Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1912-09-06
CHAPTER I.
The City Editors Assignment.

- FIX PALMER-You VIII start for tho
I'M south tomorrow and write Sc
HV ries of letters on the educational
III and social conditions existing In
- that section. Avoid the cities and
beaten tracks and let your pic
lures be drawn from life. This will be an
order on the business office for what mon
ey you may need.
Such were the orders l found one
morning on my desk In the city edi-
tors room OF well known Boston
newspaper. or the labor involved In
such an assignment l was ignorant.
and saw only a pleasant trip in that
part OF my country In which ! had
never Travelled. had been employed
on the paper for comparatively short
time-in fact, had been In Journalism
for period OF less than two years
90 that such an assignment as the one
now given me was highly Gathering TO
me, and | knew II would be equally
gratifying to my father, who had
watched my career with that interest
which attaches solely to an only son.
4 had not been out OF Harvard very
long when | had taken the advice Of
an eminent literary man. a friend OF
my father, and entered Journalism as
q first stepping stone to literary dis
tinction. The few short stories | had
written, however. had been returned
to me by the magazines to which had
sent them with promptness that was
calculated to dampen my ardor and
otherwise to discourage me. had been
he'd to believe that my style was excep-
tIonally good and that was not with.
out keen sense Of humor, at the same
dine possessing a proper appreciation
OF the pathetic.
had taken a prize at the high
school for an essay, and later. when
my talents began to develop ut the uni
versity. ] was elected to ill place on
the editorial staff of one OF the month
ly periodicals published there. ] was
chagrined. therefore. when my manu-
scripts. written egibly on ine linen
paper. tied with the best silk ribbon
60 be had. came back to me- began
90 form very poor opinion OF our
magazines. Possessing an independ.
ent fortune. ! determined to publish
my writings In book form at my own
expense. took my manuscripts to a
publisher. Who honest man that he
was. was kind enough to tell me that
people did not think much of books
published az the authors own expense.
Determined at length to get a proper
estimate OF my work. ! sought out an
old friend of the family who had
achieved fame by his pen He review
ed my stories and in a ruthless sort OF
way, as II seemed 20 me then. told me
that some ut my IDEAS were good. but
expressed clumsiiy Tie advised me
70 cease nil attempts at literary com.
position and 10 seek place on news
paper. w riiing must become a habit
with you. he said. before you can
hope To express yUnr thoughts grace
fully What you need most IL ease.
and II yOh can avoid the pitfalls OF
Journalism you UAy in time succeed IN
your amblinn. Il took me just an
other six months 30 make mp my mind
60 follow bi- advice. and when did
so IL was with some degree OF humila
ton that J discovered that there WIS
not reporter on tue paper who did
not write better than l. Constant ap
plication in my new undertaking. how
ever. and the hard work | had done az
the university Soon brought me my re-
ward. | WAS being singled ont con
Stantly fsF imuJrtant local assign