Telegram-herald., 1889-05-17
AMATEUR JOURNALISM.
Acorns From Which Spring tas Tall
Oaks or Literature.
1ns Aasss@r Jsars-l1.ts If the Csised
sE>tss. Whs fksy Are. hat fesy
40. saa Hoe fhsy DS t-fhsiE
Ira.ls ed rhsls Trismp.


81 vogue a. far back ss lsl2 IL - IL fast
kaosu that Nathaniel Hsst6orBs. about
sixty -ssssa years axo edited Z ~ Spectator
whils baG sixtesn years OF axe. Psot-
Nathaniel Ezglsstoa u NiiliSmstosu.
Asl.ssach usstts, Thomas A. Etison and
"brckp Poneroy were al Amateurs II
thsir young days.
Il wAs n0t until 1887, however. tAst tbs
business ASSUMED such proportions that II
became entitled 10 bear the name u "Aiaa
teuF Journalism" The Introduction Oi
the cheap printing presses, " ~hersoy every
boz became hh own printer, brought
forth = psTfect avalanche " tie little
sheets.
H. 1859 the frst attempt a; bringing the
editors ia closer comm uuiOn was made. .and
a convention was called al Newark. New
Jersey, which WAS attended by j. Blair
Seri0nsr. son OF the well known publisher,
who was editor OF little sheet, about the
size Of sheet OF note paper. called Merry
Moments y g. Vreslsnd. proprietor Of
>tlnnride then located ia Jersey City,
~ J., " l. TeThun- Of the Young sports
man VI Newark, y. J., Charles IA. Fowle,
editor our Banner. Newton. Mass; Reed
Brothers OF Toledo. Ohio. and others
whose names cannot now be recalled.
The next year the convention was held
in Boston. where T.. Howard Hutchinson
now u successful manager OF "A large print
ing house in Buffalo. n. Y; W. l.. Ter
hume, now or lately proprietor OF the
Boot and shoe Recorder OF Boston; George
". Hills, now proprietor Of the E1press
Gdzette OF Boston; Walter IL. Wheaton
of New Bedford, Mass; Arthur Is. Hoeher.
rfs a. A
ton paper; y. c. Vreelsnd, then as now,
proprietor Of the Sunnyside. were among
the more than two score who attended.
From the beginning, the art has grown
until now, IL Is estimated that an army OF at
least thousand boys and girls from twelve
10 twice twelve, are engaged as editors,
printers or contributors. in the publication
Of over two hundred journals. varying In
size from four page. two by three. TO a
forty page magazine bound and covered.
In 1879, the National Amateur Press
Association was formed In Philadelphia.
and since that time conventions have been
regularly held, alternately in the East and
West. AT IA late convention held in Bos-
ton, lO3 votes were cast for President, one
delegate coming ali the way from San
Francisco, aud he so far secured the good
TO vote to hold the next meeting on the
Pacific Coast. One OF the leading anna
teurs, \ resident of Nova Scotia, took ad-
vantage Of the meeting to get married to a
Massachusetts young lady amateur, and
the young editors endorsed the act by pre-
senting the happy couple with an elegant
| silver tankard.
Aside from the National Board, there
of
State associations, and in all large cities
metropolitan clubs, so that the facilities
for mutual interchange OF thought and
ideas, and of making new and renewing
| old acquaintanceships are plentiful.
No national election for President is
more exciting than are the miniature can
vases for officers Of the Napa, as 1t is popu-
larly called.
That the enthusiasm OF the youngsters
| is 10 less great than that of like assem-
blages OF grown people Is proven by a
newspaper report which reads: Then the
Suliivanites broke loose, and scene fol
lowed that beggars description. The mem
bers danced, yelled, hurrahed and tigered
and the victorious candidate was pushed
dragged, shaken and reshaken until he
was landed on the platform.
~
the papers are filled with electioneerine
notes for the next one.
The postal law interiors Ia a great meas
ure with the increase of amateur papers
as the proprietor, before he can take ad
vantage of the enewspapcr rates, must show
that his paper is not published primarily
for free circulation, or to advertise them
selves or their business. Unless they hay,
a self sustaining subscription list, they are
obliged to pay one cent for each copy
mailed, and this at once. acts as dampe
that smothers the incipient fires in year
time or less.
Any young man or woman who ma.
'catch the fever" is eligible TO member
ship in the new association, providing the!
can enter under the constitutions defni
tion of an amuteur, which is "one who i
actively interested in ameteurdOm, Is tn
publisher OF an amateur paper. or a con
tributor to the amateur press. and reside
I'm the United States or Canada, but the
must mot be connected in any way wit
the fiashy boys and girls papers. publishes
in the large cities"
Rightly conducted, amateur journalism
becomes a school. where novices have eS
cellent opportunities TO gain experience b
constant practice a. ii teaches one TO writ
correctly aud dramatically, and to pune
tuats properly. Any lapses from goo
grammar or orthography Is criticised
great deal more sharply and thorough
by rival editors than are the mistakes Ok
casionally charged against each other b
older New York and Philadelphia editors
The young editors learn 10 form and {
express their opinions on the live topics {
the day. and by mutual correspondents
form many pleasant. and perhaps in tins
valuable scqusintsnceships.
A not infrequent occurrence is the joiI
ing together for life OF two OF the sml
teurs. whose acquaintance with each otht
was formed through the medium Of m
amateur papers-we have already cited on
example of this happy result
Financially. an amateur paper seldor
pays It's running expenses. as almost ever
one interested j. either an editor or n cot
tributor. and therefore entitled 70 frt
copies. Some OF the boys add local soc ct
and news items. which secures a circuli
tion and brings in local advertising. thu
paving the way. but most Of them ~
published purely for the love Of ~
thing. which makes II purely amateu
The spending money which would be usc
2 IN other ways goes 10 purchase pre-.
and ouffs. and runs the paper. Generall
, two boys OF more start paper bet0es
them. thus lessening the expense as we
a. dividing the labor.
Considerable ingenuity and originate
"a displayed In the selection a title 4
the new nsper The old-fssbionef S'i'
Word. star. Tine. Herald Iril''tH
, Globe Neus, etc are entirely too cor
moupiaca FOR these ambitious ones
exauarIe< - vii select \ few = the lat,