St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-20
NEWSPAPER IN LITERATURE,
(By Rev. John Conway, NJ. A, President OF
the St Paul Press CLUB.

The most mechanical man OF letters
of the nineteenth century was the late
Anthony Trollope. How such man
could have written that excellent novel
"Barchester Towers has long been
puzzle to more able but less disciplined
men. Trollope says: IF q man can
command a table, a chair. pen, ink and
paper. he can commence his trade as
literary man. 1t requires no capltai,
no special education. and may De taken
I'D without moments delay" LII, upon
this basis, man were to try to enter
the domain of literature, even that eX-
tensive field which comes under the
head of journalism, think he would
soon find himself well qualified for
membership In General CoXey'S army.
| do not mean by this to advocate a
school of journalism. Horace Greeley
used to say that the best newspaper
man was he who had slept on newspa-
pers and had eaten ink. Other things
being equal, he Is the best newspaper
man who has had liberal education
with special emphasis laid upon the
questions of his own day and coun-
try, and who learns the technical part
of his profession in the office of
good newspaper. A professor of Jour-
nalism must, as a rule, be more preten-
tious than proficient. for no frSt-claSs
journalist would willingly surrender the
editorial Sanctum for the professors
chair. And as for Troll0pe'S statement,
it is needless to discuss it farther; for
any man who calls literature trade de-
serves but scant courtesy.
But does the newspaper really give
much scope for the development OF
literary ability? | believe it does. And
I ,.tiff f,tn l-nnNHlAdnn N
great haste with which certain news
paper work has to be done; L think it
Notwithstanding the excessive padding
and the abnormal compression which
sometimes takes place according to cam
onS for other than those laid down by
literary critics; repeat it, although L
am willing TO admit that the cheap, the
vulgar and the spectacular are singu-
larly detrimental to literary finish.
Journalism is we'll calculated to give
a man an accurate knowledge OF terms.
Should his vocabulary comprise the
1900 words of Shakespeare and the
5000 words of Milton; should he be
as accurate as Colerldge in his employ
ment of words; should his phrases be
as finished as IennySOn, he can find
ample use for all in the varied columns
of the high-clasS newspaper
The leading qualities of style always
find happy home in high-class jour-
nalism. The writer for the press may
have to write rapidly; he may be forced
to write under the influence of no other
inspiration save such as arises from
the thought that the printers are press
ing for copy" Nevertheless, clear
ness and simplicity frequently accom-
pany rapid writing, and The warm glow
OF thought, awakened even by neces
sity, may easily last long enough to
brighten the whole editorial.
CiearneSS of style comes from clear
ness of ideas. The man who thinks
clearly, as 4 rule, will write clearly. A
good newspaper style is like Shakes
peare OF the Scriptures in this, that it
Is specific rather than general. Hence
it is all energetic style,~tOr the generic
begetS feebleneSs whilst the specific
promotes strength. And this is one of
the reasons why Mr.. Dana recommends
to the journalist the Bible and Shakes
peare even before all the other glorles
of English literature. OF course he
means the English version of the Bible.
and King James version at that; and
he speaks of it, not from the stand
point of religion. but as book of pro-
feSslOnal preparation and professional
use for tue journalist. With regard
to the Douay aud the Rheims versions,
/ may be permitted to remark that.
whilst the grammar is not as faulteSS,
nor tue rhetoric as flawless, nor the
idioms as English as King James
version. nevertheless the thought is
more accurately adhered to. The prac-
ticIng journalist aims at harmony in
his sentences; and the periods of the
practiced newspaper man are as easy
and as graceful as the writings OF
Washington Irving. He knows we'll
those words and phrases best suited to
the subject of which he writes, and the
object for which he writes, and the
character and capacity Of the readers
Tor whom he writes.
The clever journalist carries out the
fundamental law of literature, the law
laid down by Herbert Spencer as sum-
ming up the whole philosophy of style
the law Of economy. This means
that he puts the greatest number of
Ideas in the feweSt number of words
consistent with clearneSS. He econo-
mixes his own time and space by rigidlY
excluding superfiuouS words; he econ
omiZes the attention of his hearers by
not allowing obscure sentences to force
them to unnecessary mental effort. l
know that occasions arise when Her
bert Spencers principle is rudely set
aside, and the reporter may be called
haZy OF half formed idea. And | can
well understand the case of the young
reporter gazing with his lady love upon
the Milky Way, who, when reminded
by her of the beauties of space, re-
marked that she might not think this
puzzle Of the philosophers so surpass-
ingly beautiful If she had to fill two
columns of space for the morning paper.
Whilst the news columns admit, and
even demand, ViyacIty, and editorials
should show the chief qualities of style,
IL is universally agreed that good news
paper writing does not admit much Or
nament. Great journals do not try to
dazzle their readers with tropes. Their
constituency is made up of the masses,
and consequently their style is
popular, but must not be vulgar.
Haste may mix the metaphors
OF the practicing hand; it sell
dom muddleS the thought of the prac-
ticed veteran. What Newman says of
great author is equally true of our
great journalists. Speaking of the
former, the cultured cardinal say S:
''He writes passionately. beca use he
feels keenly; forcibly, because he con-
ceives wildly; he sees too clearly to be
he can analyze his subject, and there
fore he is rich {; he embraces it as a
whole and in its parts, and therefore
heis consistent; he has firm hold OH
II, AMI therefore he is luminous. =
He always has the right word for the
right idea, and never word too much.
If he is brief. it is because few words
suffice; If he is lavish of them. still
each word has its mark"
The sphere of the newspaper has be.
come so extensive as to give ample
scope even to the highest literary abil-
ity. 1t was not always SO. The gene.
sis of the newspaper shows that a time
was when it kept to what its name i'm.
plies-a news paper. Now every sub.
ject of human interest is discussed in
its columns. particularly in the columns
of the Sunday paper. So that there i.
really no profession today which gives
such scope for the versatility of geniu:
as the noble calling OF the fourth es
tate. The journalist may sometimes
be called upon to write upon trihine
subjects. He may have to chronicle
II