The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-05-05
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.
POSTAGE PREPAID.
A NEWSPAPER MANS TROUBLES.

WSPA MAN'S |
The assertion has been so often MADE |
that LAWYERS bv reason Of their profess
sional intercourse with people general
iy. have q clearer insight into human
character thar any other class OF men
that it has been accepted as q IhcI'
This is not true. The newspaper Hlah
can beat the lawyer ten to n IN thls
matter The lawyer may De the better
i1dee of character but he has not by
far the same opportunity OF seeing me
weak side Of mans nature-the person.
al pecuIiarities, the little vanities. TO
learn this a man must go into the news
paper business. The craving Of men TO
see their names in print is something
wonderful. a newspaper office is the
place of all others to study human ma
ture-tO get an insight into the Vanl-
ties of mankind and also into the lit
tleness. the picayuneishness o. the
average man. No where else in the
world do men show how small they are,
what selfish and cOnceited beings they
are.
Some wonderful developments occur
in newspaper offices, which if spread to
the world through the columns Of the
paper would astOnish the public ana
bring modification and shame to the
persons concerned. No class Of men
in the world have more secrets TO keep.
While papers are supposed to give the
news-to be faithful chroniclers Of ":ur-
rent events. hardly a day passes mat
the managing editor of every paper in
the country is not approached and told
of an occurrence and begged not to let
it reach the public. He is made the
oonfdant of scores of men who would
not come to him with their tales OF woe
but for the fact that he is a newspape"
man. They want his advice n above
all things they want his romis tfat
that little affair shall not get in the
paper"
Then there is the class of people VINO
do not know the difference betWeen a
printing press and the hell box. but
who insist on i~nstructing the business
managers and editors how to u their
paper. They know more about the
newspaper business than Greeley or
Dana ever learned in their life long eX-
>periences. These are the men most an
noying to the newspaper profession
Their advice is generally as nOnsenSlcai
as it is ~distasteful to the editor. 1t is:
Why do you not pitch into this or that?
You should denOunce such n such
matters. o investigate and find the
friend who has given You pointers for
a d"enunciatOry editorial has personal
interest in the matter which he wishes
the paper to make a fight upon. Then
there is the fellow who gets mad be-
cause the paper is not continually puff
ing him. A ~ewspa mans life is in
deed a hard one. He is expected to
please every body and generally has
the pleasure of being abused, no mat
ter what course he pursues. He has one
consolation. however: The public can
not get along without him. His
thoughts and opinions as put IN type,
are read and have their weight. let his
enemies abuse them or rldicule them
as UuCn as lucE PtSiSS- IL l4CSS l. a
power in this land and its influence Is
increasing each day As long al the
world lasts there Will be self-opinion-
ated. cOnceited men in every commun-
ity who set themselves up as the lead
ers of thought. as the only men o.
sense. who claim the right to find fault
with the conduct OF every other person
Of their acquaintance. This class OF
men are n worry and annoyance TO he
newspaper men until repeated rebuff:
finally convince them that the newspa
per will continue TO be published not
w~ithstanding their disapproval of it
course.
These are some of the many trial:
and tribulatiOns which beset the life o
a newspaper man.