Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-05-02
CIo Be Continsedl
WOMEN AS JOURNALISTS.
They Must Have the DUAL fleations OF
Good RepOrIers.

There are always young ladies who
desire To write for the newspapers aud
to become professional journalists, aud
the chief way in which they try to get
on newspaper is by sending in con-
tributions OF stories and essays and
poems. says an exchange. These may
be very good in their way, but are not
plain. everyday sort of newspaper
work. Nowadays "A newspaper woman
is often a reporter. Once in while
there will be more noted individual
who has graduated out OF the city de-
partmeut into the editorial or purely
literary. but the newspaper woman
par excellence is reporter. In order
TO be reporter n woman must know
an item when she sees it, and be able
TO relate it evenly. correctly and con-
cisely. III she Is sent to report a meet
ing she must know instiuciively what
to write and what TO leave out-this
instinct is really her divine afilatus.
Furthermore, she must De able to go
around alone without having a man 10
carry her bag and man to help her
over the cutters. She must be brave
about going out alone at night and she
must learn. as every working woman
ought to learn sensibly. that modest
woman. rs Lady Montague said, has
often to be both deaf aud blind. Again.
she must nave tact and still again, a
tremendous sense Of justice that will
enable her to write fairly of friend as
well rs foe. aud she must know that
the newspaper is not vehicle for per-
sonal spites. animosities or spleen. any
more than 1t is for gush or the vaunt-
ing or aggrandizement OF people be-
yond their just merits. She must also
know how TO unite common-sense En-
glish, shoru of iineuess and to do her
work quickly. In newspaper office
no one has time to wait for inspiration.
The cry OF copy is spur enough for
most writers, and it is the constant
cry in n composing-room.
Apropos of this the writer is tempted
to tell story at the expense OF love-
ly aud gifted lady who began few
years ago career rs society re-
porter. Every week her copy went to
the editor beautifully written aud
faultless. considered as copy from the
printers point of view. Bat any little
suggestion she wanted.to make she run
in along with the article in the follow
ing fashion: 'Mr. and Mrs. Browne
Smyth gave on Monday an elegant
blue dinner Of fourteen covers. lFor
goodness sake spell her name Smy
last week it went in Sn.l. and
she was as mad rs hops about it.1 Mrs.
Indigo Blueblood has sent out cards
for ball. at which she will introduce
into society her lovely daughter. Crhis
Is all right. This Mrs. Blueblood has
some sense aud doesn't in the least
mind seeing her name in print. It's
the other Mrs. Bluebloood we had the
fuss with. Mrs Uptown gives pink
tea as soon rs Lent is over. [Don't
stick her down at the tail end of the
column, whatever you do. want to
please her. anyhow. because last week
she just went In rs one Of the many
others"
1t it had not been for the discrimi-
mating editorial blue pencil. that FASH
ion aud society column would have been
delicious reading on Sunday morning
--since printer "follows copy" and =
parenthesis on the paragraphs brim.
= plain parenthesis is to him. aud it is
nothing more,