The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-10-02

American newspaper represents is
of comparatively recent origin. For
approximately $50 years Amer
lean newspapers devoted a great
deal Of space to promoting weeks
or days for this or that function
and sometimes going to consider
able expense in doing so. Then
some smart fellow suggested that
we ought to have our own week.
So here We are. taking the first
week in October to do a little
horn blowing on our own account.
Fifty-six of the 252 years his
tory of the newspaper in America
is intimate personal experience. 1t
began in the plant OF a weekly
paper in Ludington, Mich. The
work week was fifty-nine hours
ten hours a day for the first five
days and nine hours on Saturday.
The few extra hours nearly every
Thursday night to get the paper
out didn't count. The pay was a
dollar and half a week. The first
job included standing on box to
reach the type case and setting
reprint copy from the American
Economist, the high tariff organ
Of the Republican national COM
mittee. After a reasonable pro-
ficiency at the type case-said eff
ficiency being the ability to set
a column Of nine point type a day
with not more than an average
of one error in every tenth line,
there was promotion to the press
room and additional duties.
The pressroom was an intrigu-
ing place. The equipment includ-
ed Cottrell & Babcock cylinder
press, one of the most efficient
machines ever made; a Universal
Job press and a six-horsepower
converted marine engine and a
four-horsepower boiler.
No matter what happens, there
never will again be such a thrill
as that experienced the first time
was permitted to open the
throttle and start the engine
alone. Next to that was the &C.
casion many years later, on re-
turning from an Eastern Wash
ington trip, to discover an article
on which 1 had elaborated with
the late Gen. c. B. Blethen under
a two column head on the first
page of The Seattle Sunday Times
with the by-line, by E. T. Short
and C. B. Blethen." By-lines were
not as promiscuously used then
as they are now, and to have
ones name associated with that
of the publisher was something
that wasn't done.
Half a century ago there were
few schools of journalism to pre-
pare one for the newspaper pro-
fession. First requirements were
a sense of familiarity with types
and printing machinery and some
understanding of what constituted
news. After that one had or did
not have what 1t took to get
along in the newspaper business.
For this tyro the text book was
the Detroit Free Press. Among
first things it was noted that the
Free Press obituary notices bes
gan with the fact that the party
had passed away, followed with
such details as the place Of the
deceased in the community, time
and place of the funeral, etc. Next
it developed that most of the Free
Press news stories were construct
ed on the same style.
Studiously the style was fol-
lowed, sometimes to the extent
of copying entire sentences where
they could be used. That was the
basic training for a career that
for the most part has been pleas
ant and interesting, with no more
disappointments than appear IN
the average experience.
There was, of course, that dream
that comes TO every embryo jour
nalist of being able TO build a sue
cessful publishing business and
create a comfortable est ate i.
Three times it seemed as IL the
opportunity had arrived but 1t
always was a case Of the best
laid plans going awry. The first
two were keen disappointments.
The third failure was not so hard
to take because there was so much
good company.
With this bit Of personal rem
iniscing as an introduction, THIS
column for the remainder Of News
paper week will be devoted 70 a
review Of incidents in the news
paper field since the first attempt
10 set up a newspaper in North
America, Sept. IS. 1880. No bust
ness or profession Is so full Of in
teresting episodes and inooens.
BY a fortunate circumstance ana
the thoughtfulness Of a reader Of
this column, there is available for
this series two volumes Of Buck
ingham's "reminiscences" a his
tory Of American journalism, pub
lished in 1850 by Joseph T. Buck
ingham. A title page announce
ment says:
TO all printers and conductors
Of the newspaper press who en-
T. = - .