The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1895-12-14
A REAL JOURNALIST.
LIKE THE POET NE IS BORN NOT
MANUFACTURED.

No Set Rules u Govern His Ptctarssese
Career, Vet He IL the Man Who Controls
the worid-C .pseities Required TO Oh
taia . Place In Journalism.
Can journalism be learned by rules'
This question AS to whether journalism
can ever become normal career. Ike
other recognized careers, has always
haunted and even. may say. besieged
me. And indeed il would be strange II
this were not the case For the knowl-
edge requisite to make q pair Of boots'
or q hat. or u pair OF gloves may be
taught according 10 established primer
Piles and fixed rules; by dissection VI
the dead human body may be discover
ed the laws Of medicine and the best
methods of curing the living lawyer
may learn in the schools the modes Oh
procedure and exact precedents OF his
profession /, the art Of war, Its rules ana
precep,s-indeed Throughout the entire
list Of human professions there Is Tor
each special series of laws and cuidi'
tions by knowledge Of which he who
enters as all uppientice may 81 out by
slow degrees Of advancement, master
But in journalism alone among pro
fessiuns this is not the case III THIS
career there Is no body of doctrlne, no
series Of fixed rules, apparently NO ps
sible method II instruction
Nowhere has there been an attempt
10 establish such laws, nowhere has
there as yet been u school Tor journal
list apprentices, where they might learn
precise rules for their profession or Oh
tain u recognized basis u preliminary
and indispensable know hedge, and yet
journalism governs the world and /, 10
coming daily more and more inhnen'
tial power The problem Is really pse-s-
ing. and even because u It's very difn-
Guilty fascinating 10 the mind.
Men " no cannot make up their minds
to follow another ) lead along path To
be traced slowly, step by step, often
leave the slower and mere reeula pro
fessiOns To enter journalism, much as
formerly mercenartes engaged Them
selves To this and that foreign army,
quite willing 20 light al random IN tho
inorrow against an enemy 1huae very
existence the night b.fure wa. unknown
to them Once become journalists, they
change their new paper as formerly they
changed their profession nr career
They jump from grave 10 CAV, from
the political journal Co the barnAl u
satire. They berumo n, wall reporters,
chruniclers, art critics. literary review
ers, not seeking IN any way 10 study the
course Of events. the drift 4 the times.
bu,, On the ether hand. ntting all con
Temporary idea. aud events To- the ui-a.-
ure Of their own personal temperament,
50 that an event or problem thus treated
according "a the fancy II journalist,
appear, ,ragical n comic. without any
SOFT Of rrg ,d for It's real character In
stead of describing it ~ It -. establish I.
ing tho principle which II illustrates,
they scatter abroad confusion and rrn.
ducs IN tho pGhlic mind i condition .
Of uncertain Kaleidoscope rc!sctiri.m .
which Is the ncgatinn q all really aa
thoIitativ. opinion and the destroyer q
all conviction
To obtain y place in journalism an
entire series u capacities Is repaired all .
to b. summed up, bat not defined IN
the siuSi. word talent, The absolutely
ignorant. men without Imagination,
without inteIlhsrncr. without tho gn
of assimilation. without lrs mo Adj. /.
audacity and gayptv. cunrut obtain a
place. cannot succeed IN journalism
tn. man who would enter Il school Il 4
journalism should feel positive "cnll /
to this vocation. should have tn hlm III. .
unwsarying vigilance which Ia an ahso- .
lutte condition 81 IL, tho luva e danger .
--uf civil danger. that ts--and rrn p..ril. (
a buund!esS curiosity aud luyc fYr truth. I
and special md marked facility of
rapid assinl lation and comprehension. .
Take a young man posSsSsiu < tn. first /
scholarly diplomas IN his country II
he enjoys good health. II hs has tho /
free use u all hts bodily fArulties II
he sees and hsars accurately and know.
how 10 express quickly what he hears
and secs, then. Il h" wishes to hr ,1ar
nalist. take him In hand. undertake. his
education, give him that general equip
ment fitted Tor the vartou. form. q hat
tle which such career implies, and u
you do not make 4 grrat lourualts, q
him you will at all events. make ono
who can easily stand Comparison with
any, even the most authoritative mod
uct Of tho utterly dlsorganisrd journal
ism OF today. But you will do more
than this Y"a will have created a TIVE.
ono Of sperill class. nuw isolated and
rare. but soon 10 increase and mul,tuly
tho type Il the journalist
standing head aud shoulders above the
common stream ~ eontemporarv iour
na!ists. In other Professions those who
Issue from special school, with \ st,s
,Iai training. are model for those less
favored by fortune. They prereds and
guide the latter, and. with tho rarsSt
exceptions, always maintain their lead
80 It must be- IN journalism wheuqyer
IN any country a national school ~ iour.
na!ism shall have been created NJ Do
BlowitA