The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1888-08-25
THE NEWSPAPER MAN.

took the position that the news.
paper Office is the only school of
Journalism. This declaration,
made at time WHOM several lead
ing colleges are establishing de-
partments of journalism, has
naturally excited the wrath of
those who are trying the new ex'
pertinent.
The trouble with a young man
who studies journalism under a
college professor IS tendency to
fall under the domination OF set
of formal rules. Now, the
modern newspaper IS compelled
to be so expansive ard flexible
that he who works by rule will
soon work himself out of a job.
The newspaper is always dazzling
with the unexpected, and to
hold the interest of its readers it
must deal with it in an unexpect-
ed style. 1t is published for the
people, and it must use the I'm
guage of the people. There are
times when the rhetorical faults
denounced by the college pro
fessors become effective weapons,
and there are occasions whom the
slang of the day, a phrase from a
popular song, or a local gag in
lroduced IN play can be used to
better advantage than rounded
periods and beautiful figures of
speech.
A newspaper style should be SO
clear and forcible that the average
reader will be able to take in the
meaning of every sentence at a
glance. Such a style IS not to he
learned from books. In order 70
acquire it writer must live in
the streets, am ong the men of his
generation, and he must learn TO
write, when it is necessary, in a
mob or IN a church gallery.
This does not rule out books;
it places them where they belong,
IN The newspaper workman's tool
chest. The.really strong writer
makes his books his slaves; the
weak writer is the slave of his
books.
1t will be objected that this line
of training will make a newspaper
man superficial. So much the
better, What is wanted in
jom nallsm Is pienty of hight
artillery. 1t takes too much time
to get big siege gun ready, and
when it is III position slight
movement of the enemy is liable
to make it useless. The journalist
who is loaded to the muzzle with
n few profound theories is like a
siege -2usefuI on great oc-
casions, hut too heavy for every
day work. And the writer who
has read a liitle of everything,
who has Travelled with eyes and
ears wide open, and who has
lived with his fellow men, taking
an active interest ia all their con
cerns-this is the man fol the
newspaper of to-day
In the light of these supple
mental observations, Editor Dana'l
address becomes a very practlca
piece Of advice to young news
paper men. It is true that tht
great editor did not give exr res
sion to these ideas, but they were
IN his mind, and they have made
lcll our successful newspaper mel
what they are.
OF course, all this is rathc
rough on what same people cal
culture. So much the worse fol
culture-we cannot afford to turI
live newspapers INTO dead rubbish
for the sake of culture If th,
Encyclopedia Britannica shoulC
walk inlo a newspaper office OF
two sticks and secure a job, i
would be discharged the next day
for iucompetcncy- A newspaper
deals with life, and not witt
learnng-thIs is the sum and sub
stance Of the whole business. -
Atlanta Constitution
Capt. Jack Williams, a profes-
slonal swimmer. accomplished