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