,journalism for ,women ,a ,practical ,guide ,by ,e4 ,a4 ,bennett ,contents ,the ,secret ,significance of ,journalism ,imperfections of the existing ,woman-,journalist ,the ,roads towards ,journalism ,the ,aspirant ,style ,the ,outside ,contributor ,the ,search for ,copy ,the ,art of ,corresponding with an ,editor ,notes on the ,leading ,types of ,papers ,woman's ,sphere in ,journalism ,conclusion ,journalism for ,women ,a ,practical ,guide ,chapter ,i ,the ,secret ,significance of ,journalism ,for the majority of people the earth is a dull planet4 ,it is only a ,stevenson who can say3 ,i never remember being bored2 and one may fairly doubt whether even ,stevenson uttered truth when he made that extraordinary statement4 ,none of us escapes boredom entirely3 some of us1 indeed1 are bored during the greater part of our lives4 ,the fact is unpalatable1 but it is a fact4 ,each thinks that his existence is surrounded and hemmed in by the ,ordinary2 that his vocations and pastimes are utterly commonplace2 his friends prosaic2 even his sorrows sordid4 ,we are 7a few will say7 colour blind to the rainbow tints of life1 and we see everything grey1 or perhaps blue4 ,we feel instinctively that if there is such a thing as romance1 it contrives to exhibit itself just where we are not4 ,often we go in search of it 7as a man will follow a fire-engine7 to the ,continent1 to the ,soudan1 to the ,east ,end1 to the ,divorce ,court2 but the chances are a hundred to one against our finding it4 ,the reason of our failure lies in our firm though unacknowledged conviction that the events we have witnessed1 the persons we have known1 are ipso facto less romantic1 less diverting1 than certain other events which we happen not to have witnessed1 certain other persons whom we happen not to have known4 ,and such is indubitably the case2 for romance1 interest1 dwell not in the thing seen1 but in the eye of the beholder4 ,and so the earth is a dull planet--for the majority4 ,yet there are exceptions3 the most numerous exceptions are lovers and journalists4 ,a lover is one who deludes himself2 a journalist is one who deludes himself and other people4 ,the born journalist comes into the world with the fixed notion that nothing under the sun is uninteresting4 ,he says3 ,i cannot pass along the street1 or cut my finger1 or marry1 or catch a cold or a fish1 or go to church1 or perform any act whatever1 without being impressed anew by the interestingness of mundane phenomena1 and without experiencing a desire to share this impression with my fellow-creatures4 ,his notions about the qualities of mundane phenomena1 are1 as the majority knows too well1 a pathetic1 gigantic fallacy1 but to him they are real1 and he is so possessed by them that he must continually be striving to impart them to the public at large4 ,if he can compel the public1 in spite of its instincts1 to share his delusions even partially1 even for an hour1 then he has reached success and he is in the way to grow rich and happy4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we come to the secret significance of journalism3-- ,life 7says the public7 is dull4 ,but good newspapers are a report of life1 and good newspapers are not dull4 ,therefore1 journalism is an art3 it is the art of lending to people and events intrinsically dull an interest which does not properly belong to them4 ,this is a profound truth4 ,if anyone doubts it1 let him listen to a debate in the ,house of ,commons1 and compare the impressions of the evening with the impressions furnished by the parliamentary sketch in his daily paper the next morning4 ,the difference will be little less than miraculous4 ,yet the bored observer of the previous night will find in the printed article no discrepancies1 no insidious departures from sober fact2 and as he reads it1 the conviction will grow upon him that his own impressions were wrong1 and that after all a debate in the ,house of ,commons is a remarkably amusing and delightful entertainment4 ,if the newspapers ceased to report the proceedings of ,parliament1 the uncomfortable benches of the ,strangers' ,gallery would for ever remain empty1 simply because the delusion which now fills them nightly during the session would die for lack of sustenance4 ,again1 take the case of the amiable feminine crowds which collect upon the ,mall whenever ,her ,majesty holds a ,drawing ,room at ,buckingham ,palace4 ,what has induced them to forsake lunch and the domestic joys in order to frequent that draughty thoroughfare8 ,nothing but accounts which they have read in vivacious newspapers of the sights to be seen there on these state occasions4 ,they go2 they see2 they return fatigued and privately disappointed1 with a vague feeling that some one has misled them4 ,but with the arrival later in the afternoon of the vendor of special editions1 they begin to be reassured4 ,under the heading ,to-day's ,drawing ,room1 they encounter a description of incidents which they themselves have witnessed4 ,the sweet thought crosses their minds3 ,perhaps that was written by the curious woman with eye-glasses who stood near to me2 and by the time dinner is over nothing would persuade them that the ,mall on ,drawing ,room day is not one of the most interesting places in the world4 ,so the journalist continues to gain a livelihood by forcing his rosy fallacies upon the weary world4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in order to substantiate further the proposition that the art of journalism is the art of lending interest to people and events intrinsically dull1 let me draw attention to the treatment accorded by editors to those rare trifles of information which by general agreement are not in themselves dull4 ,such an item1 a jewel of its kind1 was the following3 ,i copy it as