The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-03-13
Printers, Editors and Reporters.

DR.. Talmage, speaking of the country
newspaper, says "a newspaper whose
columns overflow with advertisements of
business men has more influence in attract
ing attention to the building up of city
or town than any other agency that can be
employed People go where there is bust
ness. Capital and labor will locate where
there is an enterprising community. No
power on earth is so strong to build up
town as newspaper well patronized, and
its power should be appreciated y
In the Reporter Nose-gay column of
the Philadelphia Record is the following
interesting history of an old printer.
Sixty-fve years ago Hiram Lukens en-
tered the Intelligencer Office, at Doyles
town, Pa, to learn printing, and he is
there yet, setting type as fast as anybody
around the place His record of contin-
uous service with one establishment is prob
ably unequaled in the business Several
times the management has changed but he
has never left his case Three sets of
floor boards have worn away under his feet
in that long time, and 130 pairs Of thick
soled boots have been put on the retired
list. For over 10, 500 working days his
eyes have been trained on the type, but
still his vision is unimpaired and he handles
the smallest size with ease. 1t is quite
fair to estimate that he has set and dis
tributed an average of 5000 ems of type
day, or a total in 65 years of 156, ,00O,-
900 ems. This is equal to 28. 888 col
umns of common type-enough for all the
reading matter in the Record for over
year and half. Besides attending to
ordinary duties he has trained at least $50
apprentices, but not one of the lot could
ever show show as clean a proof as be. Very
few of them approached him in point of
rapid composition.
hate to see bright young man enter
the newspaper business if he can ind any,
thing else to do The calling of report
er has its allurements, but they are over
balanced by its demands on him. To be
a successful reporter man must be made
of iron-he must have a constitution tough
as sole leather, heart of steel and brain
in every part of his anatomy. He must
expect an uphill fight always, and must
be strong He must devote himself to
labor, to application and to persistence.
Journalism is the hardest life young
man can lead, and always staring him in
the face is the knowledge that the prizes
are few. To be the editor of metropol-
itan daily is an achievement compared
with which going to the United States
Senate or being Governor of State is
child play.
[ know smart men who have been re-
porters for forty or fifty years and will re-
main such till they die. IF they had Civ
en- the same amount of application and at
tention to almost any other business they
might now be independent The average
reporter writes his life away making the
reputation of his paper. In ilnpersonal
journalism he is never heard of outside the
Office; in personal journalism he becomes
an Ishmaelite. The world is against the
reporter and he is against the world, in
that he is constantly fighting to get what
the world does not want him to have
news
The day is coming when some bright
man will write history of The Faithful,
and they will be the newspaper reporters.
1t has ever been a wonder to me that
reporters are so faithful to their employers.
[ never knew reporter to betray trust.
Out all day. out all night; ordered hither
and thither, in rain, blizzard, fog and ice;
filling up on ''beef and one meal at
Delmonico 5, the next at divers s; to-day
reporting sermon, tomorrow running
down murderer; in the afternoon inter-
viewing President, in the evening writ
up a fire, dancing at the Waldorf and
indentifying corpse at the Morgue-these
and thousand other things call him to
duty, and he is always there, ready to do
his best for his paper.