The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-10-30
IN A REPORTERS LIFE.
New and simple Way to Spell Hard
Words-An Irlshman's Blunder.

New and Simple Way to Spell Hard
Words-An Ir1shman's Blunder.
There are four little stories which
tell something of experience which fall
o the lot of the newspaper man. They
possess the merit of being true.
young Englishman who had served
long time on the London papers came
over here few years ago to try his
chances in American reporting and Sc
cured berth on one of the big New
York dailies. One of his fsst assign
ments was as follows: "See ex-Presi-
dent Hayes at the Fifth Avenue hotel,
and get talk with him on his visit
here" He went to the hotel and had a
pleasant interview with Mr.. Hayes
and was just saying "Good-day" when
he remembered that he did not know
the wherefore of the gentleman's title,
and said: 80, by the by, Mr. Hayes, what
are you eX-president OFF" His subject
gasped moment and then said, very
quietly: "Of the United States of Amer
lea, Sir" The reporter remembers
blushing up to the roots of his hair. but
everything from then until he got back
to his desk in the office is a dismal
blank He spent the next month in
reading up United States history, and
now he can reel off the great names of
the government in better style than the
average lifelong American.
A fellow-countryman of his who was
given to verbiage had very bad luck
with his copy when he first went to
work on city newspaper. The men at
the night editorial desk would use their
fatal blue pencils all through his stories
and his elaborate columns would appear
next morning as barefaced sticks" Ia
stick is one-twelfth of column.) lie
had a mother in England from whom
he honestly inherited this tendency to
overwrite, and she sent him by every
steamer dozen or more closely written
pages of home gossip. One evening
some of the boys noticed him sitting at
his desk with frcwn on his brow and
brand new blue pencil in his hand,
with which he was literally ornament
ing every page of missive before him.
They were moved to ask him what he
was doing and were cOnvulSed when he
replied: 30, I'm editing the matters
letter, don't you know, just to see how
it feels to slash copy, don't you see"
Only few months ago one of the
young men who look after the news in
the upper part of the city, and are reg
ularly stationed up there for their re-
spective papers, was called to the tele-
phone by his city editor and told, ''Mr.
", we have just heard of sudden
death in your bailiwick. l wish you
would go and look it up"
'All right, sir" was the response
what is the address,
mo. 1000 Fifth avenue" came the re-
ply.
mo. 1000 Fifth avenue?" said he ex-
citedly. 'Why, what's the name?"
Mrs, H." was the answer
There was the noise of heavy fall,
and the men in the other offices, rush
ing in, found poor X. lying insensible
on the floor. Mrs. u. was his mother
She had married again, so tho city
editor had no idea, when he telephoned,
OF the relationship.
Jack Smith is one of the brightest
w,"ters in town, but he, queerly enough,
while he is thoroughly educated man,
has very odd idea of spelling. He
holds it a limitation of genius to have
to spell word in always the same way,
and scratches along in a style that
wrings the copy readers heart, but is
excused because of the worth of his mat
ter. A few nights ago the man next to
him was writing away at top speed
on late story, and called out, "Jack,
old man, quick, how do you spell philo-
progenitiveness?"
''Well I'll tell you." said Jack, calm
ly, what | do when l meet anything
like that. | just put my pen on the
paper and sneeZe. N. Y. Herald.