The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-01

piece of news has when compared with
another piece of news that comes in Mt
the same time This faculty of know
ing what news is, and of weigh
ing its relative value and importance
is closely allied to another equally neces-
sary, namely, the faculty of seeing
where q good piece of news may no dur
out and brought to the surface RIGHT
in the nick of time, when it is most
interesting and valuable. | am inclined
to think that this gift of newS-huntiuc
is born with some men, and that they
make the best journalists in the ropor-
torial and editorial sense. And if This
grit is not Il part of the young mans
natural equipment, if he does not have
the keen and all-alive sympathy with
the events of the day, as they present
themselves every morning and evening.
then | advised him to try some Other oc.
cupation; for / doubt if the gift is ever
acquired by any amount of industry.
when the man is not naturally built
that way.
1t requires Il very broad and compro-
hensive mental taste to be an efficient
member of a staff of newspaper writer's
Men whose minds naturally tend to some
one line of thought should avoid the
newspaper field, because Il newspaper
is Kaleidoscope, in which the topics
to be written about are changing every
day. To-day war is the foremost topic,
next week the Klondike will be at the
front again, and a little later it may be
that yachting or baseball will be the
all-absorbing theme. Suddenly, in the
fall, the scenes will shift, and politics
will be the staple news of the day.
Hence it follows that Il newspaper
writer who aims to rise to any of the
higher editorial positions must have q
wide range, not only of information, but
of sympathy. He must be able to know
something of the great many things
rather than to know any one thing pro
foundly. He must be able to switch his
train of thought from one track TO
another suddenly, and to throw his pen
with something like equal intelligence
and spirit upon half dozen different
subjects within the same week. 1t fol-
lows. therefore. that success as writer
for the daily press will be greatly helped
by wide rather than deep reading. /
do not mean by this to say that the
writing Journalist should know "a lit
tie OF everything and nothing much"
and thoroughly informed on the one
topic only--say on politics, for example
he will never achieve success as an all
| round newspaper man.
/ think no young man contemplating
career as Il reporter and editor win
make any mistake in laying founda-
ton by Il course of reading which win
acquaint him, first with the history of
his own State and city; thirdly, with
the history of England, and fourthly,
with general knowledge of theqpres-
ent condition of the leading European
nations, enough to enable him to feel
that he is informed correctly as to their
relative population, wealth and re-
sources, and the general drift of their
present policies in relation to other
countries, and particularly in relation TO
our own. Twelve months of close read
ing. giving to it from three to four
hours Il day, making notes of the main
points as he goes, will be well given
to this preparatory work.
This is scientific age. and he should
study the popular sciences sufficiently
to enable him to write an intelligent, ac-
count of new electrical machine,E or Il
new locomotive. If he aims to become
an editorial writer, then all knowledge
is his proper province, and he should
never consider his education finished,
but should read omnivorously 1t is
! true of newspaper writing as of every
thing else that what a man does not