Year: 1871

The number of persons connected in some
way or other with the New York Press, who
are Of marked originality of character is prob
ably greater than in any other profession and
this is particularly true of reporters, who are
consequently very peculiar and interesting
class of persons. AS body, they have no
distinctive ear-marks, such as are common to
many occupations, but individually they are
remarkable for their personal traits.


There are in the neighbOrhOod of one hun
dred professional reporters iii New York, be-
sides as many more hangers-on and irregular
workers for the press No occupation, except
ing perhaps politics, attracts so many persons
to it for short time, or is subject to such fuc-
tuations Any one who is in the habit of visit
ing newspaper Offices will be astOnShed at the
number OF persons who come and gO-wOrking
for few days or weeks, and then making way
! for others, who stay an equally short time in
their places. Whenever any extraordinary
event occurs, like the Mcfarland trial or Nath
an inquest, which makes it necessary to em.
ploy extra help, these outsiders are sent for,
and for the time being find employment The
Sunday Mtrcuryis is said to have engaged over
sixty men to report the incidents of one -Four. b
of July and it is such occasions that give Oc
cupatiOn to the "bummers' of the press.


The latter must not be cOnfOunded with the
" Free Lances," as they are called. These in
clude some of the ablest men in the profession,
who dislike being on a salary, and, therefore
take an entirely independent position, writing
for nearly all the papers, and earning in this
way far more than they could otherwise get
They are usually men Of practical capacity, anC
some of them employ others to work under
their ORDERS and in this way add greatly t
their receipts The pay of an ordinary report
er varies from Sl5 to $50 per week the aver
age being $40 A Free Lance" will earn a.
high as 500 per week.


The vicissitudes of reporters life are very
great, and they tend to make him reckless, i'm
provident, and disspated. One could hardl!
lead more unsettled existence. His hour


of sleep and meals vary most daily, and un
less a man has strong self command, these ir
regular habits connected with the profession
will have a bad effect on him. On most of tn


large dailies, the reporters have to be at tn
Office ut eleven o'clock each morning. b
that time the city editor has read over tn
y papers, and made out list of the matters [
!. be looked after for the next issue, and he the
o assigns each man to one day and one evenln
90 report. The former must be written out an


sent in to the Office by six o clock, and the la


ter as early in the evening as possible, in mos


cases by eleven o'clock. On the average


therefore, a reporter is occupied twelve hour


per day, and he is expected to write half
;, column of reports Sometimes there is only


paragraph to be prepared, and on other occ,
In sions a column or column and half of ma


ter. Much of this is night work, while thsi


is always considerable travelling about the cit
f to be done. in order to get to and from NEE
a. ings Short hand reporters have the doub
D" labor of taking down their notes and the
copying them out, a purely mechanical bl
irksnme task. During the Mcfarland trial. Fl


example, several of the photographers, Ell
ployed to take down the testimony, stayed


court all day, and were then kept till nil


or ten o'clock at night writing out their note
each man completing on the average two ct


umns daily. Shorthand reporters get Il


highest pay usually, but they can do so muC
better at law reporting and other work tn


they do not as rule stay long upon the pres