The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1902-01-03
THREE NEwspApER woMEE.
while EunehfnE TOEefker They ne
late the Stories OF Their First
Assignments.


room In New York the other day.
They were al women who had done
big assignments. One had gone over
to report the coronation Of Queen
Wilhelmina- One had been a war cor
respondent in Cuba One, while work
ing in San Francisco, had been sent
on special missions TO Hawaii and the
Philippines, had worked on big yellow
journals, and probably each Of them
made more money than some college
presidents, says the Cleveland Leader
What was your first assignment"
the other two asked Of the yellOwesJ
Of the three.
THE first assignment I ever got
said she, twas to 60 to an opera house
and get names Of people on an Ooca-
sion Of social Importance. I stood
there the whole evening, snubbsd, sat
upon and sneered at, but getting
names, names, names-hundreds of
them-cOlumns more than any other
paper had the next morning. I think
was the prouder Of that job, the
hardest, meanest, POOrest-paid Of my
life, than Of any other ever did"
''WeIl, my first assignment" said
the second, "was to go into the dress
lng-room Of ball in a little one-hOrse
provincial town and get the wOmen's
gowns"
"And mine," said the third, was to
bring In lists Of personals for the Sun
day paper"
$50 we all began with society report
ing" said the coronation" reporter.
We've all been there before, many's
the time" hummed the war CORE
spOndent.
cit is a good training said the Phil
| ippine girl, oracularly, as she speared
sweet potato. ct gives you the first
requisite Of a good reporter, a wide
acquaintance. If a society editor has
tact and pleasant manners she viii
make lot Of friends. She will learn
/ to know all the different ooteries-
the swell set the staidly conventional
| set, the church set, the club set. She
VIII get invited up TO boudoirs for
long, confidential chats. She viii get
more scoops by sitting around than
/ by hustling-if she only sits in the
| right places. A clever, popular girl, cir
/ culating about among these people all
/ the time, viii turn in more scoops and
! tips for good stories in year than
any man on the staff. She may not be
/ able to get the stuff herself at first,
but she viii give the city editor
/ 'hunch' that viii nut him on"
The Holland girl poised some Pud-
/ ding on her spoon. Il remember"
she said, 'the first winter I was a So
| ciety editor. I turned in, among
/ other things, the first news Of the
wedding Of a college professor in our
/ town, in which, at the last moment,
/ the bridegroom was missing; the
| elOpement and subsequent disinherit-
/ ance Of the daughter of one Of our
wealthiest men; the determination Of
a young white girl of good social
| standing to marry an Indian gradu-
ate from Carlisle, and the frantic eff
/ forts Of her family to Illustrate her
( purpose; and the breaking Of her
vows and return TO her home of a
woman who had been Roman Cath
/ Ole nun for ten years"
"GraciOus, what grist," exclaimed
/ the war correspondent.
81 recOllect," she continued, "the
/ first time was sent to report any
/ thing but society. 1t was the annual
meeting Of q fashionable charity or
| ganizatiOn. In the course Of the pro-
| ceedings a cOrhng story of past
trouble came to light. The reporter
/ from the rival paper and myself were
/ both requested not to use the mat
ter, and both promised The next
morning the story appeared in the
/ other paper, played up as a special
/ feature. Ny paper had not a line.
| The city editor gave me a dressing
/ down that would make your hair
curl, and after I got home I cried.
| But the president Of that charity was
a woman Of wealth and influence.
/ She wrote both me and the ProPrie-
! tor Of the paper a note of thanks and
| it didn't do me any harm for him to
| get it. Then she spoke to the rest
OF the women, and all that winter
they telePhoned me news whenever
they had It; and they were so sorry
but they never knew anything when
the other girl was around. Even
long afterward they would remem-
Der 1t and give me q tip ahead Of any
one else. They furnished me more
than one good story to make up for
the one I lost"
'sThat president was a pretty good
sort; aren't many Of her kind" said
the Holland girl
'fNO, but it always pays in the long
run to keep your World I learned
afterward, though, to be very care
fuI about giving It and TO refer them
to the management when they want
ed TO suppress an item"
Then they paid their respective
bills and made their way up Park
Row.