Cameron County press. (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, February 07, 1907, Page 7, Image 7

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    c/lmerican
Women as
Newspaper
Writers.
By Katherine Thomas
Newspapers Cannot Get On
Without Women—Mentally and
Physically, an Exhausting Occu
pation—The Society Reporter
Must Be a "Listening Machine"
—Excels as an Interviev/er.
(Copyright, |>y Jonepli B. Bowies.)
(Katherine E. Thomas Is one of the
be.**t known women writers for newspa
pers at Washington. Her book on "Of
ficial Etiquette at the Nation's Capital"
is regarded as a standard. She has also
written a novel on Washington society
entitled "Not All the King's Horses.")
Woman's place on the newspapers
to-day is due to the law of demand
and supply. She has not crowded
man out. It is distinctively a posi
tion into which she has neither forced
her way nor sought in ever so limited
a degree to oust man from that do
main in which since the ir."ention of
the art of printing he had held exclu
sive right.
With the evolution of successive
stages of progress the necessity of
woman's work on the press became so
apparent that the cry went forth
throughout the land. And it was be
cause of that cry that this great field
of woman's cleverness and industry
was opened up.
With trembling feet the pioneer
woman writers crossed the threshold
of the newspaper offices. It is with
assured tread she makes her way
to-day. In the comparatively short
space of time in which woman has
been an acknowledged factor on the
staff of the daily press she has ac
complished much. Before her there
yet stretches vast worlds to con
quer. But that she will conquer, that
in the future she will achieve success
in this occupation is long since a
foregone conclusion.
Not the least powerful factor wom
an brings to her work as a newspa
per writer is that birthright, intuition.
When added to this her keenly observ
ant powers become trained along the
necessary lines and her natural ten
acity of purpose has the strong stim
ulus of competition with men, it will
be realized that success is and must
continue to be her portion.
As In all else of the country's
work, there is a great deal of human
nature in the newspaper world, and
when a woman enters into such active
shoulder-to-shoulder rivalry with men,
as has now of necessity developed in
all the active press matters of the
day, she must understand from the
start that she can expect no quar
ter To be upon the staff of an up
to-date daily means an amount of
work more exhausting mentally and
physically than in any other wage
earning occupation can fall to the lot
of a human being. To be upon the
staff of a powerful newspaper means
to live at concert pitch day after day,
month after month.
It is only by the strictest observ
ance of the hygienic laws relating
more particularly to the regular eat
ing of simple, easily digested, nourish
ing food that any one, man or wom
an, can expect to stand the strain.
Newspaper work at all times wears
upon the nerves, and yet, strange to
say, it is. women who Vear it best.
Seldom, indeed, do they go under
from the effects of this work, while
the number of physical wrecks among
the men is wholly out of proportion.
This, be it understood, where the
work and hours are identical.
It sounds at first paradoxical to say
that the life of a newspaper writer
is one of incessant repression and
continued development. The tre
mendous rush of competition, the be
ing in active touch with the great
and small events of daily life, the
knowledge that each so engaged is in
an infinitesimal way writing history,
serves to rouso even dormant ambi
tion.
Active daily newspaper work is a
hotbed for the development of the
best intellectual qualities. It is a
life of untiring perseverance, of un
failing patience, of abasement of self
at times to an abnormal degree, yet
upon the whole decidedly beneficial.
Frequently it comes to pass that the
woman writer, while maintaining her
dignity of brains, must entirely oblit
erate her individuality, unless she
means to fall by the wayside and be
laid in the potter's field of failures.
For some people she must ever be
come a mere listening machine. Ab
solutely this and nothing more if she
means to achieve success, for she
must listen to all manners of woes
and tribulations, and have positively
none of her own to relate in ex
change. The role of Punchinello is
not always the easiest to enact, but
to leave it out of the curriculum at
times very materially interferes with
achieving the desired end.
Of all arts of which she must be
come mistress that of learning to
draw people out that their best points
may be brought into play, is the most
important. The acquisition of this
accomplishment has in turn its re
flex good effect upon her work, as nine
times out of ten it will enable her
to turn an opening negative into a
closing afflrmati%'e.
