The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-04-19
CHAPTER |,
The City Editor's AssAennen

W III FM south tomorrow and write se- HNEA ries of letters the educational III M and social conditions existing in @ that section. Avoid the cities and
 beaten tracks and let your pie tures be drawn from life This win be an order on the business office for what nnon- ey you may need.
 Such were the orders [ found one morning on my desk in the city edi- tors room of a well known Boston newspaper. Of the labor involved in such an assignment I was ignorant, and I saw only pleasant trip in that part of my country in which I had never travelled. I had been employed on the paper for comparatively short tlme-in fact, l had been in Journalism for a period of less than two years so that such an assignment as the one now given me was highly fattering to me, and I knew it would be equally gratifying to my father. who had watched my career with that interest which attaches solely to an only son. l had not been out of Harvard very long when 1 had taken the advice of an eminent literary man, a friend of my father. and entered journalism as a first stepping stone to literary dis tinction- The few short stories I 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 led to believe that my style was eXcep- tionally good and that I was not with out keen sense of humor, at the same time 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 at the uni versity, was elected to fill a place on the editorial staff of one of the month ly periodicals published there. I was chagrined. therefore, when my manu- scripts, written legibly on fine linen paper, tied with the best silk ribbon to be had. came back to me. I began to form a very poor opinion of our magazines Possessing an independ- ent fortune, I determined to publish my writings in book form at my own expense. I 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 at the authors own expense. Determined at length to get a. proper estimate of my work, I 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 it seemed to me then, told me that some of my ideas were good, but expressed clumsfly. He advised me to cease all attempts at literary com position and to seek place on news paper Writing must become a habit with you" he said, before you can hope to express your thoughts grace fully. What you need most is ease, and if you can avoid the pitfalls of Journalism you mayein time succeed in your ambition" It took me just an- other six months to make up my mind to follow his advice, and when I did so it was with some degree of humiha- ton that 1 discovered that there was not a reporter on the paper who did not write better than l. Constant ap- TIIication in my new undertaking, how ever, and the hard work I had done at the university soon brought me my re- ward. I was being singled out con- EtantIy for important local assign nents, and once 1 had been sent to Washington on delicate mission
 picked up again the order Which lay on my desk and read it over the Eecond time. 1 thought l saw the ear marks of politics in it. and, while the racial question was not mentioned. believe that it was this problem l was 10 discuss. ] had made a suggestion on H1is line some months before. but the managing editor had not taken kindly to the idea at the time. The order as read it over seemed indefinite. l thought. and l started with it to the managing editors room. As I present ad myself before that austere little rripple-physical. but not mental. for mentally he was a giant--I was out
 I1- 1oIr H<,
 mg a tattoo inside. for there were few Df us who did not fear to stand before him unless very syIrc or C1e ground on which we stood. I said. however, in a businesslike way. as if such assign ments were daily occurrences to me:
 "I have come to see you about this assignment. sir
 What assignment" he asked
 "For me to go south tomorrow I answered
 .Oh. you are Palmer. are youT he