The chronicle=news., 1913-01-10
THE CUB IN FICTION
A Plea for Realism in the Character
inzation Of That Highly Abused.
Though Innocent. Member Of the

i;y Russci T.. Smith ia the Editor and
Publisher.
tn. average writer Of fiction,
when II. sits down to his typewriter
TO grind out u story dealing with the
newspaper reporters and editors. Inn
ncdiaicly conjurcs up piciuT. OF
u slender. sharp featured man with
a note book In each band and n thick
layer OF dandruff ON his Goa, collar.
lie is depicted ls employing most of
his time rolling hand-mad. cigarettes
und resting his feet on tho keeps OF
mis- Typewriter. Will. ne talks OF the
scoops he. has made and the utter
worthiossness OF I'll. life h. Ii lead
ing In the newspaper OiIIcc. II" IN
shown with large rolls OF copy paper
sticking out OF every pocket. while
his eyes denote the kccnncss and per-
spicacity which every reporter is
known TO possess In great plcntitudc
--in fiction:
His city editor II described an
Grabbed crank with n
vocabulary OF clss words that would
turn the air blue. and which do. on
occasions when tn. staff does not
turn up IA good story or allows some
other paper TO score beat. lin bull
les III" staff right aud LETT aud never
by any chance shws u kindly feeling
Tor any yiOdy except himself.
lie is always shown with u rank
huti Of IL poor cigar In the corner Of
his mouth, which he chcwx inccss-
Ia. .., Ill.
somc poor. lucklcs reporter to emit
10 squirt OF tobacco Juice at the spit
tin. which II never reaches. or else
with an old corn-cob pipe. putting
huge clouds oi smoke.
Why II this so' Why do the f!c-
iion writers Insist on putting into
their yarns such matters which thry
should know never exist Why d.
they run u long series OF cuff about
" cub" reporter who always max
c. good" with his icty editor and
gets raise aud good assignments:
They seldom or never do In real
ucwspa perdom. The cub seldom gets
II chance to do anything better than
'obits' and routine meetings OF the
.adics' Aid society or Local School
board. aud IL lie does have the luck
TO fall over u good story. lie either
does not see that there is one break
ing or clsc-if he has sense enough
news sense" that isI--to phone IT
to his office. his city editor Will
probably send u good man out ON tn"
story to get the facts and write II.
In the big offices. the man that
turns up the story seldom gets n
chance to write 1t, II being turned
over to q stor rcwrite man II II is II
big story: vet tn" fictionecr always
describes the cub as sitting down at
his typewriter and tearing Off yards
OF copy. which the city editor. with
grunts and grows Of approval. grabs
Off one at a time and shoots them up-
stairs to the composing room, while
the rest of the staff sit about or stand
behind the cub as he bangs the day
lights out OF his machine.
At the conclusion he always
Ifiction-falls over the typewriter In
Il dead faint across his desk. while
the city editor hands him a drink
and the sob sister of the staff ten
derby messages his forehead. All very
nice. o! fiction writer--but did you
ever see IL done?
No wonder the editors wont look
at u newspaper yarn any more II
the fiction writers would only write
a yarn wherein the cub is hown up
tor what he really is-an incompct-
lcnt, laundering. uews-sensclcss dub
until he has had the rudimcnts of
the game knocked into him by hours
of pavement pounding in the routine
OF the cubs first weeks In the busi-
ross, they would he doing the news
paper man a Srat favor