The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-11-23
ma ON JOURNALISM
DISCUSSES THE TRAINING OF
NEWSPAPER MAKERS.


nood Education Is Valuable = What
|rseIcy Said ON This Subject.
~ 8 lecture delivered at Union college
the education needed in preparation
Journalism Charles A. Dana said;
Tho number OF intellectual young men
|Iho are looking at this new profession,
&1ch for the want OF a better name we
|>H the profession OF journalism, Is very
1ot suppose that l receive myself ev-
|1 day, taking one day with another, half
dozen letters from men. many of them
|H1lcge graduates, asking for employment
|nd an opportunity OF showing what is in
kem. OF course they cannot all get il in
&o same paper Now and then one obtains
|[olace, but generally the rule that is OBJ
|crved in all well organized newspaper of
|Ioes il that the boys who began at the be-
Inning are taken up step by step in accord
nee with their faculties and their merits.
X The boys who begin at the bottom come
lie at the top. At the same time these
>oys do not all start out with the best out
|f<--that is to say, with the best education
and have known very distinguished au-
korities who doubted whether high edu-
ntion was of any great use 10 a journalist.
Horace Greeley told me several times that
10 real newspaper man was the boy who
&>d slept on newspapers and ate ink. AL
>ouQh / served him for several years and
10 were very near in our personal relations,
b fhink he always had little grudge
1Hainst me because ! came up through a
|cIlege.
What sort of preparation, what sort OF
16liminary education should man have
5ho means to devote himself TO this bust
6cssf There are colleges which have lately
ntroduced schools of journalism or depart
nsnts of Journalism. where they propose
5 teach the art of newspaper making, to
notruct the student IN the methods he
Mould employ and to fit him out so that
- can go to a newspaper Office and make
|CWspaper. Well. Twill not say that is not
|noful. But there has been department
4 Journalism at Cornell university for sew
IA years, and I have never found that a
tudent or graduate who had pursued that
|cpartment there instead of pursuing other
|ndies was of any great avail as a practical
.urker in the newspaper work that he had
|1cn trying to learn.
X IA fact, it seems to me. IL may be al
.Rod little criticism. that the colleges
nerally are rather branching out too
ruch. until they are inclined to take the
hole universe into their curriculum and
y teach things which do not exactly be-
|ng there. Give the young man a first
|nns course of general education. and if /
nld have my way every young man who
noing to be newspaper man and who is
~ Absolutely rebellious against it should
|nxn Greek and Latin after the good old
rhion-
" had rather take young fellow who
lows the Ajax of Sophocles, and who has
*od Tacitus, and can scan every ode of
trace, would rather take him to report
rx1xe fight or a spelling match. for in
rnce. than to take one who has never had
Goee advantages. Ibelieve in the colleges.
|ho1ieve in high education, but / do not
1leve in scattering your fire before you
1o IN the face of the enemy.
There is no question that accuracy, the
kcQlky Of seeing q thing as it is, of know
Hx for instance that it is 21l and not 29S
IA snying so--that is one Of the first and
5oot precious ends of good education.
|>xt to that would put the ability to
now how and where most promptly to
~ for what you don't know and what
W want to know. Thirdly, would put
x Walkers great object, being able to
"A what you know and to tell it accurate
q precisely, without exaggeration, with
1t prejudice, the fact just as it is, whether
be report Of baseball game. or of SER
&pn, or Of lecture on electricity, whatever
may be, to get the thing exactly as it is.
10 man who can do this is a very well
.ncated man.
n addition come the qualities Of person
7 talent and genius Now genius is a great
.Gtor. When we think of such genius
the one have just mentioned-the late
NJ Greeley, why, our minds may well be
Iod with admiration. do not suppose
@cre than one or two gentlemen here ever
How Mr.. Greeley personally, but he was a
IN Of immense ability, of instincts of ex-
oordinary correctness in many respects,
IA Of the power Of expression-of telling
|hot be knew in q delightfully."- picturesque,
znorous way--which not merely instruct
y the hearcr and reader, but gave him a
nso Of delight and satisfaction from the
>cre art that was applied in the telling.
y had had no great advantages of educa-
IA. He had to pick up his education as
o went along, reading in the winter even
~ by the freight, and never wasting a
|nnce Of learning something.
Hut be lacked one of the most precious
1culties, which 1t is another great object
, the college education to cultivate and
InR out. and that is what we will call the
Ifical faculty, the Judgment which, when
kproposition Is stated to you or fact Is
ported, looks at it calmly and says, THAT
true," or else, THAT is false;" the judg-
mt, the instinct, the developed aud cul-
tnted instinct which knows the truth
Ben it Is presented and detects error when
oomes masquerading before you, without
10 necessity of any long examination to
cortain whether 1t is truth or error.
The next thing that would dwell upon
.culd be the knowledge of politics and es-
Ccfally American politics. This is a very
|ozd subject. Its history is difficult. IL
|cu 60 back to the foundation of the re-
mb1ic. you will find it was extremely COM
Heated even then, and it requires very
Dxoful study and very elevated impair
|nlity to make your analysis at all salts
0ctory TO yourself as you go through the
|Drk. Still It is indispensable TO man
no means to I'LL an important place in
and all who begin upon it GER
ninly have that intention.
The First blackboard.