it was allowed to appear in an evening newspaper justly renowned for enterprise1 talent1 and imagination1 under date #afth ,january1 #ahig3 ,while walking in the ,park at ,tsarskoe ,selo the ,tsar beckoned to a gardener4 ,the man hastened to obey1 but a guard1 thinking he was running up to attack the ,emperor1 shot him dead4 ,his ,majesty was deeply affected by the occurrence4 ,observe the stark nakedness of it4 ,there is no decorative treatment here1 no evidence of an attempt to impress upon the report the individuality of the paper4 ,the ,editor rightly divined that the simple1 splendid tragedy of the event offered no opportunity for a display of his art4 ,his art1 indeed1 could have nothing to do with it4 ,if all news were of a similar quality1 the art of journalism1 as it exists at present1 would instantly expire1 and a new art would arise to take its place1 though what the nature of that new art would be1 it is hazardous to guess4 ,one may1 however1 assert that journalism in its highest development will only thrive so long and so far as the march of events continues1 in the eyes of the majority1 to be a dull1 monotonous and funereal procession4 ,the insensible hack may trust himself to present attractively an occurrence or a man that all the world concedes to be inherently attractive2 but it needs a heaven-born artist1 trained in the subtleties of his craft and gifted with the inexhaustible appreciative wonder of a child1 to deal finely and picturesquely with1 say1 bi-metallism or the ,concert of ,europe4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and how to create interest where interest is not8 ,alas1 no dissertation and no teacher can answer the question4 ,as in other arts1 so in journalism1 the high essentials may not be inculcated4 ,it is the mere technique which is imparted4 ,by a curious paradox1 the student is taught1 of art1 only what he already knows4 ,anyone can learn to write1 and to write well1 in any given style2 but to see1 to discern the interestingness which is veiled from the crowd--that comes not by tuition2 rather by intuition4 ,the best treatise on art can only hope3-- 7#a7 ,to indicate the lines of study and training which should be pursued in order to acquire the measure of mechanical accomplishment necessary to the right using of the artistic faculty4 7#b7 ,if the artistic faculty exists but is dormant1 to awaken it by means of suggestion2 and having awakened it1 to show how it may be properly excited to the fullest activity of which it is capable4 ,this book is an attempt to do these things1 for women1 in the art of journalism4 ,chapter ,,ii ,imperfections of the ,existing ,woman-,journalist4 ,despite a current impression to the contrary1 implicit in nearly every printed utterance on the subject1 there should not be any essential functional disparity between the journalist male and the journalist female4 ,a woman doctor 7to instance another open calling7 is rightly regarded as a doctor who happens to be a woman1 not as a woman who happens to be a doctor4 ,she undergoes the same training1 and submits to the same tests1 as the young men who find their distraction in the music-halls and flirt with nurses4 ,her sex is properly sunk1 except where it may prove an advantage1 and certainly it is never allowed to pose as an excuse for limitations1 a palliative for shortcomings4 ,least of all is she credited 7or debited7 with any abnormality on account of it4 ,but towards the woman journalist our attitude1 and her own1 is mysteriously different4 ,though perhaps we do not say so1 we leave it to be inferred that of the dwellers in ,fleet ,street there are1 not two sexes1 but two species--journalists and women-journalists--and that the one is about as far removed organically from the other as a dog from a cat4 ,and we treat these two species differently4 ,they are not expected to suffer the same discipline1 nor are they judged by the same standards4 ,in ,fleet ,street femininity is an absolution1 not an accident4 ,the statement may be denied1 but it is broadly true1 and can easily be demonstrated4 ,such a condition of affairs is mischievous4 ,it works injustice to both parties1 but more particularly to the woman1 since it sets an arbitrary limit to healthy competition1 while putting a premium on mediocrity4 ,is there any sexual reason why a woman should be a less accomplished journalist than a man8 ,i can find none4 ,admitted that in certain fields--say politics--he will surpass her1 are there not other fields in which she is pre-eminent1 fields of which the man will not so much as climb the gate8 ,and even in politics women have excelled4 ,there are at least three women-journalists in ,europe to-day whose influence is felt in ,cabinets and places where they govern 7proving that sex is not a bar to the proper understanding of la haute politique72 whereas the man who dares to write on fashions does not exist4 99 99 99 99 99 ,that women-journalists as a body have faults1 none knows better than myself4 ,but ,i deny that these faults are natural1 or necessary1 or incurable1 or meet to be condoned4 ,they are due1 not to sex1 but to the subtle1 far-reaching effects of early training2 and the general remedies1 therefore1 as ,i shall endeavour to indicate in subsequent chapters1 lie to hand4 ,they seem to me to be traceable either to an imperfect development of the sense of order1 or to a certain lack of self-control4 ,i should enumerate them thus3-- ,first1 a failure to appreciate the importance of the maxim3 ,business is business4 ,the history of most civil undertakings comprises1 not one ,trafalgar1 but many2 and in journalism especially the signal ,business is business--commercial equivalent of ,england expects--must always be flying at the mast-head4 ,on ne badine pas avec