The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-16
DANA ON JOURNALISM
Instructive Address by the Nestor
of the American Press.
Qualifications and Faculties Necessary
for Those Who Would Become
Reporters or Editors.
special to the IndIanapoIIs journal.

A Dana, OF New York, the subject being
1.-The Press and Journalism" Mr. Dana
said In part:
The profession OF Journalism is compar-
etlvely new. 1t really is. It exists to-
years. When / began to practice IL In a
weekly paper the apparatus which we have
now was quite unknown The sheets which
We oally take In our hands and from which
we gather view of the whole world and OF
al that has been going in it-aIl the
,,aeas, al the achievements. all the new
lgnts that influence the destiny Of man
kind-al that was entirely out OF the ques-
tion- There was no such apparatus, and 1t
mas been created by the necessities Of the
VINO nave invented the machinery and the
methods which are Indispensable, and with
OUT which we could not undertake to do
what We DO. OF course the most essential
part OF this great mechanism Is not the
mechanism itself; il is the intelligence, the
brains and the sense OF truth and honor
that reside In the men who conduct it. Tho
number OF itellectual countrymen who are
looking at this new profession Of Journal
sF Who very doubt
ed whether high education was Of
any great use TO journalist. Hor-
ace Greeley told me several times that the
real newspaper man was the boy who had
slept on newspapers and ate ink. Q1augh-
teri The clergyman breaches two or three
times week, and he has for his congrega-
ton two hundred, three hundred, five hun
Qred and, IL he IS a great, popular orator,
IN a great city, he may have thousand
stronger. because. throughout all the ave
nueS or newspaper communication, TO how
many does he preach? A million-a half
days only, but IL Is every day. He reiter-
ates. he says IL over and over. and finally
saying IL and hearing Ii, and, without crit
Losing, without inquring whether 1t is
really so, the newspaper dictum gets es-
tablished and Is taken for gospel and, per-
GOSPEL 4 q 0zduUhtor.)
I'm regard to this profession there are two
stages. The first stage is the stage OF prep
ly introduced schools of Journalism or de-
partments Of journalism, where they pro-
pose TO teach the art OF newspaper making,
TO instruct the student In the methods that
he should employ, and to fit him out SO that
ne can go to newspaper office and make a
newspaper. Well, do not say that 1t is
student or graduate who had pursued that
department. instead of pursuing other stud
worker in the newspaper work that he had
been trying TO learn. In fact, il seems to
me- me. may be allowed a little criticism.
branching out too much. until they are in
clined to take the whole universe into their
not exactly belong there III I could have
my way, every young man who is going to
be newspaper man, and who is not abso-
lutely rebellious against IL, should learn
Greek and Latin after the good old fashion.
had rather take young fellow who knows
the Ajax Of Sophocles. and who has read
TacituS and can scan every ode of Horace
] would rather take him to report a prize
fight than to take one who has never had
the advantages.
NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS.
There is no doubt the faculty of accuracy
Of seeing comes OF good education. Next
to that 1 would put the ability how to know
and where most promptly to look for what
you don't know and what you want to know.
Thirdly. 1 put DR.. Walkers great object,
being able to tell what you know, and to tell
II accurately. precisely. without exaggera-
ton. without prejudice, the fact just as 1t
Is. whether IL be report of a baseball game
or OF sermon. or of a lecture on electricity.
Whatever 1t may be, to get the thing exactly
as IL Is The man who can do this is a very
Well educated man. In addition comes the
qualities OF personal talent and genius
Greeley, the great and brilliant Journalist.
was a man OF immense ability, but lacked
the developed and cultivated instinct OF
and detecting error when masquerading.
WOW. as for the preliminary studies
apart from the classics. Know the En-
stone Next the ability to use it; the culti-
yation or style, not modelled on another
but your own individual style That this
IS a powerful factor you have only TO read
Hawthorne and DR.. Claiming to perceive
Next 1 would place a knowledge of Amer
lean politics. This is very hard study
QauShter) But Ii is Indispensable The
young man who takes a newspaper and
turns to the political page has good intel
lectual symptoms. If he turns to read a
love story first you cannot make a good
newspaper man out OF him. You should
understand the theory and growth of the
American Constitution. And while we are
on this point we may say, in passing that
an American who thinks another country
journalism (Applause.) You must be for
the stars and stripes every time. or the
people OF this country won't be for you
lApplause) And you won't sell enough pa
In order to understand the theory of the
American government the most serious
calm, persistent study should be given TO
the Constitution OF the United States
Next be well acquainted with the Consti-
tuition and government of the different
States, and be able thus TO deal with the
State questions intelligently such, for in
stance. the great question of an elective or
appolntlve judiciary In New York The
man who has studied out such question
as that has accomplished a great deal. The
man who is well learned in the constitu-
lions OF the State and Nation is we'll fitted
for conducting a newspaper or administer
ing a government But the modern news
must know the history of England. from
whence we came. and in which country our
Constitution Is rooted. and so the history
OF other countries of Europe, of France, OF
Germany. The course OF foreign history Of
fers a safe guide for human action, and
especially for political action.
What books ought you to read? Almost
all books have their use, but some are in
dispensable to this kind of an education.
buIs OF all these, the most uSeIul, the
most Indispensable. the one whose knowl-
edge Is the most effective, is the Bible.
l am considering II not as a religious
book, but as a manual OF utility, of pro-
feSslonal preparation and professional use
Tor journalist. There is, perhaps, no book
whose style Is more suggestive and more
instructive, from which you learn more di-
rectly that sublime simplicity which never
exaggerateS, which recounts the greatest
event with solemnity, OF course but with
out Sentimentaltty or afIectatiOn none
which open with such confidence and lay
down with such confidence and lay down
with such reverence. There is no book like
the Bible. (Applause) -
Now let us turn TO the practice Of the
profession In great newspaper office
about sixty out OF hundred writer's will
be reporters. That is one OF the foremost
branches of the profession and il is paid
very literally. That is one OF the first
things when a young man comes for en-
ployment. and you take him on and give
him a chance that he Is set TO do. That
will bring into action all his culture and
good Judgment. II he reports a fire he
must see the most important things about
Il. the chief interest involved, who has
met with the greatest loss, has an
Individual persisted, how did 1t oc-
be able to write II out; Next
to the reporter a very important function
airy I'm the newspaper Is the man who
reads the other newspapers and makes ex-
tracts from them He must have good
judgment. sense OF humor, know good
the man who examines manuscripts, and
prepares them for the press. lie must
know how TO diSentangle facts, correct
Fluctuations. determine the value OF cor