The branch of newspaper work in
which women excel in Washington,
in which in fact they have the almost
exclusive field, is that of social report
ing. To a greater or less degree dur
ing the last half dozen years the so
ciety reporter has come to have a
place ui>on the staff of nearly every
large journal in the United States
and Europe. But it is in Washington
that she rises to her greatest heights
of usefulness, and, therefore, because
of the broader opportunities among
the official and political element, of
greater importance.
In this particular phase of work,
woman's great success lies in the culti
vation of the power to keep her own
counsel regarding much that must
necessarily be seen and heard in
the discharge of her work. And in
this respect, scoff as unbelievers may,
she has achieved a success. From
the experience cf y<»rs I can truth
fully assert, that the woman writers
of the daily press do Dot gossip even
among themselves of the vast num
ber of secrets that come to their
knowledge concerning prominent peo
ple of the world of society in which
their lives are spent.
At tnc start of society report
ing woman's presence on the reg
ular staffs of newspapers was re
garded in the light of a necessary evil.
She not infrequently in masculine es
timation sunk far below this level,
rarely in the eye of the general pub
lic did she rise abeve it. Just why
this should have been is enigmatical,
as the "copy" of the average woman
correspondent requires less revising
than that of her brother of the pen.
Further, she represents a commercial
value that the man does not and in
the nature of things cannot. Her
value is incalculable as an advertis
ing medium. This is something she
comes in time to understand and ap
preciate.
The best society coiuma on a local
CAMERGN COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1907.
paper Is quick to bo noted by fash
ionable women. The reliability of
this column once recognized means a
tremendous valuation to the propri
etor. The advertisers, especially
those having women's apparel and be
longings for sale, soon grow to know
and patronize the paper in accordance
with its social rating.
There is literally at the present time
no department of newspaper work
in which women have not practically
exemplified the fact that they stand
equal with men as reporters. As war
correspondents, for nerve and accu
racy they made enviable records in
the Spanish-American and South Af
rican wars. Ilut it is as an inter
viewer that the woman newspaper
writer is beginning to excel. In this
lies lier unquestioned success. It is
here that a natural patience stands
her friend in the hour of need. It is
here also that her intuition serves
her well.
The average woman does not un
derstand politics. Possibly the rea
son for this may lie in the fact that
up to the present time she has taken
little active part in the workings of
the great machine which turns some
presidents in and others out of the
White House. But this does not mil
itate against her availability and
strength as an interviewer, because a
woman more naturally than a man
carries out instructions. When de
tailed to some important work of this
nature she is quick to add to her
current knowledge such specific in
formation as is essential in the case.
She rarely returns empty-handed
from an assignment, and the newspa
per woman of standing Is recognized
for accuracy of detail.
If I were naked tho inont Important
essential to success in a newspaper
writer I would reply "tact!" and again
"tact!" There are other essentials,
of course, and among these, in addi
tion to a good memory, which is nat
urally strengthened by the severe
training is to be enumerated an in
stinct for news. This means not only
to keep abreast of the doings of the
hour, but to know at hearing or
glance a really good thing when one
comes across it, to seize upon and
use it forthwith, yet never under any
circumstances to be led into the fatal
perfidy of playing traitor. Another
essential is not only to be equal to
emergencies but to cultivate the fac
ulty of deciding quickly and wisely.
This last is by no means easy even
to a veteran writer.
Interspersed with the hard work are
bright bits of happiness along the way.
There are many compensations for
the life of self-abnegation in the
stanch, elevating friendships with peo
ple who otherwise would not have
been met by the newspaper writer
save in the discharge of duty—friend
ships in which "shop" is forgotten, in
which the real woman is recognized
and her talent met upon the only
plane on which a clever woman will
allow it to be met.
The question of equal pay for equal
work is perhaps less agitated in news
paper offices than elsewhere in pur
suits where women come in active
competition with men.