l'amour--much less with a newspaper4 ,consider the effects of any lapse from the spirit of that signal in a profession where time is observed more strictly than in pugilism1 where whatever one does one does in the white light of self-appointed publicity1 where a single error or dereliction may ruin the prestige of years6 ,consider also the rank turpitude of such a lapse6 ,alas1 women frequently do not consider these things4 ,some of them seem to have a superstition that a newspaper is an automaton and has a will-to-live of its own2 that somehow 7they know not how7 it will appear1 and appear fitly1 with or without man's aid4 ,they cannot imagine the possibility of mere carelessness or omission interfering with the superhuman regularity and integrity of its existence4 ,the simple fact of course is that in journalism1 as probably in no other profession1 success depends wholly upon the loyal co-operation1 the perfect reliability1 of a number of people--some great1 some small1 but none irresponsible4 ,stated plainly1 my first charge amounts to this3 women-journalists are unreliable as a class4 ,they are unreliable1 not by sexual imperfection1 or from any defect of loyalty or good faith1 but because they have not yet understood the codes of conduct prevailing in the temples so recently opened to them4 ,on the hearth1 their respect for the exigencies of that mysterious business is unimpeachable2 somehow1 admittance to the shrine engenders a certain forgetfulness1 ,or perhaps it would be kinder and truer to say that the influences of domesticity are too strong to be lightly thrown off4 ,for commercial or professional purposes these influences1 in many cases1 could not well be worse than they are4 ,regard1 for a moment1 the average household in the light of a business organisation for lodging and feeding a group of individuals2 contrast its lapses1 makeshifts1 delays1 irregularities1 continual excuses1 with the awful precisions of a city office4 ,is it a matter for surprise that the young woman who is accustomed gaily to remark1 ,only five minutes late this morning1 father1 or ,i quite forgot to order the coals1 dear1 confident that a frown or a hard word will end the affair1 should carry into business 7be it never so grave7 the laxities so long permitted her in the home8 ,i would not charge the professional woman1 as ,i know her1 with any consistent lack of seriousness4 ,on the contrary1 she is in the main exquisitely serious4 ,no one will deny that the average girl1 when she adopts a profession1 exhibits a seriousness1 an energy1 and a perseverance1 of which the average man is apparently incapable4 7,it is strange that the less her aptitude1 the more dogged her industry47 ,the seriousness of some women in ,fleet ,street and at the ,slade ,school must be reckoned among the sights of ,london4 ,it seems almost impossible that this priceless intensity of purpose should co-exist in the same individual with that annoying irresponsibility which ,i have endeavoured to account for4 ,yet such is the fact4 ,scores of instances of it might be furnished2 let one1 however1 suffice4 ,once there was a woman-journalist in the ,north of ,england who wrote to a ,london paper for permission to act as its special correspondent during the visit of some royal personages to her town4 ,the editor of the paper1 knowing her for an industrious and conscientious worker and a good descriptive writer1 gave the necessary authority1 with explicit information as to the last moment for receiving copy4 ,the moment came1 but not the copy2 and the editor1 for the time being a raging misogynist 7for he had in the meanwhile publicly announced his intention to print a special report71 went to press without it4 ,the next day1 no explanation having arrived1 he dispatched to his special correspondent a particularly scathing and scornful letter4 ,then came the excuse4 ,it was long1 but the root of it amounted to exactly this3 ,i was so knocked up and had such a headache after the ceremonies were over1 that ,i really did not feel equal to the exertion of writing4 ,i thought it would not matter4 ,comment would be inartistic4 ,the curious thing is that the special correspondent was an editor's wife4 99 99 99 99 99 ,secondly1 inattention to detail4 ,though this shortcoming discloses itself in many and various ways1 it is to be observed chiefly in the matter of literary style4 ,women enjoy a reputation for slipshod style4 ,they have earned it4 ,a long and intimate familiarity with the manuscript of hundreds of women writers1 renowned and otherwise1 has convinced me that not ten per cent of them can be relied upon to satisfy even the most ordinary tests in spelling1 grammar1 and punctuation4 ,i do not hesitate to say that if twenty of the most honoured and popular women-writers were asked to sit for an examination in these simple branches of learning1 the general result 7granted that a few might emerge with credit7 would not only startle themselves but would provide innocent amusement for the rest of mankind4 ,of course ,i make no reference here to the elegances and refinements of written language4 ,my charge is that not the mere rudiments are understood4 ,even a lexicographer may nod1 but it surely requires no intellectual power surpassing the achievement of women to refrain from regularly mis-spelling some of the commonest ,english words4 ,the fact that there are niceties of syntax which have proved too much for great literary artists1 does not make less culpable a wilful ignorance of the leading grammatical rules2 yet the average woman will not undergo the brief drudgery of learning them4 ,as for punctuation1 though each man probably employs his own private system1 women are for the most part content with one--the system of dispensing with a system4 ,these