The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-24
The Average Newspaper Man
Has Little Opportunity to Pass
Thanksgiving As Most of His
Fellow Men Win
RESTAURANT OR HOTEL
MUST GIVE HIM TURKEY
To Him Whose Home is Not in the
City Where He Works There is
No Family Reunion and Eating
of Mothers Cooking-Thank-
full For Life, Health and Work

Thanksgiving Day does not appeal to
the ordinary newspaper man as a sea-
son when he has any particular cause
for rejoicing. He may, of course, ex-
perience the sentiment of the day in its
truest sense; IN other words, be thank
full that he has held his place and man
aged to exist in comparative comfort,
but the good times commonly associat-
ed with the day,-the gathering OF
families and the reunion of home ties
which form such a part in the
sentiment of the day,-are omitted in
large part from the Thanksgiving of
the scribe.
If a mans home happens to be in the
city in which he is employed, all well
and good, but if, on the other hand,
as happens in a great majority of
cases. he is located many miles from
home, he is liable to experience a feel
ing of there being something lacking
as he listens to the plans of his more
fortunate associates.
Men who work on afternoon papers
secure a holiday under ordinary con-
ditions and have a better opportunity
of spending the day to advantage, but
even then the chances are more thar
even that they try to imagine a
LAAo4lAo6lNl ing dlilIlcI dl IGSldul dlll VI
hotel is the real thing, but there Is
something lacking that cannot be sup
piled. THE pies that mother used to
make" may be a trihe hackneyed as
an expression, but to the man who has
experienced the advantages of a good
home, no matter how humble, and in
later life has gone up against the
pleasures of boarding house or hotel
diet, the expression comes back with
special force at the Thanksgiving sea-
son.
To the ordinary individual Thanks
giving means going home for a sort of
family reunion, a dinner with the pro-
verbal turkey stuffed with savory
dressing and all the other things which
appeal so strongly to the inner man.
The delightful sense of fullness to
which a person is subjected Is proba-
bly, replaced by an appetite of consid-
cradle proportions during the after
noon as one watches a game of foot
ball or some other equally interesting
sport. The day possibly ends with the
theatre or pleasant social gathering,
and next day the man or woman goes
back to work with a feeling that tie
day has been well spent.
Persons unacquainted with newspa-
per work are apt to incline to the be-
lief that the life of a reporter is one
round of unalloyed pleasure. He new
er seems to have anything in partic-
ular to. do aside from being around
where his assignments may take him
and apparently enjoying himself.
There is. however, another side. His
work on the street is only one part
of the game. At the end of an even
ing on the street he puts in several
hours getting the stuff he has collect
ed in shape for presentation to the
public.
When Thanksgiving Day comes
around there is more trading of days
off" than at any other time in the
year. Men who live in town, if phil
anthropically inclined, are willing to
change with men who may be within
reach of their homes by having a day
to themselves. The same thing may be
applied to the men who live so far
away that they are unable to reach
their homes.
Thanksgiving eve is ordinarily
busy night for reporters. Social gath
erings of all sorts come in considerable
numbers, and with the regular duties
there is reason for signs of relief when
the night is over. The day following is
not what may be imagined. The man
who finishes his work at 2 o'clock in
the morning and is then informed that
ne is expected to cover a Thanksgiving
service at an early hour, or morning
football game, as the case may be, is
apt to incline to the belief that he
would be just as thankful for other
things.
There is, of course, bright side. A
newspaper man is, in great majority
of cases, pretty decent sort Of a
fellow, one who will go out of his way
at any and all times to help his fell
lows and although, night is turned
into day for them, newspaper work.
ers are credited with having the abil-
ity to enjoy themselves on occasion.
Anyhow, hard luck stories are sup
posed to be barred during working
hours, and all the boys will try to be
as thankful as they can during the
Thanksgiving season.