University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-01-13
WORKING ON
NEW YORK. SUN

the newspaper world over a.
the paper int" Il hlazin" ~hraf and sends
il forth j. the pivot of the sun shop
Not many wears age. Il new reporter
enc "i the men who CANE, tu the. SUI
with Il reputation in his home town. sat
in the office with his head in hi- hand-
!" hlm came an alumnu~. Il think that
man Clarke hates me. and | know
hat" him. said the new reporter You
do. said the aumnlI~ and Won will
After that. you'll love him the rest of
your life. Clarke ha> been there al.
most ever since Dana took over the pa
per. The sun believes. and with some
grounds. that he has had greater inilu-
rncr upon American letters than any
other man of his time.
Clarke has been called the greatest
ii'in" >ch""lma~tcr nf newspaper men.
1t has always been his province To ed
ucatr the cub reporters. The raw re
cruit. fresh from college and i'm that
painful period "f uncertainty fniIowin"
his plunge into the world. lives for six
months in terror "t the assignments ut =
tcrly foolish {" him. 10y which Boss
Clarke tries him out +" find whet her
tn" boy has steel and gri, in him. and
whether he tells the truth.
When the cub returns and reports
from one al these wild .nn>r cha~r>
tlarkr questions him and comments mp
on the situation in about two ironical
sentences. better and more alnrlimg
than a whole college lecture ON journal
ism. Eventually. fnllnwin" one of these
wild goose cha>c>. the cub ~tumIlrS up
on his first chance When he has turn
rd in his copy Boss Clarke "ivr- it u
touch here and a Tightening" there unit
II l. Il real story. with the individuality
all left in and the yolln"nr>~ all cu,
ont His cherished half column. IL hr
reads il in bed nr\t morning. j. To the
cub reporter whole treatise on Jour
nali>tic style.
y"um"-tcr. sill in tl" kindergarten
writes story which sets all New York
taIkim" ami brings the office about him
with c"n"ratula1i"n
lie never hears about it from Boss
Clarke. On" old reporter on the sun
remembers that Clarke praised hi> work
ri-r "ur" and that wa~ an accident.
III" Reporter WAS rippin" "ui late >to-
~ III top speed and Clarke wa- taking
away th" copy sheet by sheet. A~ he
picked mp the last sheet hr read il
where h" stood. and he one word.
Fine escaped him. Then. IL though
h" had made Il great slip. hr hurried
back t" his work
Jones. said Clarke I" Il cub reporter
one evening. there j. II" such word
IA tot in our diet tionary. and some au
tnm"bilc- are not large red touring
cars
Th" cub retired blu-hin"
A blame fine story he wrote NUT
tered Clark" I" his assistant.
by one sign. however. the sun man
comes I" know ii he la~ written Il Sto-
~ which plra-,~ the boss. The prrc~-
! invariablr. lIavim" read il over and
inserted those touches by which he i'm
proves rvcry1hin" which PASSES through
his hands and that without impairin"
i- flavor Clark takes his nther pen
eli from over his ear. lays aside his pip"
AMI puts on il head which is itcra /
iurr. In the ironr. subtly humorous.
''"ndrn-cd expression sun heads. he Sun
reader may recognize Boss Clarke. .
som" "f them have grown into office
traditions. There was the ease of lIOr
gan and Slattcry. contractors. accused
pi dallyin" with the city funds and "f
1urnin" over their property To their
wives. "Wc'rc Broke. Says II"rgan.
sure. says >lallpfN. lbUt 'Nlf w ives
Are Doin" Fine ran the head Again.
Whale Rams Whalrr Rams 1t and
Iam- II and Dies Il Free Whale" He
ra> il'" true burlr~um touch in hi
inc he wrote for the New York World
some ri our best journalistic sat ire |
,rInrmlrr this shy at Swinbllrnc in n
'"rrnt head: I'll Tell tn. Papers.
says Irltncr. SAYS lie" Will G."
Down L" Them. | and None Otl her Tell
4 and Sell ii They'll Buy 1, OT Me.
Ir shines in little heads for small and
,mc"n-hlrrcd stories. Once when the
Simple Life" wa- brin" hawkrd
hr"u"h the street at ten cents Il copy.
IN boys were arrested for >tralin" five
opir- thereof. The story ah"nt it was
formal thing. only paragraph long.
M il wa- headed 'Trmpird Beyond ;
Their Strength" In these heads | make ,
!" doubt Clarke shoots the gull he
wrrn journalism and literature: he .
wccn the >trinciny together "i care I