accusations1 ,i am aware1 have no novelty4 ,they are time-worn4 ,they have been insisted upon again and again2 but never sufficiently4 ,and now the accusing sub-editors and proof-readers seem to have grown weary of protest4 ,they suffer in silence1 correcting as little as they dare1 while all around are appearing women's articles1 which1 had their authors been men1 would either have met with curt refusal or been returned for thorough revision4 ,the root of the evil lies1 as ,i think1 in training4 ,the female sex is prone to be inaccurate and careless of apparently trivial detail1 because that is the general tendency of mankind4 ,in men destined for a business or a profession1 the proclivity is harshly discouraged at an early stage4 ,in women1 who usually are not destined for anything whatever1 it enjoys a merry life1 and often refuses to be improved out of existence when the sudden need arises4 ,no one by taking thought1 can deracinate the mental habits of1 say1 twenty years4 ,but some women are as accurate and as attentive to detail as the most impeccable man1 while some men 7such as have suffered in training7 present in these respects all the characteristics usually termed feminine4 ,which shows that this question at any rate is not one to be airily dismissed with that over-worked quotation3 ,male and female created he them4 99 99 99 99 99 ,thirdly1 a lack of restraint4 ,this1 again1 touches the matter of literary style4 ,many women-writers1 though by no means all1 have been cured of the habit of italicising1 which was the outcome of a natural desire to atone for weakness by stridency4 7,every writer1 of whatever sex1 must carry on a guerilla against this desire47 ,it is useless1 however1 to discipline a vicious instinct in one direction1 if one panders to it in another4 ,women have given up italics2 but they have set no watch against over-emphasis in more insidious forms4 ,and so their writing is commonly marred by an undue insistence1 a shrillness1 a certain quality of multiloquence4 ,with a few exceptions1 the chief of whom are ,jane ,austen and ,alice ,meynell1 the greatest of them suffer from this garrulous1 gesticulating inefficacy4 ,it runs abroad in ,wuthering ,heights and ,aurora ,leigh and ,sonnets from the ,portuguese4 ,and ,george ,eliot1 for all her spurious masculinity1 is as the rest4 ,you may trace the disease in her most admired passages4 ,for example3-- ,it was to ,adam the time that a man can least forget in after life1 --the time when he believes that the first woman he has ever loved betrays by a slight something--a word1 a tone1 a glance1 the quivering of a lip or an eyelid--that she is at least beginning to love him in return4 ,the sign is so slight1 it is scarcely perceptible to the ear or eye--he could describe it to no one--it is a mere feather-touch1 yet it seems to have changed his whole being1 to have merged an uneasy yearning into a delicious consciousness of everything but the present moment4 7,adam ,bede1 p4 #ahg47 ,observe here the eager iteration of the woman1 making haste to say what she means1 and1 conscious of failure1 falling back on insistence and loquacity4 ,exactly the same vehement spirit of pseudo-forcefulness characterises women's journalism to-day4 ,and the worst is that these tactics inevitably induce formlessness and exaggeration2 the one by reason of mere verbiage1 the other as the result of a too feverish anxiety to be effective4 ,i submit that this lack of restraint shown by women writers as a class is due 7like other defects7 less to sex than to training4 ,the value of restraint is seldom inculcated upon women4 ,indeed1 its opposites--gush and a tendency to hysteria--are regarded1 in many respectable quarters1 as among the proper attributes of true womanliness2 attributes to be artistically cultivated4 ,when at length the principles on which women are brought up come to be altered1 then this fault 7and the others which ,i have mentioned7 will disappear4 ,in the meantime much can be done in individual cases by suitable moral and intellectual calisthenics4 ,chapter ,,iii ,the ,roads towards ,journalism ,more women long and strive to be journalists than by natural gifts are fitted for the profession4 ,by itself1 the wish is no evidence of latent capacity4 ,such desire may be induced by the need to earn a livelihood2 or by the peremptory impulse to do something which drives forward so many women to-day2 or perhaps through conversing with an enthusiastic journalist2 or by printed statements as to the incomes and influence of certain famous members of the craft2 or by the mere glamour which surrounds the newspaper life2 or in forty other ways4 ,the practice of journalism does not demand intellectual power beyond the endowment of the average clever brain4 ,it is less difficult1 ,i should say1 to succeed moderately in journalism than to succeed moderately in dressmaking4 ,any woman of understanding and education1 provided she has good health and the necessary iron determination1 can become a competent journalist of sorts if she chooses to put herself into hard training for a year or two--and this irrespective of natural bent4 ,yet even so1 ,i would recommend you1 unless you are assured of a genuine predisposition towards it1 to find another and less exhausting1 less disappointing occupation than journalism4 ,for it will surely prove both exhausting and disappointing to those whose hearts are not set fast upon it4 ,but how are you1 the woman who desires to be a journalist1 to ascertain whether you have that genuine predisposition1 those natural gifts which will renew your strength and take away the bitterness of disappointments8 ,you may come some way towards deciding the point by answering these three questions3-- #a4 ,are you seriously addicted to