The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-10-20
MAKING Il NEWSPAPER MAN.
Essentials to n Successful Career In Mod
ern Journalism.

SCHENECTADY, N. Y, Oct. 16.-The
first lecture Of the fall course at Union
College was delivered Friday afternoon
October 18th, by Hon. Charles A. Dana, of
New York, the subject being the press
and Journalism. He spoke as follows:
The profession OF journalism is COM
paratively new. 1t really is. as il exists
to-day, an affair Of the last forty or
fifty years. When began to practice It
in a weekly paper the apparatus which
we have now was quite unknown. The
sheets which we daily take in our hands.
and from which we gather a view Of
the whole world and all that has been
going on In IT, all the sciences, all the
ideas, all the achievements, all the new
lights that influence the destiny of man
kind; all that was entirely out Of the
question. There was no such apparatus
and ii has been created by the necessities
of the public and by the genius of a few
men who have invented the machinery
and method which are indispensable, and
without which we could not undertake to
do what we do. OF course, the most es-
sential part Of this great mechanism is
not the mechanism itself, It is the intel
ligence the brains. and the sense Of truth
and honor that reside I'm the men who
conduct it. The number Of intellectual
y
profession of journalism is very great. I
have known very distinguished authori-
ties who doubted whether high edu-
cation was Of any great use 70 a Journal
list. Horace Greeley told me several times
that the real newspaper man was the
boy who had slept on newspapers and
ate Ink. Naughter)
The clergyman breaches two or three
times week, and ne has for his conere-
h. L.
popular orator in a great city, lie may
have 1000 hearers; but the newspaper
man Is the stronger because throughout
all the avenues Of newspaper communica-
ton, how many does he preach to-a
million, n half million, and his prsach-
! ing is not on Sundays only. but il IS
every day. He reiterates, he saws II
over and over. and finally the thing gets
! fixed IN mems minds from the mere
| habit OF saying il and hearing it, and
/ without criticisinc. without inquiring
| whether IL Is really so, the newspaper
dictum gets established and is taken for
gopel, and, perhaps. ii is not gospel at
all. Oaughter)
In regard TO this profession there are
two stages. The first stage
is the stage of preparation.
There are colleges which have
lately introduced schools of journalism,
or departments Of journalism where
they propose 10 teach the art Of news
paper making. TO instruct the student
I'm the methods that he should employ,
and TO III him out so that he can go 70 a
newspaper Office and make a newspaper
| Wen I do not say that II Is not use
| ful, but / have never found that a stu
dent or graduate who had pursued that
! department instead Of pursuing other
| studies was of any great avail as a
| practical worker I'm the newspaper work
| that he had been trying TO learn.
Give the young man a first-class course
/ OF general education and If j could have
my way. every young man who is go
| ing TO be a newspaper man, and who is
not absolutely rebellious against it,
| should learn Greek and Latin after the
good old fashion. (Applause)
There is no question that accuracy, the
| faculty OF seeing a thing as II is. is one
OF the first and most precious ends OF
good education. Next to that l would put
| the ability TO know how and where most
promptly 10 look for what you don't know
and what you want 10 know. Thirdly
| would put DIR. Walkers great object,
being able TO tell what you know. and TO
tell 1t accurately. precisely, without ex-
aggeration. without prejudice. the fact
just as IT is whether IT be a report OF
baseball game. or Of sermon. or OF a
lecture on electricity. whatever Il may
be, TO get the thing exactly as II Is. The
man who can do this is a very well edu-
Gated man.
Now. as for the preliminary studies
apart from the classics. Certainly with
out Greek and Latin no man knows
English and without Teutonic no mans
| knowledge Of English is perfect. To
know the English language perfectly Is
n tor a axf ha oh e,
il; the cultivation OF style. not modelled
on another. but your own individual style
That this is a powerful factor you have
only TO read Hawthorne and DR., Chan
ming 20 perceive.
Next / would place a knowledge OF
American politics. This Is very hard
study. Q-aughter) But Il is indispensa-
BILE. The young man who takes news
paper and turns to the political page has