The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-08-18
A SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM.

There will be many who will rec
ogrize in the establishment Of de-
partment of journalism at the Uni
versity of Columbia a long felt want
ed over newspaper English" who
have depIored the fact that an account
Of a runaway is seldom written in
style suggestive Of Addison, who have
sighed for a sheet, If not free from
scandals, at least free from slang and
grammatical errors. There will be
others, and these will include the old
time journalist. who will pooh pooh the
Idea of such a school, and who will
sharpen their wits on the graduated
journalist.
Since journalism has never before
been taught in college, whether it
can be taught remains to be seen. The
majority Of people will, doubtless, feel
grateful to Mr.. Joseph Pulitzer for
giving them an opportunity to witness
the experience. 1t is the faculty of the
school who will, undoubtedly. have, the
most difficult task to perform. If it
were possible to put the world between
the covers of a book and give it to the
student Of journalism to read. then the
work of the professors would be COM
paratively easy. Unfortunately, the
many inventions of. the day do not
include SO useful one and therefore
from the start the faculty will be hand
icapped.
For so intimately is journalism as
ISOLATED with every phase Of life, that
the neglecting of one phase means an
incomplete journalistic education. And
the journalist cannot learn the world
in any school; he can only learn a
few mems estimate of it. Life furnish
es the exceptions to all things learned
at school. A school Of journalism may
teach young man to take down ac-
curately the remarks of the prominent
politician, but will 1t teach him forti-
tude and a Christian spirit when he
reads in the next issue Of the paper a
bland denial, written over the poll
tician's name, Of everything he had
quoted? 1t may teach him to listen
with courteous interest to some fash
ionable woman's condemnation Of
newspaper publicity, but will it prepare
him for the cold stare with which she
prraotC him CTR Vrba
found that what she took three quarters
of an hour to explain has not been print
ed? 1t may teach him to write a vivid
report of some famous preachers SER
mon on Ethics but will it reconcile
him to the disi1lusioned feeling he
must experience when in a subsequent
interview the famous preacher tells
him with graceful wave of the hand,
20, put anything in the paper it's
never right. anyway
But if it cannot teach everything,
the school of Journalism will destroy
many institutions. It will mark the
passing, for instance, of the cub re-
porter, that youth who is now let Sc
yereIy alone by the staff and bullied by
the city editor; whose only occupa-
ton is, seemingly, to sit around and
soak in the atmosphere of the office.
Armed with diploma, even the new
est reporter must, henceforth, be treat
ed with respect. Inhabited by a body
Of graduates with immaculate linen
and tidy ways. the pastepot will doubt
less become shining example OF
cleanliness, the office towel will be
above reproach and the argot of the
streets will no LONGER be heard on the
row. But whether the new breed will
be able to get out what the city editor
would approve of as tive paper" re-
mains to be seen.
If Uncle Joe Cannon don't watch out
he will get too many rapid fire and not