The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-05-11

That time-worn and oft-Quoted say
ing about poets being born and, not
made, which has generally been APP
Piled to writer's of all kinds. is be-
ing vigorously controverted by mod
ern colleges. II they are not liter
ally making poets. they certainly are
making dramatists. short story writ
ers and numerous competent jour
nalfsts, from whose numbers the
great majority of writer's OF all sorts
are drawn
OF course, the old saying remains
true to the extent that it takes born
aptitude to make writer of any
sort. but this is no more true of
good newspaper man or magazine
writer. or even a popular fictioneer.
than 1t is of almost any other pro-
fession. All OF the really successful
politicians, for example, are obvf-
ously born ones, .fad this is still more
the case with lawyers. and cooks and
bankers and baseball players. In
nate aptitude is prerequisite OF
genuine success in life. No doubt
xme was when only inspired genius
needed a patron TO keep 1t tive But
within the last quarter of century.
writing has become profession in
America with as wide field and as
many opportunities as any other.
Our tremendous output of near
literature in the form OF newspapers.
magazines and trade journals de-
itors; and, needless to say. genius Is
not what it calls for A'modicum OF
talent, combined with common sense
and hard work. win the highest re-
wards in modern Journalism YET,
the old belief that writing is profit
less. visionary occupation. and that
literary talent is sort of affiictton,
III Ia oN
ceptance The young man who
shows a tendency to sit up late at
night and scribble is advised by his
friends, who pride themselves upon
their common sense, to cut 1t out ana
get job on a farm. As a matter OF
fact. the boys Unborn tendency to
write is a guarantee that if he has 1t
in him to work he can make more
in the newspaper game In year than
he could on the farm in i've.
Furthermore, this boy now has at
command the means to develop his
talent and to discover its real worth
Beginning with the Pulitzer FOunda-
ton at Columbia University, schools
of Journalism have spread all over
the country with the rapidly OF
contaefon. while all of the larger
universities are ofsering courses in
drama and fiction that are designed
to At men to write.
| The desire to write seems to spare
no one The short story contests.
which have become popular OF recent
years, have brought forth startling
proof of the fact. Whenever a big
prize has been offered. manuscripts
have poured in by the thousands
and they have come from every con-
ceivabie class of occupation A farm
hand working for six dollars week
sent to a recent competition man
uscript which, according to the edf-
| tor. lacked only finish to make 1t a
powerful piece of work A boy OF M
teen sent a cloak and sword ro-
nance so full OF glow and color that
the judges had to harden their
( hearts TO send it back But these are
among the enlightened There are
| thousands of manuscripts bearing
every mark of ignorance and unpre-
paredness. The great majority of
! literary aspirantS seem to sit and toll
| in darkness. 1t is to these hopeless
ones that the spread of literary edu-
cation should mean most. With
| schools of Journalism sprinsins up
all over the country, they can de-
velop their abilities, if they have any,
and If not they can quickly and final
lly learn the fact
Only a year ago, practical journal
lists were seofing at the newborn
Pulitzer school; today, even the
smallest colleges are adding courses
! in Journalism to their curriculums.
/ A few months ago. Knox College at
! Galesburg, Ill, introduced course in
! Journalism in answer to strenuous
demand from the student body Most
. typical of American schools of jour
I nalisn is the fact that Max Goodslll.
1 the city editor of the Galesburg
Evening Mail, was made professor OF
I the school The University OF Min
nesota has also established course
! in Journalism within the last few
months. and William p kirkwood
/ left the Minneapolis Journal to teach
! his profession in the new school.
/ Industrial Journalism is new course
I recently installed in New York Uni
! versity. The oregon state legtsia-
ture recently authorized its newly
I established department of Journalism
to operate a printing plant as jour
/ nalism laboratory. The desire for
journalistic training has penetrated
even into the wilderness, and the
school board of Saskatoon, Sas-
katchewan. has established pubic
night classes IN journalism.
s, These are only few instances
! which might be multiplied by the
column. The spread of the school OF
/ Journalism idea in this country has
! been almost unprecedented. 1t is
! striking proof of the widespread
need for train in expression.
| Joseph Pulitzer must be given
| credit for having originated the idea
! The school of Journalism that he en-
I dowed at Columbia was the first. and
4 it set the standard of absolutely
practical instruction which charac-