The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-09

are things like trade secrets" to be
learned by the apprentices and not be-
longing to general knowledge which oc-
cupy a considerable amount Of time.
The routine of newspaper work. or he
other hand, is simply the stringing to-
gether Of sentences so as to MAKE clear
the writer's meaning The ability To
do this is very widely possessed. and
its possession alone does not 1T a man
for newspaper work. The important
matter is not the ability to write. but
the ability to write things worth writ
ing and reading
is not news vending, useful as that Is,
but leadership a mar T. be success
full Is ne will ultimately esteem sue
cess must cultivate the attributes Of
leader. He must understand the
worlds affairs and problems somewha
better than those who follow. He must
have looked over the paths which the
generations of men have passed along
He must have been q spectator Of their
blunders. so that he may tell his read
ers how to avoid repeating old mis-
takes, and he must have shared those
triumphs of the past whose records are
our best inspiration and encourage
ment in the face of reverses and de-
feats. The whole range of history. BIZ
Ography and human philosophy IS the
wide field in which newspaper man
should prepare himself. He should not
be content with reading the occur
rences of today He must first find
time for the yesterdays There is dam
ger of giving too much attention 70
passing events and reading too mucn
tcllrreut literature Most Of the time
thus spent is wasted-worse than vast
ed Get back to the beginning OF
things. Until man mas traced the
stream of human experience and en-
deavor with more or less care from the
clouded spring in which it takes its
rise down to the spot at which ne
stands and has from some high place
caught a glimpse of the direcuon IN
which its further course lies ne must
he set down as but a poorly qualified
guide.
news side of the business / have IN
tentionally left this out Of my remarks
because there is not space in which to
cover the whole question. and it has
seemed better to deal with the moro
important The news instinct as II -
sometimes called. is simply the gossip
ing OF story telling ability in man
man is useful on the news stan OF q
newspaper according as he knows What
will entertain and interest the papers
readers and can write it so as to effect
that end Some men have the news In
stinct and some have it not. but the
end in view is always the one thing
the entertaining of the buyers Of the
papers news. Very few men are con-
tent with success as news men, II.
however. that be mans ambition. ne
can take no better course than the one
which the editorial chair also requires.
Many examples of the fact could be
cited to show that the best editorial
men are also the best news men on
their papers
The entrance to the newspaper field
is commonly through the news staff.
This will be more and more the case in
the future. 1t is work often OF a very
exhausting and not in its first years of
a we'll paid kind But newspaper work,
however trying its apprenticeship, has
its compensations. which make up for
its shortcomings We have all in COM
mon a desire to write or speak what we
hope viii impress our ideas on our fell
lows Newspaper work enables us to
crafty this impulse. Like all the teach
ing professions, it is not as we'll paid as
industrial pursuits. But to this we can
add that any young man in whose mind
this fact weighs very heavily at the
threshold of his career is not likely to be
successful in any but a commercial life.
Newspaper work is one of the most
fascinating occupations in the world,
and to a public spirited mind its op-
portunities of service and influence are
not to be weighed in the balance with
any other considerations. In a word, a
newspaper mans ideal viii represent a
union of fanaticism and philosophy
having the fire of the one and the men
tai poise of the other, with radicalism
enough to take the initiative upon 0cca-
sion and with patience to withstand dis
courag ement.-J. E. Atkinson in Var
sity-