reading newspapers and periodicals8 #b4 ,does the thought regularly occur to you1 apropos of fact or incident personally observed3 ,here is 'copy' for a paper8 #c4 ,have you the reputation among your friends of being a good letter-writer8 ,if you cannot reply in the affirmative to two of these queries1 then take up pokerwork1 or oratory1 or fiction1 or nursing1 but leave journalism alone4 ,if by good fortune you are able to say ,yes to all three of them1 you may go forward rejoicing1 for only perseverance will be necessary to your success2 you are indeed called4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there are several ways of entering upon journalism4 ,one is at once to found or purchase a paper1 and thus achieve the editorial chair at a single step4 ,this course is often adopted in novels1 sometimes with the happiest results2 and much less often in real life1 where the end is invariably and inevitably painful4 ,another way is to buy the sub-editorship of a third-rate paper1 by subscribing towards its capital4 ,by such a transaction one gains experience1 but the cost is commonly too dear4 ,another way is to possess friends of high influence in the world of journalism1 who will find for one a seat in a respectable office2 an office where one will be in a position to learn everything without pecuniary risk1 and where one can look forward to earning a salary within a reasonable time4 ,the sole objection to this method is that it is usually quite impracticable4 ,another way is to learn shorthand and the use of the typewriter1 and so obtain an editorial secretaryship4 ,an editor's secretary has every opportunity of conning the secrets of the profession1 and it is her own fault if she is not soon herself a journalist4 ,but the time-honoured1 the only proper way of entering upon journalism is to become what is called an outside contributor4 ,the outside contributor sends unsolicited paragraphs and articles to papers1 on the chance of acceptance4 ,by dint of a thousand refusals1 she learns to gauge the public1 which is the editorial1 taste1 and at length1 fortified by many printed specimens of her work and a list as long as your arm of the various publications for which she writes1 she is able to demand with dignity a position 7in the office or out of it1 as her tastes lie7 on the staff of some paper of renown4 ,some journalists are so successful as outside contributors--writing when1 how1 and for whom they choose--that they would scorn the offer of any regular appointment2 but such are rare4 ,chapter ,,iv ,the ,aspirant ,when you have decided to become an outside contributor you are entitled to call yourself by the proud title of journalistic aspirant4 ,the procedure of the aspirant is usually this3-- ,she casts about for a subject on which to write1 and according to her temperament and circumstances she will certainly choose one of six things3--,a ,spring ,reverie 7or it may be ,an ,autumn ,reverie1 as the time of year suits72 or ,elsie1 a character sketch 7describing one of those insufferably angelic women whom happily ,god never made72 or ,hints on ,economy in ,dress2 or ,my ,first ,bicycle ,ride2 or an exposure of the ,new ,woman2 or1 lastly1 a short story1 probably styled ,an ,incident4 and beginning3 ,enid ,anstruther had come to the end of her resources4 ,as she sat by the fire that winter afternoon1 the glow of the red coal playing on her soft brown hair1 she reflected with a grim smile that1 c41 c4 ,the aspirant1 left to herself1 never goes beyond these six topics for her first venture4 ,having written the thing1 she copies it out in a hand as fair as she can compass 7or1 if she can afford the expense1 gets it typewritten7--on one side of the paper only4 ,she has read somewhere that manuscripts should be on one side of the paper only1 and that they have a better chance of acceptance if typewritten4 ,next she stitches the sheets together1 as a rule with black cotton2 occasionally she uses a safety-pin for safety4 ,then she composes a pretty letter to the editor of the paper with which she happens to be most familiar1 telling him that she is anxious to make a little money 7though not dependent on her earnings for a livelihood71 and hopes he will come to a decision on her article at his earliest convenience2 she adds that she has always admired his journal1 and would esteem it a great honour to be counted among his contributors4 ,she has previously determined to keep the whole affair a profound secret1 but at the last moment she cannot refrain from showing the production1 in strict confidence1 to some near and dear one4 ,this person either pronounces it to be really splendid1 or damns it with a polite sneer2 but whatever the event1 her own golden opinion of her work is confirmed4 ,in the act of dispatching the missive she suddenly remembers that the correct thing is to send a stamped envelope for return2 she does so1 only the envelope which she encloses is usually much too small to hold the manuscript4 ,so the article goes forth4 ,a few days pass1 and the aspirant is beginning to meditate upon the best manner of spending the money to be received for it1 when lo6 it returns4444 99 99 99 99 99 ,needless to say1 the aspirant has set about the difficult business of becoming an outside contributor in quite the wrong way4 ,before daring to enter upon the writing of an article1 it is needful that she should1 in particular1 make a study of four important subjects3-- #a4 ,the distinguishing characteristics1 policy1 and general tone of all the leading dailies1 weeklies1 and monthlies4 #b4 ,spelling4 #c4 ,grammar4 #d4 ,composition1 including punctuation4 ,i will deal briefly with these four4 #a4 ,the object of the journalistic aspirant is to supply a demand4 ,but in order successfully to supply a demand1 