St. Landry democrat., 1890-02-08

world characterized by such varied re-
quiz ements as reporting. The range of a
reporters acquaintance touches every note
in the social scale, including many sharps
and flats. Business calls the reporter
everywhere in q day. 1t is regular only
in it's irregularity, and it's sameness con-
sists in something continually new and
unexpected Weddings and funerals are
crowded into the same hour. aud from the
house of rejoicing and festivity to the be-
reaved and desolate home is but step.
The work develops habit of close obser-
va'ion and reveals the weakness, the
foibles and the follies of people rs nothing
| Else can.
The experience and adventures OF re-
porter who has seen half dozen or more
years of actual work make interesting
stories in which grave and joy, pathetic
and humorous, are strongly blended Fa-
miliarity with death, in its most horrid
forms, is one of the reporters first lessons
and by and by it Is so well learned that q
dead body is only an item There is no
call for women to report prize fights, horse
races or drunken brawls. or to 60 any
where that promises anything dangerous
or disagreeable. There are men enough
to do that Nellie BLY,, who earns anu re-
ceives big salary on the New York
World and who is now trying to beat the
best time of Phineas Fogg, Jules Verne's
hero, around the world, is showing what
q woman as reporter can do. 1t is worth
while to note that Nellie BLY, took no trunk
on her journey around the world. All
extra articles were packed in one solitary
hand bag. To go around the world, as
two young ladies are now doing, is looked
upon as plucky, and it is, but there is
every reason to believe that they will arrive
home on time safe and sound. There are
great many PLACES where women fear to
60 alone or in pairs, which, as matter
of fact are as safe az dry goods store.
and great deal cheaper. A little courage
in the feminine heart would remove a
great many obstacles in the way of q sue
cessful career. But there are plenty of
| things for women to report beside those to
| which the slightest reasonable objection
| can be Offered One of these is the gradu,
ating exercises at young ladies seminaries
In these days it has come to pass that So
ciety events are quite extensively reported
in the daily papers 1t is a growing GUS
tom to describe the ladies' dresses, and
what wretched work the young men make
of it. The mistakes are often ludicrous
Silk is reported as satin, and the shades
and tints are confused and worse con-
founded. Most MN have no taste for this
sort of business, but 81 long as che public
demands it rec ptions and parties must be
reported. For want of any one better
qualified, it is turned over to the roust-
about reporter, and lie does the best he
can at it. Ha makes up in assurance what
he lacks in t. chpcal knowledg. OF fabrics
and flowers, Of tints and trimmings, puffs.
Fuckers and al! The other pecul, arities of
feminine parsphanalia. At a wedding
bright, quick witted woman void take
in the costume at glance, and would write
thousand words explanatory of An i'm
portant matter about which young men
have hard work to snrape together hun
dred. Dramatic criticism is a department
in which women might excel if they would
only try. Interviews with popular act
resses are always interesting reading, and
could be made by ladies' to the best I'D
vantage.
Perhaps the question may occur to some
of You it there is any special preparation
which school girl may avail herself of
which is calculated to be specially useful
should she aspire to enter upon newspaper
work. In general way no information
or knowledge will come amiss. The
course of study in any high grade college
or seminary like this will have nothing in
it's curriculum which is not of value. A
liberal and thorough education is the best
possible basis for success in anything
The habit of study, of concentration of the
mental faculties and of Industrious appli-
cation to the subject in hand will prove in
valuable. Important as practical expert
erce is, culture has a place nothing else
can satisfactorily fill.
There is one thing which comes in the |
line OF regular work in every young
ladies' seminary deserving of special at |
tention, and that is essay writing The |
graduating essay has been made the topic |
of many pungent paragraph and the |
"sweet girl graduate has suffered good |
deal in the way of newspaper ridicule and |
This is largely the result of a
lack of practically in subject choosing and |
treatment 1t would have taxed tha best |
ability of Harriet Beecher Stowe to have |
written q good essay on the topics most
chosen, and that in her pal
miest day. Somehow the idea has obtained |
that 8 young lady must write about some
thing poetic or esthetic, and that it is I'M
becoming for her to write on q subject that
smacks of hard common sense. ''Songs |
has euphonious sound, but it is
as much as most people can do to describe
the songs that are sung without attacking
those that are yet unheard. What that
Is original and sensible can be said BY
school girl in five hundred words about
''Thus Far" or Through Glass Darkly."
It would justly be considered a mark of
genius for an experienced and talented
writer to make anything interesting out of
hem. The Grafton subjects selected by
The young men are equally bad, and cal
low youth discuss, with great complacence
and show of wisdom, themes which
Chauncey M. Depew and William M
Evarts would hesitate to touch.
The fault lies in too little practically
is not sufficiently insisted
upon and encouraged. Essay writing
IS not looked upon with the favor
t deserves. 1t is not difficult exer-
Use when properly approached, and it's
Importance Can hardly BIZ overesti-
mated. Even those who do not ext ect TO
depend on literature for living wish. at
east, to write readable letter. Every
1oung lady has correspondents whose good
opinions she is anxious to deserve and
whose judgment will, in part, be based on
What ard how she writes Take easy
opics and writing becomes easy Take
interesting topics and you will become in
crested in the work and above all let
very line be original. Accept criticism
,ut no assistance. Those who devote
ome attention to everything they write
CON gain facility of expression and an
style. They also acquire habit
# logical arrangement and easy transit
rom one subject to another. Practice
has more to do wish proficiency rs a writer