runs from the lake
to the prairie, distance Of about five
niles At the corner Of Dearborn street,
q few blocks from the lake, curious
throng may often be found of q Saturday
night, pecring down into the basement.
They sec a dozen or more men, red and
persplring, moving uneasily about among
huge kettles filed with molten metal
pouring hero and striking there as If they
were founders or blacksmiths. Tho rum
bic of machinery comes up through tho
sl1yliChts, the crowd falls to discussing
and guessing what is going on down
there, and is informed by an urchin who,
being o newsboy, ilnagines ho knows all
about newspapers, that "Dey's maxim
Do Tr-boon"
lie islight Ono Of the multitudinous
processes by which newspaper IS made is
there in operation, But the curiosity Of
the crowd is by no means satisfied When
1t learns that q newspaper is being manu-
factured 1t becomes more curious than
ever. Deep down in tho soul of tho aver
aga wayfarcr IS q secret and strong desire
to learn the secrets Of the legerdomain by
which his morning newspaper il, prestol
made to leap from tho presses. II II true
they arc carrying on one Of the processes
down there in tile basement by the big
caldrons, but that is not tho beginning OF
tho trick Indeed, it would not be easy
to say whore the newspaper begins Per
haps in the far east, who're reporters
gather tho news Of China, Japan, India,
Il
it for transmission by cable, 80 far ahead
Of tho American worker in point Of tire
that tho European day often laps into
yesterday in the columns Of tho American
newspaper. For instance, the recent Har-
ward Oxford rowing race. which came OF
at o'clock in the morning, was reported
in the American journals which wont to
press ut A o'clock the samo morning.
-
But we shall best got a. tho making Of
o newspaper II We sit down beside the
mon who make 1t, in so far "a may be
practicable, and watch them at their
work. We must not ask too many ques.
ttons, FOR the newspaper man Is not over
burdened with patience. We must rather
keep our eyes and ears opon and our wits
alert. 1t is q strange, multifarious, com
! piicated, wonderful process, this making
Of a newspaper, and If we don't look sharp
we shall fail to understand and appreei
ate some Of its best and most interesting
methods.
OF the thousand men who help make
The Tribune, every day the first one OF
duty-as least in America--is tho assist
ant to the managing editor. At O'Clock
sn the morning lie shuts himself up in
little room, with ali the morning paper,
of Chicago, numbering half dozen, be
fore him. Ho reads these papers column
BY column and item by item. NVhenevel
he comes upon an item Of news which |:
in one Of the other papers and not in Tht
Tribune, he marks it with big anS
ominous blue pencil cross. This cross il
time turns out 60 be hard one for some
body 10 bear, for tho man who shoul,
have sent in that item Of news, and dil
not, Is likely to hear something about 1t
Suppose the missed item is ono whiel
came in by telegraph from Crcston, Ia
Tho managing EDITORS assistant immedi
ately grabs up q telegraph blank, take
down a big book In which no keeps q lis
Of all Tho Tribune correspondents, an
sends the Creston correspondent n mes
sage asking him why hc did not send sue
and such On item which appeared ia Th
/ Va tAtlA AnpIAia1Hf III ~ npuf q
two the Creston correspondent Is expecte
to send in his explanation BY telegraph
e If tho item was an important one and tn
explanation Is not satisfactory. OF goe
tho correspondents head If it was a
unimportant item or If the explanation
a reasonable excuse, no is simply repr
manded. II the correspondent sends wor
THAI he put that item on tho wire, th
}. telegraph company is called upon to O.
o plain why 1t was not delivered.
o -
r You will be surprised, know, to hes
e that q paper like The Chicago TriSu1
+ has / goo correspondents, but such Is Il
2 fact. Throughout Indiana. Michigan ar
8 all the states and territories west Their
Z. Of to the Rocky Mountains, there is
/. Tribune correspondent in all the tow
Il and cities. Nearly oil Of them are new
Is paper men connected with the local pres
y and thus constantly in the channels Of il
y telligence of what is going on IN the
. neighborho0d These Correspondents a,
i not paid salaries. but according to II
4 services performed For each short al
I patch Of 100 words or less they are pa
:, fifty cents, and are reimbursed all lerit
y mate expenses which they may find
necessary TO incur in procuring new
! Some 100 word items arc paid for nut
: more literally. N~t infrequently q sho
Il piece Of good news, procured 1t 60
deal Of trouble, brings the corresponds
s. or $40 The pay for such work Is IL
to the discretion Of the managing sditC
and the surest sign Of a competent ma
aging editor is TO be found In his alei