it is necessary to know with some exactitude the nature of that demand4 ,of what use to send stuff to editors until you have determined what sort of stuff they lack8 ,to obtain this valuable information 7since editors do not often issue circulars defining their wants7 the only way is to make a scrutiny of their papers4 ,go daily1 therefore1 to a public reading-room1 and examine attentively1 observantly1 the contents of the various publications4 ,ignore no paper because it has little interest for you personally1 or because you have never heard its name before4 ,the more papers you are familiar with1 the wider your field for the disposal of articles4 ,the outside contributor can never tell what paper must serve her turn next4 ,at any moment a subject may occur to her which will suit1 say1 ,the ,pottery ,gazette and ,china and ,glass ,trades ,review1 and only ,the ,pottery ,gazette and ,china and ,glass ,trades ,review4 ,study styles and subjects and idiosyncrasies1 and count no detail unworthy of attention4 ,the importance to the aspirant of this branch of self-training can scarcely be magnified4 #b4 ,few men and very few women can be trusted to spell correctly every word in common use4 ,i have seen the ,,mss4 of many of the foremost women journalists of the day1 and have found orthographic errors in nearly all of them4 ,of course spelling is not a matter of the highest importance--a certain great ,english novelist is notoriously incompetent in this respect1 and relies upon his printers--but it deserves attention4 ,bad spelling spoils the appearance of the cleverest article1 and raises a prejudice against it in the editorial mind4 ,and not all bad spellers have the ingenuity of ,mr4 ,umbrage of ,the ,silchester ,mirror1 in ,mr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,barrie's novel1 ,when a ,man's ,single3-- ,when ,umbrage returned1 ,billy ,kirker1 the chief reporter1 was denouncing ,john ,milton the junior reporter for not being able to tell him how to spell 'deceive4' ',what is the use of you8' he asked indignantly1 'if you can't do a simple thing like that8' ',say cheat1' suggested ,umbrage4 ,so ,kirker wrote 'cheat4' ,i think1 however1 that women have at last learnt to spell words ending in ieve and eive4 ,they go astray nowadays in ance and ence2 also in seperate and irresistable1 and in the past participles of verbs ending in it4 ,the simplest and best way to cure a case of weak spelling is to hand the dictionary to some wise friend1 and ask him or her to question you4 ,a quarter of an hour daily devoted to this treatment will effect a remarkable improvement1 even when the patient happens to think there is no room for improvement4 #c4 ,grammar1 ,i suppose1 is taught in girls' schools on approved modern principles2 nevertheless few women seem to have any acquaintance with it4 ,yet grammar is not a difficult study1 nor a lengthy one1 and an understanding knowledge of its principles is of the greatest assistance in the formation of a good literary style4 ,this is a truism3 that is why it needs saying again4 ,you will find ,dr4 ,richard ,morris's ,primer of ,english ,grammar 7,macmillans1 #as471 with ,mr4 ,john ,wetherell's ,exercises on ,morris's ,english ,grammar 7same publishers and price71 very useful1 and1 though they are small books1 quite adequate to your needs4 ,both can be mastered in a month4 ,the first business is to learn to parse4 ,to parse is to explain the duty each word performs in a sentence3 that is1 to tell the relation each word bears to the rest in a sentence3 the definition clearly shows how indispensable to a writer is some skill in parsing4 ,of course many of the exercises are set obviously for children1 but sufficient remain to puzzle the woman of average intelligence4 ,that lady might1 for example1 have a difficulty in parsing the italicised words in the following3 ,my cap1 having stuck on a long time1 now went whirling down the lane4 ,afterwards comes analysis--the breaking up of a sentence into its component parts--not less urgent than parsing4 ,this branch of the subject is treated well and thoroughly in ,mr4 ,wetherell's book1 and his exercises should be worked through conscientiously4 ,note further1 in the same primer1 the division relating to syntax1 and especially the exercises on pp4 #gd1 #ge4 ,the chapter on conjunctions is also of serious importance to women4 #d4 ,by composition1 ,i mean merely the art of writing without transgressing the rules of grammar and kindred canons by which all writers agree to be bound4 ,the higher matter of style will be treated in the next chapter4 ,the best book on this subject is ,professor ,nichol's ,english ,composition 7,macmillan's1 #as474 ,it is small1 but it omits no point on which beginners are likely to err4 ,women should give particular attention to the following3-- ,false concords1 p4 #bb4 ,purity in the use of words1 p4 #cc4 ,want of discrimination between synonyms1 p4 #ci4 ,carelessness as to the meaning of sentences1 p4 #db4 ,the use of relatives1 p4 #eb4 ,professor ,nichol most truthfully says3 ,the most fertile source of confusion in ,english is a slovenly use of relatives4 ,arrangement1 p4 #fc4 ,for guidance as to punctuation1 study ,stops1 by ,paul ,allardyce 7,f4 ,fisher ,unwin1 #as474 ,no book1 however1 could possibly deal with every point likely to arise under our wonderful ,english system of punctuation4 ,it is an excellent plan to read aloud any sentence which presents a difficulty1 and to punctuate it according to the pauses made 7almost unconsciously7 by the voice4 ,this method is well-nigh infallible4 ,if doubt still remains1 remember that it is better to punctuate too little than too much4 99 99 99 99 99 ,concurrently with the study of newspapers1 spelling1 grammar1 and composition1 the aspirant