Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 February 1894 — THE NEWSPAPER WOMAN. [ARTICLE]

THE NEWSPAPER WOMAN.

She Hag to Work Faithfully, and la Judged by Her Merita. It has been loosiejy estimated that there are several thousand newspaper women in this country. In reality there are less than two hundred and fifty, says Lippincott’s Magazine. There is a distinction between newspaper writing and writing for the newspapers; and the young lady who “does a little spacework” in the intervals of her social or business engagements was not considered in the Compilation of these statistics. The two hundred and fifty writers who have been considered are newspaper women in the best sense or the word. They hold staff positions on journals of good standing, or they have had experience which fits them for such positions; they have learned to recognize news when they hear it, and they know how to present it to the public in the most attractive form; they can judge of its comparative value and the amount of space it should be, given in a newspaper; they can edit their own copy, if necessary; they know something about the composing-room, and can distinguish between a form and a piece of type; ,J they have learned why it is not a §heer waste of material to write on but one side of their paper;“they know that a newspaper office is not a drawing-room, and that they cannot expect draw-ing-room manners ,in it; they have learned that the highest compliment an editor can pajr his woman “associate is to treat hqr as if she were a man, promptly reprimanding her for a blunder and giving her a word of praise for good work —if he happens to think of it. ( . 'Last and most important point o{ all, these women earn their living with their pens. jThis is the crucial

test. Luck, pluck and influence may keep one afloat for a few months, but the editors--4)f to-day are not kuowingly buying bad copy. If one particular editor be disposed to overlook the chalming Miss Blank’s errors of fact and grammar, the copy readers, the , associate editors, and the great power behind the throne will soon throw a search light upon them whioh can have but one result. Miss Blank’s work must stand on its merits. In no other profession does she have so many and such merciless erijics.