The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-16
A LECTURE ON JOURNALISM.
DELIPERED BIZ MR.. DANA TO THE
STUDENTS OF UNION COLLEGE,

noon. Oct. 13-The vniue OF Education 10
| Newspaper Mnn-The Best Books 10
Read and the Best Languages TO Study
| The Importance of Accurate Reporting
| Qualifications that the Successful Editor
md Reporter Must Possess-The Great
Scope of News Gathering In Modern Times
A full audience was present In the chapel Of
| tho college. including President Webster. sew
eral members OF the faculty. and students OF all
| tho classes. as well as number OF ladies. Mr..
Dana, having been introduced by Gen. Butter
field, spoke as follows:
Nh president. Gen. BurTERrIELD. AND GEN.
| TLEMEN: am intensely grateful to Gen. But
| terrified and President Webster for tho oppor-
tunity OF appearing before you to-day. II
| there Is anything in life that Is delightful to
an old man. 1t Is the opportunity OF meeting
intelligent and earnest young men. and telling
them something out Of his experience that
may be useful to Thorn: and. as our dosire Is
that this shall be practical occasion. I want
to say at the beginning that II any part OF the
subject. rs 20 over II. shall not seem to any
one OF you to be sufficiently explained and
eucdated will be very much Obliged II you
will get up and ask the questions that you
wish to have answered..
The profession OF journalism is compare
lively new. 1t really s. as it exists to- day. an
affair OF the last forty or fifty years. When
began to practise 1t in a weekly paper the APP
paratus which We have now and which Gen.
Butterleld has referred to. was quito I'M
known. The sheets which we daily take In
our hands and from which we gather view OF
the whole world and OF all that has been going
on in it. all the sciences. all the ideas, all the
achievements. oil tho new lights that influence
the destiny OF mankind: all that was entirely
out OF the question. There was no such appa-
ratus. and it has been created by tho necessi-
ties of the public and by the genius OF few
men who have invented. step by step. the ma
chnery and tho methods that are indispensa.
ble and without which we could not under
take to do what We do.
or course the most essential part OF this
great m echanism is not the mechanism itself;it
is the intelligence. the brains and tho sense OF
truth and honor that reside in the men who
conduct 1t and make 1t vehicle Of usefulness
or it may be OF mischief: because what IL
useful can Just rs easily be turned to mischief
II the engineer who stands behind and lets
on the steam is Of an erroneous disposition.
The numb OF intellectual young mon who
are looking at this new profession. which
for the want OF a better name we call the pro-
fession OF journalism. is very great suppose
that l receive myself every day. taking one
day with another. half a dozen letters from
men, many OF them college graduates. asking
for employment. and for an opportunity OF
showing what is in them. OF course they
cannot all get it in the same paper. Now
and then one obtains place. hut gen.
! orally the rule that Is observed in all
well organized newspaper offices is that
| the boys who began at the beginning are
| taken UP step by step in accordance with their
| faculties and their merits This Is so because.
as we know in college, it is impossible that there
should be any imposture which sets mans
| abilities above their real value. since in the
daily Intercourse and the daily competition Of
study an! Of recitation the real worth OF
mans brain is demonstrated. so that there 10
never any doubt. SO 1t is in newspaper
office. The boys who begin at the bottom
come out at the top. At the same time
these boys do not all start out with the
best outfit, that is TO say. with the best
education: and l have known very dis
tinGuished authorities who doubted whether
high education was Of any great use to jour
nalst. Horace Greeley told mo several times
that the real newspaper man was the boy who
had silent on newspapers and ate Ink. Laugh.
teri Although served him for years and We
were very near in our personal relations.
think he always had little grudGe against
me because l came up through a college.
llaughter.l
Now. here before us are n number OF young
gentlemen who. have no doubt. will be led to
embrace this profession. We know that
among certain number OF students there are
so many doctors. SO many clergymen 80 many
lawyers-sometimes too many lawyers laugh
ter and there are also. OF course. "A consider
able number who are looking forward to this
great civilizing engine OF the press; and IT.
great engine.
Just consider the clergyman. he preaches
two or three times In q week and he has for his
congregation two hundred. three hundred,
five hundred. and II he Is great popular ora
tor in great city. he may have thou
SAND hearers: nut tho newspaper man Is
the stronger because throughout all the
avenues OF newspaper communication.
how many does he preach to? mill
lion. half million. two hundred thousand
people; and his preaching 10 not on Sun