The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-03-30
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY e. HOUSE

A Neck Is Offered for the Block.
Sir-It may, perhaps, seem an i'm
/ position upon your openness of mind
1 IN rendering, as you have in your col
umn, to any who feel that they may
l be competent to conduct your. column
| the privilege of so doing, and thereby
/ relieve you to fulfill your desire to
become editor and publisher of the
Weekly Cleaner.
! If you are entirely sincere in your
| statement, not that want to relieve
] you of your. present work nor with
! any malicious -dispara cement of your
capabilities, but might say that I
always nave desired to conduct q COL
umn- L once had tried to interest the
| editorial chiefs of several Pittsburgh
| papers to grant me the space to start
a column while yet reporter on their
papers, but found them all unrespOn-
| to. be a personal aversion for columns
| on those newspapers. Their policies
were narrow and they feared conflict
ing impressions to be cited by one who
! may have challenged their meager
outlook.
Now I have drifted away from
newspaper work, but lying dormant
has always been that desire to be a
torting L. F. therefore finds me chaI-
longing your assertion, deliberative or
perfunctory, to give up willfully your
column to him who feels he can write
am ready at any time to assume
the responsibilities if you are ready
to permit the change of Second
Thoughters." L. L.
or course, we should have to take
the matter up with the chief. 1t is
only fair, we think, that he should
be consulted about it. And we'd hesi-
were entirely committed to it. Be
fore doing so we would advise l. L.
that the work of a eolumnist requires
some slight preparation for the task
in hand; not much, perhaps, but
some.
In our own case. as an instance.
We began the preparation a long time
ago by covering the monthly m ceilings
of the school board and the under
takers run" Having shown some
capa city for that work, we were. in
time. promoted to the police head
an effort to ascertain whether we
We're worthy of further advancement,
they set us to writing sports. year
or two later we were again prom oted,
this time to the dramatic page, from
which we stepped upward to politics,
where We caught the legislative de-
tail and became privileged to attend
great political conventions wearing a
cane hooked jauntily over the left
arm. After that came our first great
promotion. We were made a city
editor. Still later we were successive
ly managing editor and editor, and not
infrequently both, and after that they
figured we were competent to write a.
column and granted us the oppor-
tunity to do so. Probably the inten-
sive training to which we were sub
jected would be unnecessary in L. L. s
case, but we are satisfied he would
require some preparation for the JoD.
A coIumnist needs no particular
equipmen for his work; but he should
have a smattering of art literature,
GEOGRAPHY, history, wassan and song.
He must know what is going on in
the world about him. 1t is greatly to
his advantage if he knows science
and languages. He should have an un-
erring knowledge of mass psychology,
a sense of humor and the ability,
when necessary, to say all there is to
be said on any subject in SIX lines or
space Granted these qualifications.
he can get $40 a week for writing
column on any mans newspaper.
- We fancy L. L., given the requisite
training, adequately equipped for the
lob in all of its essentials save one.
He seems to have no sense of humor.
1t would be absolutely necessary for
him to acquire that before taking up
his chosen work
We have been unable to make much
Roadway with the story of the Bucks
county wild man. Perhaps we should
make no attempt to interpret it But
it strikes US that the son who is try
ing to establish the identity of
father in order that the latter max
be tried for murder is too blamed
filial.
at was at this point" we quote
from the news story, that Mrs. Anita
Osuma elbowed her way thru the
crowd and protested the action of the
magistrate in discharging the pris- |
oner. This man is a married man
and has two children she said"
IT IS difficult to keep up with the |
statutes When was the law making |
it an offense to have a wife and two
children passed, and who sponsored |
it?
We do not know the Philadelphian
who, up to Wednesday, had not learn |
ed that Mr.. Wilson no longer is presi- |
dent But we think we could name |
the Philadelphia newspaper he has
been in the habit of reading.
George Matthew Adams |
| Daily Talk L