The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-07-11
PARIS REPORTERS.
70 BE SUCCESSFUL THEY MUST BE
! BORN WITH THE TALENT.

What rs Expected of Them and How Their
Work Is Graded-Why None OF Them Are
Old BIen-One Reporters Experience In
Securing Important Information.
When the ''chief of the service of in
formations" consents to annex a de-
butante, his aptitudes are first utilized
in the department des ohiens creves. "
This is the professional slang for pick
ing up such items at the police stations
as are not sent in to the prefecture. For
this work he will be paid 2 or cen
times line for those inserted, on the
average about one in twenty of what he
hands in. These modest auxiliarieS have
only exceptionally the perspective of
power to make themselves noted. In
deed their role is limited, for If they
Aearn of AN accident or an affair out OF
the common run they must telephone
The fact to their papers, from whence
the chief sends as soon as possible one
or two staff reporters, but If the late
ness of the hour or the gravity Of the
event justifes such an initiative, the
kitular of the "chiens oreves" becomes
somebody. In this case, if he is clever,
he can render his journal special service
by avoiding a "beat," and he will be
well recompensed. This is why, over at
the Cafe du Cog dor, consumers some
times hear young man at neighbor-
ing table shout gleefully to his COM
xades, SAT last have my first crlmeP'
and the comrades press his hand and
congratulate him warmly.
Perhaps he is promoted to the dignity
of 'senqueteur, :" or interviewer. Now
he receives q retaining salary of $50 to
$50 a month and is paid extra for all
the lines he writes so that he usually
earns $25 to $50 weekly. He must give
his definite measure, however, and show
If he really has the gift of the profess
sion. for after two or three failures he
would be thanked and have his head
cut off. Of the $50 reporters who each
year spring up on the Partisan press
eight or ten at most survive and become
corporals and sergeants in the profess
sion. To succeed it is necessary not only
to have good health, perfect bearing,
courtesy and education which permit OF
being received everywhere, but great
clearness of ideas and a remarkable
power of assimilation. The reporter
may know nothing, but he must be
quick at understanding everything 1t
is necessary that, aquestion being given,
he should know in a few instants who
is the person in Paris the most probable
TO solve it. He must go to see this per-
son or some one else equally informed,
and in 90 phrases of an interview gather
a clear, net and precise resume OF the
responses to make. He must also have
the scent of a detective and above al
love for his profession.
+ know Paris reporter who was sent
Qua TO write about the doings Of for
eign sovereign then at French water
ing place. He went to the chateau where
the monarch was stopping, but was po-
liteIy kicked out by the grand chamber
lain. I'VE telegraph daily, " the latter
said, "'news relative to his majesty to
our national papers. You can take from
them for your columns. - This did not
satisfy my confrere. He had been sent
at much expense on this special work,
and it would never do for him to do
nothing during his sojourn. A brilliant
idea struck him. He had got acquainted
with am old man who had formerly been
employed in the telegraphy department
of the army. So he said to the ex-lieu-
tenant, would you be capable OF writ
ing ont the value of the letters trans
united by the Morsesystem by simply
hearing the ticktack Of the Instrument
s'Parbleu, that is only the infancy OF
business, - answered the either. Well,
sir, will give you louis every MORN
Ang if you will come and pass a quarter
of an hour at the postoffice. p"
The next day, atthe hour when the
dispatches from the chateau arrived,
those two men were very busy in the
office over an imaginary correspondence,
but as soon as the Morse instrumont'be-
gan to tick ths=old man inscribed Oh a
sheet of paper letters of foreign words
he did not understand The reporter
read these words over his shoulder. file
Immediately translated them, and the
official dispatch was scarcely of when
he sent the Same thing in French to his
Paris paper The telegraph employees
naturally supposed that this literal
translation was given to its sender by
one Of the soyereign's household, while,
as for the royal guest and his grand
chamberlain, they had the pleasure Of
reading In the Paris Journal details con-
corning themselves long before their
national raDers arrived
= When reporter has in analogous cir
cunstances shown the resources Of his
,aivsf he cya1,s4,a Il1- obtains {i7rad salary