must make a practice of writing daily a short interesting description 7say five hundred words7 of some event or scene personally observed during the day4 ,nothing should be allowed to interfere with the regularity of this exercise1 which is essential1 not only for the improvement of style1 but also for the sharpening of that faculty of subject-selection so necessary to the journalist4 ,it is idle to say3 ,nothing interesting ever happens within my ken1 ,there is no event1 no scene1 but has its interesting aspect4 ,your business1 madam1 is to discover that aspect4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it may be well to state here that neither shorthand nor typewriting is requisite to the ultimate success of the journalistic aspirant4 ,the common notion that shorthand is part of the equipment of every journalist is quite wrong4 ,if1 however1 the aspirant possesses a typewriter and the skill to use it1 she will of course be able to get her articles transcribed for nothing4 ,chapter ,v ,style ,how can ,i acquire a good style of writing8 ,pathetic question1 invariably asked by the artless beginner6 ,you cannot acquire a good style2 only a bad style can be acquired4 ,it is a current impression that style is something apart from1 something foreign to1 matter--a beautiful robe which1 once it is found1 may be used to clothe the nudity of matter4 ,young writers wander forth searching for style1 as one searches for that which is hidden4 ,they might employ themselves as profitably in looking for the noses on their faces4 ,for style is personal1 as much a portion of one's self as the voice4 ,it is within1 not without2 it needs only to be elicited1 brought to light4 ,the one possible way of developing the latent style which has always been yours1 is to forget absolutely that such a thing as style exists4 ,for good style consists in saying exactly what you mean with the utmost clearness and the utmost naturalness3 simply that6 ,when you have accomplished so much1 you have accomplished good style4 ,in no sense is style of the nature of embroidery1 an ornament superimposed3 this is what the beginner fails to grasp2 she somehow cannot rid herself of the superstition that after the meaning is precisely expressed1 something further remains to be done4 ,i have put clearness and naturalness as the two attributes of good style4 ,clearness need not be defined4 ,naturalness will not suffer definition2 it depends on the individual1 and must be determined by the individual4 ,what is proper for one person may be improper for another4 ,carlyle was ungraceful with impunity2 ,lamb could not have been so4 ,we may no more choose our styles than our characters4 ,style1 like character1 can1 it is true1 be trained--strengthened1 chastened1 refined1 rendered shapely2 but in essentials it must for ever remain as it originally was4 ,it is the expression1 not only of the thoughts immediately to be set down1 but of the very man himself1 and with the man it will develop4 ,it cannot be invented2 it cannot be concocted4 ,it must be a natural growth--watched1 tended1 fostered1 pruned1 but after all a natural growth4 99 99 99 99 99 ,to find out1 to uncover1 one's true style2 to lay bare one's self3 how is this to be set about8 ,primarily1 by experiment in the way of imitation1 which is the commencement of all art4 ,every great artist--,shakspere1 ,beethoven1 ,velasquez1 ,inigo ,jones--has started by imitating the models which he admired and to which he felt drawn4 ,you must do the same4 ,it is the surest and indeed the only way of arriving at one's true individuality4 ,i do not find it easy to recommend exemplars to the aspirant2 so many writers of indubitable greatness have been fatal to their disciples2 take the trite instance of ,carlyle1 whose influence twenty years ago ruined styles innumerable4 ,shakspere and ,congreve1 possibly our two supreme prose artists1 have styles which1 in directness and freedom from mannerism1 are well suited to be models for the young journalist2 but since they wrote only dialogue1 now archaic in many details1 it is very difficult for the young journalist to follow them with profit in descriptive work4 ,among modern writers1 ,mrs4 ,alice ,meynell has a style unsurpassed in simplicity1 fineness1 and strength4 ,nevertheless ,i hesitate to name her as a model1 lest the student1 in trying to attain her succinct perfection1 should fall into mere baldness4 ,on the whole1 my inclination turns towards ,huxley's ,essays4 ,here you have a style which1 though by no means great1 possesses every good quality1 and has besides no tricks to lead the beginner astray2 nothing more adorably fitted to the uses of newspaper work could be conceived4 ,to these might be added the letters of ,cowper1 and the more popular essays of ,matthew ,arnold4 ,paraphrasing is an excellent practice4 ,read a passage from the author of your choice2 grasp thoroughly its purport1 but do not learn it by heart4 ,then close the book1 and endeavour to set down in fresh words the thing you have read4 ,in a few days 7not at once7 compare your work with the classic4 ,the comparison will induce humility1 and humility is the beginning of knowledge4 ,after a period of pure imitation you will begin1 at first almost imperceptibly1 to diverge into a direction of your own4 ,then proceed warily1 making the curve very gradual4 ,never attempt to pass judgment on your writing before it is a week old4 ,until a reasonable interval has elapsed1 it is impossible for you to distinguish between what you had in your mind and what is actually on the paper2 the brain1 still occupied with the thought to be expressed1 unconsciously supplies the omissions and clarifies the obscurities of the written word1 which thus seems more satisfactory and convincing than it