The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-13
STORIES OF S. R.
Trials of Society Reporter
In Topeka.
Entertaining Paper by Miss
Florence tombstone.
NOT ALL SUNSHINE.
She Has Her Trials Just Like
Other People.
People With Whom She Deals
Nj lxr-o-e Dooc0n0 h1o
NOT ALL SUNSHINE.
People With Whom She Deals
Not Always Reasonable.

The public knows but little of the
trials and experiences of the newspaper
reporter In a paper by Miss Florence
tombstone, society reporter on the State
Journal, read before the class in jour-
nalism at K. u, the curtain was lifted
Herewith is her story:
The young Princess to whom the idea
has occurred that she might by any
possibility of a mischance fail to meet
the Prince sometimes talks about what
she would do if she ever had to earn
her own living and nine times out of
ten the career of a society reporter ap-
peals to her. Newspaper women are
now considered almost respectable as
school teachers and size has a. mistaken
belief that all the society reporter has
to do is gossip, loaf and go every place
she can get in. OF course the Princess
believes that With her exalted social
position the work would be easy. Every
body would be delighted to tell her
news and life would be simply one
grand sweet song.
The real society reporter however,
can tell different story and the Young
Person who mistakes this vague pre-
objection for what she would probably
describe as Journalistic ambitions
need only follow the real S. r. around
for one day in order to be sadly dis
illusioned. There is nothing to the
theory that society reporting Is a kind
of play for which a girl draws a gen.
respects decidedly disagreeable and is
to be sought, as any S. R. of practical
experience will tell you, only by these
who must work and haven't sense
enough to do anything better, or by
thise with an ambition which they think
it will help them to realize. Society
reporting as end and aim would be
a dreary occupation. Society reporting
as a means to an end may become en-
durable. 1t requires no exceptional tall
ents and the most essential qualification
is a thick skin. This may be acquired
if one has a constitution strong enough
to endure the Ihickening process but, If
it is merely a question of bread and
butter, what's the use when any mod
erately bright girl can learn TO wait
on the table and the Harvey system
of eating houses furnishes a constant
demand for that sort of talent?
The possible future S. r.. S who are in
this class room, however, are of a diff
ferent order than the princess afore-
mentioned. They know more about the
sacrifices and the demands of newspa-
per work than she they have fewer IL
lusions concerning it and more serious
intentions regarding it, To begin with |
they understand that the S. r. is with /
out honor in her own profession and is
in her official capacity regarded with |
the city room.
Begin at the Bottom.
No one who reagrded the newspaper pro- !
fession with sufficient respect to make |
a special preparation Tor II as you are I
doing would seriously expect to be an
S. R. for any great length of time or
consider the position anything like a |
reasonable realization of ones ambi- |
tions. But in newspaper work, as in
everything else, a beginner must take
what he can get and that is often moth /
ing better than society reporting In /
the case of a young woman this is al
most certain to be the kind of news
paper work at which she is tried out
and frequently it is the work at which /
she continues for many years. There
fore it is we'll for her to know some
thing about the duties, the problems and
the rewards incidental to the position
of the S. r. Time was, a few years
ago, before women were engaged in
newspaper work to any great extent
when the society reporter was fire.
quently a man. Nowadays, however,
this class of work is almost always in
charge OF a woman ana usually OF
course a young one, for the successful
S. r. graduates to a higher newspape
position or escapes, from her ignomtny
and bondage, by the matrimonial route
They say that Cholly Knickerbocker,
who writes society news for the New
York American, is really a man and
some of the writer's for society week
lies which make speciality of person
men. There are many girls and women
who report He items with success
but there is rarely man who makes
a good society reporter. This might be
because the problems which the posi-
ton presents are too subtle for the
more direct masculine intelligence but
the more likely reason is that a man
finds it impossible to take any real in
terest in such work or to regard him.
self with serious respect while he is
doing II. The society editor may be
parsonage on the staff of a
may have held her position
for number of years, be treated with
general respect and consideration by
her fellow workers and receive a gem
erous salary, but you may be sure that
even the cub reporter wouldn't exchange
places with her. Tt occasionally hap
pens, perhaps, in the absence of anoth-
er substitute. that the cub would have
to do her work but he hates it cor
daily. And. really who can wonderl
The work does seem inappropriate for
a big, strong young chap and the man
who could take it seriously enough to
do il we'll must be a Perfect Lady and
& regular devil at tatting.
Experience at X. U.
a few years ago a girl who wanted
to get into newspaper work came to
this university ard consulted Chancel- J
or Snow about the scholastic prepara- s
non for the profession to which she
sspired. There was then no school of
journalism here and but one or two coll
eges in the country had established &
such department. Chancellor Snow '
LGPANR