The outlook is decidedly encourag
ing to a woman of good health. To
one with a perfectly normal way of
looking at life and things generally;
who, wishing to support herself, has
yet no capital other than brains and
energy to invest, I would decidedly
recommend newspaper writing. There
is no appreciable danger of the ranks
being overcrowded, for the artless
young enthusiast who enters this field
soon becomes aware that she has un
dertaken no child's play, but is act
ually engaged in the hardest work
of which the strongest, most deter
mined natures can be capable. Such
being the case, the result is inev
itably the survival of the fittest. It
is a field in which idlers and drones
will not be tolerated, but in which
there is plenty of room tor the earn
est women of the land.
What gift of prophecy but would
have been flouted to scorn in the pio
neer days of women newspaper
writers had the assertion been ven
tured that the close of the nineteenth
century would have witnessed the
spectacle of women writers in charge
of departments of the leading news
papers and magazines of the coun
try! Yet now even the most preju
diced of observant persons must real
ize that before the twentieth cen
tury reaches its zenith there will be
not one but many clever women fill
ing with honor the positions of city
and managing editors of great metro
politan dailies.
Puzzle of the Marine Barracks.
Among the interested visitors at the
marine barracks at Washington on
one occasion there was a party of
young girls from a Maryland town.
They proved very much interested in
everything pertaining to the life and
discipline of the post. "What do you
mean by 'taps?'" asked one young
woman. "Taps are played every night
on the bugle," answered the officer.
"It means 'lights out.' They play it
over the bodies of dead soldiers." A
puzzled look came to the face of the
questioner. Then she asked: "What
do you do if you haven't a dead sol
dier?" ,
Bill Knew Grease.
One day Bill had company to dine
with him, and his wife, wishing Wil
liam to appear well, quietly admon
ished him to be careful what he said.
All went well till liill got his pota
toes well mashed, when he said:
"Dolly, pass the gr.ease."
"Why, William," said his wife, "you
should call it gravy."
"Wa-al, says Bill, "I guess if it got
on your tablecloth it would be grease."
Explained.
Prize fights are by rounds because
so often they are not on the squara
AWFUL ATTACKS OF PAIN.
A Most Dreadful Case of Kidney
Trouble and How It Was Cured.
Thomas N. McCullough, 321 South
Weber St., Colorado Springs, Colo.,
says:"For twelve
or fifteen years I
was suffering fre
i weeks at a time. I woul<*
woul< * be unal) l e t°
y' terrible condition,
HttßSissiiamtl plete stoppage oc
| currlng. I began with Doan's Kidney
; Pills, and soon felt better. Keeping
on, I found complete freedom from
kidney trouble The cure has been
! permanent. I owe my good health to
Doan's Kidney Pills."
Sold by all dealers. 50 cents a box.
Foster-Milburn Co., Buffalo, N. Y.
PETS FOR LITTLE PARISIANS.
All Kinds of Animals as Playmates for
the Children.
Children play a great role in French
society, as all those who have read
Gyp's Inimitable "P'tit Bob" will read
ily admit, and now the small Par
lsienne insists on receiving on her
fete day and at the New Year a live
pet, Instead of a costly doll or a me
chanical toy. The demand has been
creating a supply, and a lively trade
Is being done, not only in puppies and
kittens, in tiny monkeys and in lambs,
birtlalso in tigers and leopards. Up to
a certain age, these small felines are
quite harmless, and, of course, as soon
as they begin, so to speak, to show
their teeth and sharpen their claws,
they are sent oft to one of the two
magnificent "Zoos" with which the
Gay City is provided.
TWO SISTERS HAD ECZEMA.
Cuticura Cured Scalp Troubles of
Two Illinois Girls—Another Sis
ter Took Cuticura Pills.
"I must give much praise to all
the Cuticura Remedies. I used but
one cake of Cuticura Soap and one
box of Cuticura Ointment, as that
was all that was required to cure
my disease. I was very much trou
bled with eczema of the head, and a
friend of mine told me to use the
Cuticura Remedies, which I did, and
am glad to say that they cured my
eczema entirely. Since then we have
always kfit the soap on hand at all
times. My sister was also cured of
eczema ot the head by using the Cu
ticura Remedies. Another sister has
used Cuticura Resolvent and Pills
and thinks they are a splendid tonic.
I cannot say exactly how long I suf
fered, but I think,about six months.
