Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-06-27
NEWSPAPER SALARIES.
fhey Are Not Away. what They Are
"Cracksd Up to Be"-whnt New
York scribes Earn.

.sks N. Y. Snn reporter. These are |
eally two different things, but both |
are apt TO be spoken Of as one. aud |
.he second may lead to the first. Every |
lay some boy enters the ranks in this |
.ity. What will he make?
In rough way, about $5O,WO a |
week are spent ia this city's news
papers for news and editorial work |
performed in the city by about 1000
men. IL would appear. therefore. that
the average earning in the business Is
k25 week. But. rs rule. beginners
are paid from $40 to $l5 week, while
many who begin under what is called
the space system on the poorer papers
DO not earn half of els. That is the
lowest extreme. The highest is ex-
cmplilicd by about ten men who get
salaries of $40 600 a year or more, aud
by two, or perhaps three men who
earn as much by general writing. cor
respondence and speciality work.
The man who begins work as a re-
porter at SIS week will, If he exhibits
am aptitude for the business, quickly
secure increases of salary OH some
papers, or, on others, the right to work
on space" He will then be able To
earn between $50 and $50 week. 1t
Is this fact that has thrown a fascinat-
ing halo around the business. In no
other occupation can a beginner, a
mere youth, earn anything Ike so
much as he can at reporting II he
possesses genius for the work. But
Ibis picture has its reverse side. AT
The end Of ten years he may not Gn-
deed he is most likely not to) earn
more than the same $40 or $50 which
the utmost energy and high order of
ability rot for him when hc first went
ION space" Ia the same ten years
the boy who went into dry goods
store as porter, or into law Office as
I a clerk. or who emerged from the
medical school as n graduate, may dis
lance him in prosperity.
There is an outlet from reporting
into copy reading and into desk work
by which the newspaper man may add
| to his income. He will add TO his
cares aud responsibility. but that ac-
creton will he more than overbal-
anced by other conditions. such as the
enjoyment of regular working hours
| aud of settled domestic relations-both
OF which are denied TO an active and
successful reporter. 1t Is net useful
here to throw these sidelights on the
subject further than TO say that the
majority of oulookers see the excite
ment, variety nattery travel. fun, and
good fellowship of the reporters life,
but they know nothing OF the heat aud
push and energy aud self-sacritice it
requires But to stick to the question
what do newspaper men make? The
apprentices and the clumsy ones earn
from s. to S25, the good Oues from
$40 to 800. the leaders. who number
less than three dozen in New York.
from 800 TO $500 week, of course.
In nutshell. then, there are 1850
men, averaging $2j week, and aim
ing one day to fill ten places at 5000 n
a week--or three dozen places at 800
or more per week. The conditions
surrounding the profession are vastly
different from what they were only Il
few years ago. Much OF the sentiment
that dominated the newspaper mans
life has given place to practical busi-
ness view of it, and Bohemianism has
made way for the business. The days
are gone when genius sat enthroned in
Pfaffs beer cellar with glass in iLs
right hand and pen in it, left, work
ing erratlcally and earning uncertain
sums. III there is an item Of news TO
be gotten to-day it is understood that
twenty enterprising newspapers are
as.ef bs tfded il ut 9nes N agd IL spAisst is to
newspaper 1t is known that it must
stand comparison with other articles
on the same subject. The work !:
done Systematically. 1t was thought
for few years that these requirements
brought about by intense competition,
were putting on genius halter aud
harness, and that genius would there
,ore fly the newspapers and ex-
hibit itself in the magazines aud week
lies. Ii is now found. on the contrary.
that there is more bright and indi-
yidual writing Of high order of merit,
even in the lines of poetry. pure prose
literature and eccentric writing in the
newspapers than appeared in them
when Henry Ciapp aud William Win
Ter, Caleb Dunn and the rest illumi-
uated the then Bohemian press between
,ittings ut Pfaf's.
With this change which has thus ele-
vated the newspapers, the profession
itself has taken on dignity that the
public now acknowledges. The ne'er-
lo-wells Of talented families who did
the light work. and the graduates from
the printing offices who performed the
practical work of the press, are no
longer in the majority in the ranks Of
the writer's. who are now recruited
from the circles OF the ambitious and
earnest Young men of the country.
often college bred. sober by instinct as
we'll as necessity, and practical in y
high degree.
On the outskirts Of journalism are
several lines of literary workmen. such
as the syndicate writers and propri-
etors. and contributors to the lesser
periodicals and the advertisement
writers. Some Of the syndicate and
periodical writers are noyclists. not OF
the highest order. vet commanding u
ready sale for their works. One VI
these. who is well known and envied
in his fraternity. said the other day
that after ten or dozen years at novel
writing he was able to make certain OF
e. 500 a year. lie believed aud hoped
that when the time came for him to
cease work the royalties from such OF
his books as continued in demand
would net him $1,000 year. On his
81. 500 a year he manages TO live. but
that proves him to be an exceptionally
successful man ia his line. for there
are few among even the greatest
novelists of this country who do not
rely on a salary in addition to the
royalties from their works. Mr.. Frank
Stockton has but just abandoned a
steady income OF this sort and MIR. w.
ID. Howells has not yet done so.
1t Is known that Mr.. Powers. the
advertisement writer. gave up a salary
of $40, 900 year from John Wanna
maker to set up in business for him
self in New York, aud II j. generally
believed that his successor in Phiia-
delphia. MIR. Gillian. Is in receipt of q
yet larger sum. However. theirs is
rather their own business than q
standard occupation; few others iu
their lines are known tn the public.
| II L. raIatal of Won Moifte that