The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-29
FRO BE Continued
COUNTRY BOYS IN A CITY.
a Reporters Experience During One
Summer.
(Copriqht 1881

Summer.
Copyright 1897
NEW York, Sept. 2S-The gospel OF
Gotham dominates this country to an ex-
tent little realized by those who have given
the subject only stray thought. Fame and
fortune in New York have bsen the ambi-
ton of rural-bred youth from time imme-
mortal, and probably will continue to be-
long in the future; but the scheme, however
| attractive at first blush, has its fatal weak
nesses, tho principal one of which is on en-
tirely inadequate CO ception of the strength
of those already in the field, cou >lod with a
corresponding over-estimate, by the youth
full asDirant, of his OWL p)wers. 70 letvs
a comfortable home and position in the
country, with the purpose Of bettering
ones condition in life, however co nme ida-
BILE in the abstract, is extremely da gerous
to practice, as | shall endeavor to show from
personal experiences during the past sum
mer. Having served a long apprenticeship
as reporter on various New England and
Now York state papers, | arrived in New
York one rnorning ia May, with abundant
courage-and light purso-!n s.arch of
work.
One of the first discoveries made was that
the great man of great daily journal is APP
parentIy about as busy man as tho Presi-
and not nearly SO accessible to a stranger
With the idea of furnishing a special class
OF matter 60 the World, my first visit was
to that office. A preliminary skirmish
with the elevator potentate showed conclu-
sively that the managing Editor was not
approachable from That direction by a
stranger, at least not without some diplo-
macy. The next attempt, after being
struggled in by a friendly reporter, was
scarcely more successful for while making
a bold dash for the editorial rooms was
collnred by the ubiquitous Office boy and
directed, in a way tnat ad nit,et OF no ar
gument, TO state my business briefly and
explicitly on paper. This was sufficiently
chilling to the ardor of one acoustic ned 10
t1e free-and-easy atmosphere Of country
Offices, but to learn afterward that po-
dunk credentials were about as
available in New York as Bob Ingersoll's
famous 'soup tickets without soup" was
fatal shock to an already waning conf
dence. or course the mag late Of the
World Office was too busy to consider my
proposition, and with an idea Of letting me
down easy" ne doubt, seat Gus word that
he was mot in" TO say that this was the
uniform reception met with in all OF the
principal offices would not bs the abs Jlute
truth, but l can say that it was generally
the case. In most OF the offices | was abb
to obtain an interview of from five to ff-
teen seconds duration, as | no@ recollect ia
those of the Times, Herald and Press
sufficient, at least, to inform me that tina
''desks were all fulln and ''al Special work
provided for" In the Tribune Office a gen
tleman kindly listelei to my proposition,
and promised to lay the matter before his
superior. In the Journal and Mail and
Erpress Offices | sailed do WI manuscripts,
which were never used, or if 50 / was ig 40
rant of the fact.
To cut the matter short, a weeks time with
the help of newspaper friend enabled mo
to make the rounds Of the principal Offices
aud demonstrated to my entire satisfaction
that New York journalism was in fair way
to worry along, indefinitely, without the
infusion Of any fresh coultry ODD into its
arteries. This week also depleted my
finances to an alarming extent, and 81
week room with a correspoldingly reduced
bill Of fare was adopted without debate.
Then came a CHASTITY period #
advertising and answering advertise
merits, the result of which was trial of
addressing envelopes for ihtrd avenue
firm at 20 cents thousand, a business that,
as every unfortunate knows who has been
reduced TO such an extremity, requires d
lightning quill" and one driven by gus
tanned current, as the electric ans say, bat
mine gave out after three days trial.
Watch, clothing and few other trifies
were then sacrificed to obtain shelter in
Bowery lodging houses. with the scantiest
of fare, aud finally, witt only the clothes
wore and packet of coupons from Uncle
William" as o envelope was ironically
labelled, joinei the invincible army of
tramps, moving northward along the dud-
son river, ostensibly in search of TX.
La my case tas object was preten c,
ami | lost no time ia securing WORK u a.
Ulster county farm. The fruit season,
taen Just opening, enabled me to earn
rather more than ordiaary farm wages at
picking Strawberries, and after that came
having, so in six weeks hal earned some
thing like $50 with which to return to tle
city to release some clothes from 'limbo''
aud renew the campaign for work This
time, with the aid Of an old journalist,
wnose timely advice and more suostaatial
help, which / shall remsmber with graft
tude as long as live, was successful in
getting q little transient work; enough to
keen me from the last extremity Of despair,
TIL 81 the simple, uavarnished sorry OF
a iilan, willing and anxious TO obtain any
honesJ employment that yields decent
living. but shorn, in facs, Of m ny of its
more distressing detail. Its substantially