Miss Edith Hammer, R. F. D. No. 6,
Morrison, 111., Oct. 3, 1906."
Has Cinch on Position.
Various authorities have passed on
a letter received at the post office de
partment a short time ago and it has
finally been sent to the postmaster
general. The letter came from a west
ern postmaster at a small office and
read: "In accordance with the rules
of the department, I write you to in
form you that on next Saturday I will
close the post office for one day, as I
am going on a bear hunt. I am not
asking your permission to close up
and you can discharge me if you want
to. But I will advise you now that I
am the only man in the county who
can read and write." It is not likely
that the postmaster will be dis
charged.
Clover & Grass Seeds.
Everybody loves lots and lots of Clover
Grasses for hogs, cows, sheep and swine.
s
We are known as the largest growers of
Grasses, Clovers, Oats, Barley, Corn, Po
tatoes and Farm Seeds in America. Oper
ate over 5,000 acres.
FIiEE '
Our mammoth 148-page catalog is mailed
free to all intending buyers; or send
8c IN STAMPS
and receive sample of "perfect balance ra
tion grass seed," together with Fodder
Plants, Clover, etc., etc., and big Plant
and Seed Catalog free.
John A. Salzer Seed Co., Box W, La
Crosse, Wis.
Sweet Amenities.
"I hope you won't be disappointed,
dear, for I know everybody thought
George was paying attention to you.
But as a matter of fact, he asked me
last night to marry him."
"He has then carried out his threat,
poor fellow!"
"What threat?"
"He declared to me the last time I
refused him that he would take some
desperate step."
Deafness Cannot Be Cured
applications, as they cannot reach the dis
eased portlun of the ear. There Is only one ws; to
V es *' R 14 ttt 16 b 7 constitutional remedies.
mmSf. M 1 caused by an Inflamed condition of the
ISIiS fS g 11,0 k llH taclilan Tube. When this
f»»rf !?, L ! ed y" uliar ®» rumbling sound or lra-
So.J I .5° wl,cn " entirely closed, Deaf
fnkpn n... erC f U .l i an K Unll!s9t,ie ' nl '»»in>atloncnu be
i tills tube restored to Its normal condi
tion, hcarlDS will be destroyed forever; nlno esses
hnf»J, which Is nothlun
but an Inflamed condition of the mucous surfures
We will give one Hundred Dollar, for any case of
SMSS? !' T cat ; rrh ) «"»' cannot be cured
by Hall s Catarrh Cure. Send fur circulars, free
Sold by Dr„ M l,ts CUi£! ™ Y * CO.. Toledo, O.
Take Mall's Family Fills for constipation.
It takes a clever man to pick up an
umbrella and walk off with it just as
If it belonged to him.
I'll.Kß CURKU IST O TO 14 DATS,
PAZO OINTMKST Is Kuaratneed to euro any ease
of Itching, lliind. Blooding or Protruding Pile* in
U to 14 tlajt or luonoy refunded. WJc.
Every noble activity makes room
tor itself.—Emersoa.
PTTTNAM FADELESS DYER, are fast
to light and washing and color more goods
than others. 10c per package.
It's Just aa easy to be pleasant aa
otherwise —and it pays bettar.
Mrs. Wlnalow'fl Noothlnp; Ryrop.
For children teething, softens the Rums, reduce® tjy
flammation, allays pain, cures wind colli). asc a bottle.
The man who Is on pleasure bent is
apt to find himself broke indue time.
TO CURE A COI.D IN OWE HAT
Take LAXATIVE HJtOMO Quinine Tablets. I>rn«-
(fihts refund money If It falls to euro. K. W
(iltuVK'il denature in on each box. H£>c,
It takes a hair tonic manufacturer
to pull the wool over the eyes of a
bald-headed man.
Garfield Tea (Guaranteed under the
Pure Food and Drug Law) regulates a
sluggish liver, overcomes constipation, pu
rifies (he blood and eradicates disease. It
is made of Herbs.
Want Native Wood Used.
Every effort possible is being made
to use native woods for ties in build
ing the railways in the Philippines.
Marriage at a Discount.
