The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-11-03

10 young people who intend to enter
the newspaper field Charles a. Dana's
noble address on journalism offers i'll
spiration as well as no end of useful in
formation.
Mr.. Dana's lecture was given at Union
college. Perhaps since he was speaking
to students he gave u little too much
Importance to the study Of the dead lam
guages. Certainly if we have not time
to learn both Greek and German it will
be better in these times for us to take
the German.
Would you be "a journalist? says Mr..
Dana. Study the constitution and pol
itical history of America. Add also an
acquaintance with the constitutions of
the various states and territories. Do
not merely commit them to memory,
parrotlike, but think about them and
compare them. The real journalist
takes a natural interest in politics:
In order to be of Importance in the affairs of
this world IN the newspaper profession, you
must be a politician. and you must know not
merely the theories and doctrines of parties,
not merely the reconcile part of politics, but
you must know practical politics, the history,
the men, the individuals, their ideas, their
purposes and their deeds; know them if you
can AZ they really are, not as the blind and the
prejudiced may imagine them to be.
The journalist must know not only the
history of his own country, but likewise
that Of every European country-first of
all, the history of England. "The course
of history offers a safe guide for human
action, and especially for political ac-
ton" We must look beneath the mere
eventso of political history and action and
search out the principles and the mo-
tives that underlie them.
One is glad to see that this leader lays
such intense stress on accuracy. The
worst sin Of reporters, correspondents
and editors today is their lack of care to
get at the exact facts. "The faculty of
seeing II thing as it is, of knowing. for
instance, that it is p. and not 2e-this
is one of the first and most precious ends
Of a good education" Both for literature
and for research into human nature the
Bible and Shakespeare are the books
that will be most helpful to the Journal
list, says Dana.
Horace Greeley was the lecturers cx-
cmplar i'll journalism, though in his
judgment even this great newspaper
man WAS deficient in the critical faculty,
Mr.. Dana gives the reporter his due
need of praise, which he does not al
ways get by any means. A truthful re-
porter who can write with some degree
of imagination and humor contributes
at least one of the lions shares to the
making Of II successful newspaper.
Next to the reporter one of the impor-
ant makers Of the paper is the exchange
reader. He must go over a whole rOom-
full of papers more or less every day and
select from them. for copying, para
graphs and articles that are pathetic,
witty or that give information. On his
Judgment it depends greatly whether the
paper shall furnish attractive reading or
whether it shall be heavy as lead. One
of the leading fu%nctionaries in a news
paper Office III this age is the scientific
man, too-the individual who is mp in
electricity, chemistry and mechanics. 1t
is typical Of II particular age that this
is the case.
This sentence is golden. "An Amcri-
can vino thinks another country is bet
ter than this should not 90 into journal
ISM Best of all perhaps is this:
Yet nj the bottom of il all it is always a ques-
ton of character AS well as of talent. A fellow
that is practicing arts Of deception may last "a
little while, but hc cannot last long. The man
vino stays il the man who has the staying pow
or, and the staying power is NOT merely intel.
lcctual-it i, moral. 1t H. in ia" character, and
people hcl"y" in him because thcs are sur" he
does not mean tusay an! thing that /, not 70.