The record-union., 1892-03-21
A FRENCHMAN ON JOURNALISTIC
SCHOOLS

SCHOOLS
Alfred Capus, in the Paris Revue BLeue,
holds that the idea of establishing school
of journalism will probably always re-
main phantasy, because the profession
will not allow fixed basis of instruction.
He adds:
1t is not necessary to know everything, and
one can almost affirm that the person who
has marked preference for some special
branch OF knowledge will not excel in this
profession; 1t is evident, also, that general
ignorance is still more unftavorable. That
which Is worth the most, Perhaps, is a certain
tact which gives warning OF dangerous places,
which enables one to instruct himself at an
opportune moment; added TO this, the out
lines of all things, as table of contents of
necessary works on history, philosophy, econ
om1cs, law, even science, in short, that which
enters into a rapid conversation, slightly
vague and indeterminate, as is journalism it
self. That which is necessary, above all, is the
exact ideas concerning events and contemIo-
raneouS percentages, and a certain style of
writing. The best journalists to-day possess,
btslde their.own talent, general knowledge
which. after several years OF use and study, Is
not far from forming a sufficiently vast learn
Ing.
That is by all odds the most concise,
and yet most comprehensive and clever,
ments for the working journalist. The
theoretical journalists, the class who
could not successfully run newspaper
month, but who assume to know better
than any others how the business ought
to be conducted, are almost countless.
But Of all the class the most troublesome.
ACll IL
men; the bookish, writing and theorizing
pedants; the scholars, so to speak. They
almost to man speak of the working
journalist with an air that i'll conceals
contempt. They do not approve the style
of the practical newspaper man, they
scorn the methods he employs in news
gathering and presentation, and rate that
first and greatest Of essentials as the least
important Office of journalism.
1t is of this class of people from which
comes the demand for schools of journal
ism. 1t was this theorizing, writing and
scornfully critical class that induced
Cornell University to establish chair of
journalism, which the Governing Board
found it necessary to abandon because
useless and dimpracticable, inside of a year.
M. Capus says Of these would-be
journalists to whom we refer, and yet
| who affect to despise the calling, that they
reproach the newspaper men with lack of
style and with lightly treating grave
subjects, forgetting, or falling to realize,
that, ''as regards style, journalists have
created that which is most convenient for
their work, and it is not easy to see where
it is more feeble than that of the i'm
mense majority of romances. These still
show the inferiority of being, with few
exceptions, almost unreadable by means
of their length, their bad composition,
their lack of interest. A journalistic
article, even mediocre, has always the
merit of being short, easily read, and of
dealing with subjects which interest a
greater or less number of individuals
When they address themselves to re-
porters, the scorn of the literary men
knows no bounds. The style of the re-
porter is certainly sometimes of a suf-
ficiently pitiable quality; but if the style
less mediocrity does not much matter.
To write like a reporter or poor psychoI-
ogist, where is the difference? More
over, by dint of employing various
means-by travelling, talking, interview
ing, being present every day at constantly
changing scenes and being obliged to
write about them-there is no well-en-
dowed reporter who will not finish by
acquiring an experience and knowledge
of life, which is the thing most needed by
majority of the novelists."
Courageous Capus! You deserve well
| from newspaper men, the real working
journalists, who agree with you that they
are conscious that they are not perform
ing an immortal work; who do not as
sumo to place themselves above all the
world; who do not claim to be learned in
all things, though rich in worldly wis
dom; who respect learning and doff their
hats to eminence in scholarship; who do
not scorn nor yet envy other professions.
They at least are. workers, and not
theorists; they are, as NJ. Capus well
says, creating new profession, and one
that is needed, since the others are so
much crowded. But it is one that no
amount of learning will alone qualify one
man to enter; that scholarship will not
alone equip the man for; that labozious
study viii not of necessity give card of
| entry to; that only quality well nigh