All the conditions of modern life
are such as to discourage men and
women from marrying, and if they do
so to make them discontented. Di
vorce has rushed from the extreme
of being considered a disgrace which
never should be mentioned to that of
being regarded as a standard Joke in
the comic papers, a fit subject to be
worked up in stage comedy and hilar
ously received by large audiences. —N.
Y. Independent.
Soaps that Are Guaranteed.
So much skin trouble results frcra
the ueo of impure adulterated toilet
soaps, that the proprietors of
Buchan's Toilet Soaps have filed a
guarantee with the U S. Government
guaranteeing the absolute purity of
their soaps, and they are the only
ones so guaranteed. There are three
brands: Antiseptic Soap, Tar Soap,
and Sulphur Soap; not only cleanses
but soothes and protects the skin
against disease. If your dealer does
not keep them send 18 cents with his
name and address to Buchan's Soap
Corporation, New York, and they will
send you a full-size cake.
Fate is a female who gives men the
laugh for believing her.
NATURE PROVIDES ,
FOR SICK WOMEN W W lg|\\p
a more potent remedy in the roots I '' |
and herbs of the field than was ever I v 1 ■ I
In the good old-fashioned days of 1"" \ ■%. yfr ' : v /
our grandmothers few drugs were J ***- j L
used in medicines and Lydia E. fj
Pinkham, of Lynn, Mass., in her V (V\ . Jlf J
study of roots and herbs and their \\ 1//
power over disease discovered and \\| kV, I(
gave to the women of the world a /"~J jl> x. S I \
remedy for their peculiar ills more
potent and efficacious than any ■*
combination of drugs. LYDIA E. PINKHAIvT
Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound
is an honest, tried and true remedy of unquestionable therapeutic value.
During its record of more than thirty years, its long list of actual
cures of those serious ills peculiar towomen, entitles Lydia E. Pinkham's
Vegetable Compound to the respect and confidence of every fair miDded
person and every thinking woman.
When women are troubled with irregular or painful functions,
weakness, displacements, ulceration or inflammation, backache,
flatulency, general debility, indigestion or nervous prostration, they
should remember there is one tried and true remedy, Lydia E. Pink
ham's Vegetable Compound.
No other remedy in tlie country has such a record of cures of
female ills, and thousands of women residing in every part of the United
States bear willing testiViony to the wonderful virtue of Lydia E. Pink
ham's Vegetable compound and what it has done for them. 1
Mrs. I'inkham invites all sick women to write her for advice. She has ,
guided thousands to health. For twenty-five ywrs she has been advising ■
sick women free of charge. She is the daughter-in-law of Lydia E. Pink
ham and as her assistant for years before her decease advised under her
immediate direction. Address, Lynn, Mass.
Ift—Hi i K—aniwimiOTKMy
I""
Before You Paint, This Spring
bear in mind the fact that it costs you as much if not more to paint your buildings
with inferior paints than it would to use paints of good quality. More harm and
dissatisfaction is caused by the use of poor paints than almost any other article
used for preserving or beautifying property.
Buffalo Paints
AfC< Uiiwl OU
are the highest grade paints made. They contain the purest and most lasting pig
ments ground in Aged linseed Oil in correct proportion, are honestly made, cost
no more than inferior paints and stand every test for exterior and interior work.
Before you decide on the kind of paint to use, it will be to your interest to send
for our 1907 color chart of the latest shades for modern uses, also valuable inform
ation and paint facts that you ought to know.
11' c want every owner oj a building in this locality who sends us his name
and address to have one of our beautiful Buffalo-head souvenir silverea stick
fins. The pin is neat and unique in appearance and will be sent without charge,
if name is received before April Ist
BUFFALO OIL PAINT 3 VARNISH CO., BUFTILO, H.T. CHICAGO. ILL.
GALL-STONE CURE. "'Craemer'sCalculus Cure"
w ■ wwpbbbb |« a certain Remedy FOR GALL BTONEB,|
Stones in the Kidnrye. Stones In the Urinary Bladder or Gravel, liiiiousnpss. Hallow Complexion. 1
Jaundice and ail Stomach Troubles resulting from Biliousness. Write for elreular.
