The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-08
HOW "GAran BEGAN WORK.
The Newspaper Man Must Learn to
Write Against HIS Moods.
nom LippiacOtfs Magoz.ae.

Ffom Lippincott's Mdgoz.he.
l commenced at IL years Of age, uncon-
sclously, TO be seer and writer for the
public. Ny father was a clergyman In a
country town not too remote from q large
city. In that city 1 one day saw a woman
sl N IN market house with & basket full
VI DOCKS with water color Illustrations
Nothing had ever affected me SO uiuch ba-
fore, except painted picture | had seen on
the Side OF an omnibus as l came into the
same city at the age Of 6. l bought some
o. tue DOCKS at penny or TWO a piece, and
oox OF water colOrs. and began TO paint
drawings n hich made from life.
IN the course OF three years it seemed to
everybody that was u become an artist.
ior copied and initiated hundreds of draw
ings. AT IA | undertook to write a story
or romance. At IS published both story
paper.
From the time the first piece appeared in
prlnt was captive completely to the writ
ing propensity. And though L could have
continued TO hold the place at school, which
once easily won, at the head of the class
paid but little attention to most Of tina
studies for the last two years of nv school
ing, out read great variety OF books-gen-
orally took other books to school than the
TEXTBOOKS. and read them under or on the
desk, and had wandering turn on HOLIDAYS
to go out into the country and see something
and find
WHAT BAD TAKEN PLACE THERE.
In that way wandered with Lossing's
,Fleld-bock OF the Revolution, y over battle
nelds like Brandywine, Valley Forge. Ger
mantoWn aud Red Bank. For long time
the poetic form, which does a good deal to
strengthen style and teach etymoloey.
was favorite with me. had a dread of
the daily papers, for the men about them
seemed to be of-hand, practical, and have
never in my life been a worldly person.
Inc blush l had in childhood comes readily
TO my face now. The principal literary effort
ever made at school was a poem called
The Pleasures OF 1imidity" In fact. I
was finding my way into the newspaper bv
process know not of.
AS soon as got there, the other renorters
thought must be plagiarizing; and heard
the editorial factotum cry out one night.
WI no Is this boy who is publishing edito-
rails In the reporters columngn But for the
great civil war soon coming on, / might
nave retired from the newspaper in disgust
out the country at that time was passing
out OF provincial condition, and the un-
easlness IN the air was Indicative Of some
great transformation.
My intention had been to be literary
man. Time has taught me that there is no
such profession in the United States az lit
erature; but indeed the news has always
been close behind real literature The cru
saders made Tasso and Cervantes: the
rounding of the Cape Of Good Hope made
Camoens, and Dickens would never have
become famous had he not been a press re-
porter. who saw with his own eyes another
world than Scott had seen.
WHEN EE NAMED HIS SON
for Henry Fielding, the police magistrate,
who was also an author, you could see that
the realistic occurrences Of modern life had
guided both those men in their NOVELS De
Foe, and even Shakespeare, obtained inspira-
ton from large contemporary occurrences.
like the planting of America and the Prot
estant revolution in England
L babe adleu 10 literature when Fort Sum-
ter was fired on and went TO the civil war
seeing Mcclellan pass through PHILADELPHIA
on ais way to take command of the Army
OF the Potomac, and seeing the army en-
battled in Virginia.
L reported the seven days battles for the
New York Herald In July, 1862, but that
concern suppressing its correspondents
names. got no other assistance from the
work than Sunday newspaper in New
ork gave me by having ma write the
events over again, for in that day only one
Of the dailies had Sunday edition.
During Popes campaign 1 gratifisd de-
sire had entertained OF visiting Europe
and there stayed almost two years, and
had har lily stepped ashore when began to
write, still In the line Of the war news If
you will look at the COrnhM Magazine at
the close of 1882 you will see my articles
there, called campaigning with Gen.
Pope" and Richmond and Washington
During the War"
When l came back from Europe " emit
to the army again, and saw Grant and
Sheridan close out the war; and by this
time the government had compelled the
newspapers to print their correspondents
names, so that In a few weeks | had the
reputation l chould have had in 1862
There began my bias for the government,
as better than any of the institutions which
berate it.
THE NEWSPAPER MAN MUST LEARN,
as his first task. to write against his moods
Not until the will ard application defy
your iRdisposition to write are you fully
tit for your work.
Still the hardest work / ever did was to
come back to newspaper offices, after large
events, wearied wlth hearing and seeing
and tramping, AMI there to produce three
or four columns Of matter by hoG gaslight,
in contemplate newspaper rooms.
w 0SO Lne ass 1SSlnS OF GTeSIQ6lG Lincoln
had been killed or captured In Virginia,
went to Washington, by the slow trains of
that day, sitting up ali night, and the next
DAY aIXed t. Lafayette Baker and nearly
all the personages present at the killing aud
wrote four or five columns to be telegra phed
that nlght, which Cro.y, the managing edl-
tor Of my paper, once said in a spesch was
the moss extraordinary instance Of pu e
literary triumph over fatigue he had ever
known.
But no man should be q newspaper writer
who cannot write finally with freedom; to
follow this busine IS, il you have to stimuia g
or tigat ennul to achieve results, is suicide
l once buried from my house SUPERB new S.
paper writer who had worn himself out by
straining his temperament in order to stand
high in his profession.
A great deal consists in natural e ness for
whatever avocstion you take up. Oas d Y
an old fellow-reporter took TO John W.
Forney, one of my earliest employers, a
whole page Of newspaper matter that had
written under Immediate spur.
By this time MIR. Forney was discouraged
and worn out, and he was publishing a little
weekly paper. He looked over the matter,
uttered sigh. and said: "Well, here is a
man who manifestly loves his occupation"
THE MIGRATIONS OF INSECTS
Flights of Butterflies and Dragon
Eliaa Cuar INA Prairfa