The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1894-10-13
PARIS REPORTERS.
TO % SUCCESSFUL THEY MUST %
BORN WITH the TALENT.

ann - sH0 pkWesSlOuA 8lanR 1c1 PICK
Ing mp such items at the police station
= are not sent in 10 the prefecture Fo
this work he win Be- paid . Or cen
times line for those inserted. on tn,
average about one In twenty Of what h,
hands In. These modest auxiliaries hav,
only exceptionally the perspective q
power to mako themselves noted. In
deed their role 10 limited, for II they
learn Of an accident or an affair out q
the common run they must telephone
the fact to their papers. from wheno<
tho chief sends a. soon - possible one
Or two stan reporterA but IL the late
meas Of the hour or the gravity Of thu
event justifies such an initiative the
dtular Of the ''chiens creves" becomes
somebody. In this case. il he Il clever.
he can render his journal special service
BY avoiding . beat" and he viii b
well recompsnsed This is why. over u
the Cafe du Coz dor. consumers some
times hear . young man at q neighbor-
ing table shout gleefully to his com.
rades. "At last l have my first crimer'
and the comrades press his hand and
congratulate him warmly.
Perhaps he Is promoted to the dignity
Of "enqueteur." or interviewer. Now
he receives q retaining salary of $50 10
$50 . month and is paid extra for all
the lines he writes. 20 that he usually
earns $a5 to $50 weekly. He must give
his definite measure however, and show
II he really has the gift Of the profess
son, for after two or three failures he
would be thanked and have his head
cut of. OF the $50 reporters who each
year spring mp 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 q remarkable
power Of assimilation. Tho reporter
may know nothing, but he must Be
quick at understanding everything. It
is necessary that. aQuestion being given,
he should know in . few instants who
Is the person in Paris the most probable
to solve it He must 60 to see this per-
son or some one else equally informed,
and In 30 phrases Of an interview gather
a clear, net and precise resume Of the
responses to make. He must also have
the scent Of q detective and above all
love for his profession.
know Paris reporter who was sent
out 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-
htely 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 an 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 out the value of the letters trans
mitted by the Morse system by simply
hearing the ticktack Of the instrument
"Parbleu, that is only the infancy Of
business" answered the other well,
sir, I will give you louis every morn
ing If you will come and pass a quarter
OF an hour at the postofice.
The next day. at the 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 instrument be-
gan to tick the old man inscribed ON
sheet Of paper letters Of foreign words
he did not understand The reporter
read these words over his shoulder. He
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 sovereign's household, while, |
as for the royal guest and his grand /
they had the pleasure Of .
reading in the Paris Journal details con-
corning themselves long before their
papers arrived
When a reporter has in analogous cir
shown the resources Of his
mind, he generally obtains fixed salary
which assures him revenue independ-
ent OF the fuctuation Of actualities
He is, for instance, charged with rela-
tons with cabinet minister, reports
Of expositions, public reunions, etc. but
even in favorable conditions it is excep-
tional that he gains more than 5000 .
month. Moreover, the fatigue is such
md the nervous tension so constant that
the employment cannot be filed for
many years. This is the reason why
here are no old reporters in Paris, and
why those who are more than 40 years of
Age are pointed out with pride Long
'efore that age those who are able to
make their careers as journalists are
'lassed as ''articlierz They have
Ihown that they can do reporting other.
wise than with their legs, and then they
NOW the honor Of the first page and the ,
oys OF signatures am glad to add {
hat generally these ''articliers, what ,
'ver their rank or employment, preserve I
n their hearts good opinion Of these re-
'orters, and there IL local saying To 7
he effect that lone becomes a Journal. !
st; he is born a reporter. Paris Coz
New Orleans Picayune.
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