HM. CHAStf£K. 48<M> A»rti> Qrand Avenue, ST. LOLIH. MO,
LEARN TELEGRAPHY
R, R. Agency Work and Type-writing
Largest Rytdein of Telegraph Fchools in America.
V-ndorhed by Hallroad Official*. Operators aiwnvs in
demand. We secure portions for our K'aduatea.
Mudentsc&n enter any time.
MAIN LINE RAILROAD WIRE IN SCHOOL
Write for fr*e illustrated i utul«iprue, terms, etc.
IHK MORBE SCHOOL OP TELEGRAPHY COMPAKT
21 United Bank Bldg., CINCINNATI, OHIO.
fT—**
PATFNTQ THERES MONEV |N 1
■ HI Ball I «J SMALL INVENTIONS I
as well OH larfte. Rond for free booklet. i
MII.O 11. HTLVKNS A: CO., IKK) 14th Street ■
Washington, D. C. Branches ut Chicago, ■
Cleveland and Detroit. Eitabltlbed 1864. ■
NO PATENT. NO FEE FOR OUR SERVICES I
A. N. K.—C (1907—5) 2163-
HEALTH AND SPIRITS
Are Restored by Dr. Williams' Pink
Pills in Cases of Debility and
Despondency.
General debility is caused by men
tal or physical overwork with imper
fect assimilation of nourishment, or
by some acute disease from whica
the vital forces have been prostrated
and the entire organism weakened so
as not to easily rally. To restore
health it is necessary that the blood
should bo purifled and made new.
The case of Mrs. E. M. Spears, of
92 Mt. Pleasant street, Athol, Mass.,
is a common ono and is given here in
order that others may be benefited by
her experience. She says:"l had been
sick for a year from indigestion and
general debility brought on by over
work and worry. I had tried many
remedies, but found no relief. I suf
fered from swelling of the limbs, loss
of appetite and dizzy spells, which be
camo bo severe towards night, that 1
sometimes fainted away. I was bil
ious and my hands and arms would
goto sleep for an hour or two at a
time. I was so sleepy all the time
that I could hardly keep awake. I
had frequent cramps in my limbs and
severe pains at the base of my head
and In my back. My blood was im
poverished. I was afraid to give up
and goto bed fearing that 1 would
never get well.
"About this time Dr. Williams'
Pink Pills were recommended to me
by a friend in South Vernon. Vt. I
felt better soon after beginning the
treatment and continued until I was
entirely cured. I consider Dr. Wil
liams' Pink Pills a grand medicine
for weak women."
Dr. Williams' Pink Pills are sold
by all druggists, or sent, postpaid, o®
receipt of price 50 cents per box, si<
bozc3 $2.50, by the Dr. Williams Medfc
cine Company, Schenectady, N. Y.
RF ATIFPQ °' this paper de-
Illvill/L/IVO siring to buy any
■"—thing advertised in
its cokimm should insist upon having
what they ask for, refusing all substi
tute* or imitations.
CONCRETE (DOAM) BLOCK
mailing 80i
V w>ter.proof, building blorke daily. lfc
lfc FRANCIS MACHINE CO., Bt. Louia.
■fc ■ vpinpfl WatNR K. foioiaan, Patent Attor* i
VA I BBM I ney. Wanhintfeou. L>. O. Advic# 1
I HI fcll I W Terms low. Highest ref. |
| Canadian Government
ree Farms
I J Over 200,000 Amerlcil
LB>TG2* 't/HJC* 'ai-mri-fi who have set
rsjkfp» " el ' Canada during
| 1* A flal the past few years testt
fy to the factthnt Can*-
■7 «la <», beyond question.
the greatest farming land in the world.
OVER NINETY
MILLION BUSHELS
of wheat from the harvest of 1906 mean* good
money to the farmers of Western Canada when
the world has to be fed. Cattle Raising, Dairy
ing and Mixed Farming are also profitable call
ing*. Coal, wood and water 111 abundance;
churches and schools convenient; markets easy
of access. Taxes low.
For advice and information address the Super
inlendent of Immigration, Otlnwn, Canada or
any authorised Canadian Government Agent.
IL M. WILLIAMS, Uw Buildirg, Toledo, Ohio.
7