The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-01-31
ALL EAGER TO BE JOURNALISTS.
Newspaper Offices Flooded with Applica-
lions from Amateurs-Few Draw Prizes.

~~~S
Newspaper Offices Flooded with Applfca-
lions from Amateurs-Few Draw Prizes.
II think every young man and young
woman in this town wants to GO into
journalism"
The speaker was one of the best
known managing editors in New York
City, and he passed his hand over MS
troubled brow as he spoke.
II get about forty applications per
day from men and women who want
to become journalists, and the propric-
tor Of this paper gets twice as many
more. A young man whom I know to
be making 500 per week III the dry
goods business came to NE this morn
ing and offered to work for s25 per
week as a reporter. 1t makes me q
trile weary. If these young men and
women knew hew many blanks there
are in this lottery and how few prizes
drawn they would quit"
This managing editor was in a bad
humor, but he was all right as to facts.
There isn't newspaper office in town
that isn't flooded with applications for
work. The prizes in New York jour
nalism are few. You are reasonably
sure Of drawing a blank pretty nearly
every time. There are more than 1000
| hard working newspaper men in New
York City. Outside of their own oG-
| ces and the New York Press Club not
two dozen Of them are known to the
general public. Those who are well
known outside of New York could al
most be counted upon the fingers of a
single hand.
The men who have drawn prizes
| cannot themselves tell you how they
did it. All they know is that they
started at the bottom and got there
somehow.
! This is not intended 70 encourage
printers devils to throw type around,
but as an illustration.
Charles 4. Dana IS, perhaps, the
most famous of the men who have
drawn prizes. As editor of the Sun he
draws salary Of $25, 900 per yeac, and
from other sources his income is sweIled
TO about $50, 900 per year, upon which
he manages to live very comfortably,
| aided by French cook, whose income
IS bigger than that ola Congressman.
Dana started on the New York Tribune
at salary Of sl2 per week. He
started in small way from town in
the interior Of Ohio. Joseph Pulitzer,
Of the World, is said to clear 5000 per
day. He is not working Journalist
now, but not many years ago he was
an ordinary reporter in ST. Louis, and
they say he was hustler too. White
law Reid, as matter of form, draws a
salary ofsome 5000 per year from the
Tribune, but his income from his stock
in the paper is several times this
amount. john A. Cockerill is one of
the working managing editors and
newspaper men, and draws salary of
$4,000 per year from the World, and
has an interest in it besides. Cockerill
was typo and fought his way up from
the ranks. Amos Cummings is said to
have an income of $4,000 per yesr.
He was compositor and private in
the Union army during the rebellion,
and ne, too, came from the bottom Up
TO where be is now. Chester a. Lord,
the managing editor of the Sun, has a
salary of $500 per year. He started
on small paperin the interior of this
State, and had to work hard for success.
But he is little known outside Of New
York. George F. Spinnsy, as manag-
ing editor Of the New York Times, has
a salary of about $1,000 per year. But
| he has been hard-working journalist
all his life, and the salary is not so
much. He, too, is little known OUT
side of New York.
There are probably fifty or sixty men
who are simply writers, like Blakely
Halland Julian Ralph, who earn any
where from $50 to $50 per week, but,
with the exception of the men named.
and four or five more, they are never
heard or spoken ofexcep. in their own
homes and circles.
Atthe Fifth Avenue Hotel the other
night, Archie Gunter, the author of
"Nr. Barnes of New York." was lion.
He was more eourted than any one at
| the hotel, and most Of the young men
arouod him are ambitious to become
Journalists. II they knew OF iGunter's
struggles up TO the time that he sue
ceeded in getting Mr.. BS.;IeS Of New
York before the public they would
hesitate. II they could go into any
newspaper Office and see how long and
how hard men work for small salaries,
they would hesitate some more. And
Il they could 60 into souse other places
and see some o. the wrecks that the
tides Of the yearS have cast up on the
shores Of journaliSm, they would so
!ato So;ie oyaer business,
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