The San Francisco call., 1904-03-29

BERKELEY. March 2S.-Hammond
Lamont. managing editor of the New
York Evening Post, is coming to the
next summer session at the University
OF California TO teach something OF
journalism and English Since his
graduation from Harvard in 1886 MIR
Lamont has been sometimes an editor
and sometimes a college professor, and
these experiences seem to have quail
fed him TO write a most interesting ac-
count of his views upon the curriculum
for the school of Journalism at Colum
bia University, for the founding of
which $1,000, 900 was recently given by
Joseph Pulitzer, proprietor Of the New
York World. These views appeared in
a late number of the Educational Re
view, of which Nicholas Murray But
Ter, president of Columbia University
is the editor. under the title, The Cur
riculum of the School Of Journalism"
Mr.. Lamont is thoroughly practical
in his treatment of this subject. He
would have journalism taught, not
from the point of view Of the college
professor or the theorist but from the
point of view of journalism. There
must be a scientific and a Practical
side to the curriculum. with stress laid
intelligently on the practical side of 1t
less red tape and hideboundness. Even
the reader" on the college professors
staff must retire and give way TO the
copy reader" Of the big city daily If
there is any real success TO come out
of this bold venture Of Mr.. Pulitzer.
AN UNKNOWN SEA.
In the men Of Columbia setting sail
in this new craft Mr.. Lamont sees i
crew of navigators setting out TO cross
an unknown sea. They must be eau
tious at first. he says. because there is
no precedent to guide them. A few
years of actual experiment is likely TO
discover that the whole thing demands
changing.
The north star of this voyage into
uncertain seas, Mr. Lamont points out
is the daily newspaper. The curricu-
lum must be suggested from it's point
of view. And taking this into account
the school must deal with two things
the science Of journalism and the art
or practice of Journalism.
The science of journalism will in
clude knowledge of every language.
science and philosophy-there is really
no definite body of learning to be mas
tered. The journalist must take all
knowledge as his province But GER
tain studies are really necessary, such
as the modern languages, history, gov
eminent, Jurisprudence. diplomacy,
sociology. finance, statistics, ethics.
psychology, and art. In these studies
the school will have no advantage over
the college except that il may empha-
size, group and strengthen them.
But Columbia intends other studies,
not taught in colleges but belonging
strictly to journalism, to be added TO
this scientific course. These are the
law and ethics of journalism. newspa-
per administration, manufactures and
history of the press.
PURPOSES OF SCHOOL.
ITO sum up" Mr. Lamont saws, "in
the science of journalism the school will
offer but little more than our best col
leges may; and that little-if we ex-
ccpt the law and the ethics-is of minor
Importance. But ii viii gain from hav-
ing its course designed for a particular
end, Systematically developed and 80
plainly marked out that wayfaring
students, though fools, shall not err
therein"
In the practice school it is assumed
that the art of writing accurate and
readable reports of all public affairs
that do not demand the time and at
tention of innocent third parties. will
be taught. Here special instructors
will be required because, the writer
says, few teachers have been ground
through the mill of a newspaper office
and are fully prepared TO conduct
classes in reporting" Besides, the in
struction must be of a kind that will
make more of a student than a mere
reporter of sermons and lectures. And
as matter Of fact there is some in
structiOn that can never be obtained
except through experience. Here Mr.
Lamont says:
The banker, the railway president
and the politician-even Chauncey M
Depew, whose heart overfiows with
kindness to newspaper men-would not
waste a minute in assisting mere stu
dents of journalism to develop the
nose for news
$50, if the faculty must confine the
students to public occasions and can
contrive no plan for advanced work,
the school of journalism in this re-
spect will have no advance over the
college"
VALUE is LITTLE.
In commenting upon London
school Of journalism that maintains a