really is4 ,with the passage of time1 the thought fades1 and the written expression of it1 no longer illuminated by memory1 must then stand with you on its intrinsic merits4 ,when thus examining your work1 read it aloud3 the process will disclose weaknesses of all sorts not previously suspected4 ,do not destroy anything which you have written4 ,it is well from time to time to refer to past work4 ,to find that one has progressed is always an encouragement to further effort4 ,so far generally4 ,as this book does not happen to be a guide to style1 it is impossible here to discuss every point likely to arise during the aspirant's self-education in the art of literary expression4 ,but there are several scarlet sins against which she must be briefly warned4 ,the worst of them is the sin of using trite expressions--phrases1 figures1 metaphors1 and quotations2 such as--not to mince the matter1 took occasion to1 won golden opinions1 the cynosure of all eyes1 mental vision1 smell of the lamp1 read mark learn and inwardly digest1 inclines towards1 indulge in1 it is whispered1 staple topic of conversation1 hit the happy medium1 not wisely but too well1 ,i grieve to say1 reign supreme1 much in request1 justify its existence1 lend itself amiably to1 choice galore1 call for remark1 hail with delight2 and forty thousand others4 ,the work of some writers is chiefly made up of these hackneyed locutions4 ,says ,schopenhauer1 in an illuminative passage which ,i cull from his clever but uneven essay ,on ,authorship and ,style3--,everyday authors are only half conscious when they write1 a fact which accounts for their want of intellect and the tediousness of their writings3 they do not really themselves understand the meaning of their own words1 because they take ready-made words and learn them4 ,hence they combine whole phrases more than words--phrases banales4 ,this accounts for that obviously characteristic want of clearly defined thought2 in fact1 they lack the die that stamps their thoughts1 they have no clear thought of their own2 and in place of it we find an indefinite1 obscure interweaving of words1 current phrases1 worn-out terms of speech1 and fashionable expressions4 ,the result is that their foggy kind of writing is like print that has been done with old type4 ,on the other hand1 intelligent people really speak to us in their writings1 and this is why they are able both to move and to entertain us4 ,it is only intelligent writers who place individual words together with a full consciousness of their use1 and select them with deliberation4 ,if you have something to say1 instead of accepting the first phrases that present themselves 7which are naturally those you have heard the most often1 and therefore the tritest71 endeavour to express yourself in words of your own individual choice1 selected singly4 ,when you have put a sentence together1 examine each word separately1 and unless it can satisfactorily account for its position there1 by proving appositeness and either originality or indispensability1 then cast it aside4 ,the conscientious performance of this rite will soon give a wonderful freshness and piquancy to your style4 ,here ,i must mention a book invaluable to all writers--a book of which ,i 7as a writer7 think so well1 that if ,i might only possess one book and had to choose between this and a ,shakspere1 ,i would let the ,shakspere go4 ,i refer to ,roget's ,thesaurus of ,english ,words and ,phrases 7,longman1 #ajs4 #f;d474 ,it is in effect a vast collection of synonyms1 divided and subdivided minutely and with precision4 ,when you lack the mot juste1 turn in the index at the end of the volume to any word which1 however distantly1 approaches in meaning the one you need but cannot summon2 you will find a reference to a laborious and magnificent group of allied words amongst which the desired1 the unique word is sure to be discovered4 ,for example1 we will suppose you require another word for difficulty2 consider this list3-- ,nouns4 ,difficulty1 hardness 7and nouns formed from similar adjectives72 impracticability1 c4 7see impossibility72 tough-1 hard-1 uphill- work2 hard-1 herculean-1 ,augean-task2 task of ,sisyphus1 ,sisyphean labour1 tough job1 teaser1 rasper1 dead lift4 ,dilemma1 embarrassment2 perplexity1 c4 7see uncertainty72 intricacy2 entanglement2 cross fire2 awkwardness1 delicacy1 ticklish card to play1 knot1 ,gordian knot1 dignus vindice nodus1 net1 meshes1 maze2 coil1 c4 7see convolution72 crooked path4 ,nice-1 delicate-1 subtle-1 knotty point2 vexed question1 vexata qustio1 poser1 puzzle1 c4 7see riddle72 paradox2 hard-1 nut to crack2 bone to pick1 crux1 pons asinorum1 where the shoe pinches4 ,nonplus1 quandary1 strait1 pass1 pinch1 pretty pass1 stress1 brunt2 critical situation1 crisis2 trial1 rub1 emergency1 exigency1 scramble4 ,scrape1 hobble1 slough1 quagmire1 hot water1 hornet's nest2 sea-1 peck of troubles3 pretty kettle of fish2 pickle1 stew1 imbroglio mess1 ado2 false position2 set fast1 stand2 dead1-lock1-set2 fix1 horns of a dilemma1 cul de sac2 hitch2 stumbling block1 c4 7see hindrance74 ,the catalogues of allied adjectives and of allied verbs are even longer than the foregoing4 ,the ,introduction to the ,thesaurus1 by the way1 though deserving of study1 is a dull and cumbrous piece of work and not necessary to the usefulness of the book4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the sin of using trite expressions is equally common among men and women4 ,there are others which chiefly beset women3-- ,undue insistence4 ,i have touched upon this in ,chapter ,,ii4 ,the remedy is to use superlatives only under compulsion1 and to eschew italics and such adverbs as absolutely1 utterly1 positively4 ,wordiness4 ,when you have written a paragraph1 examine it carefully with the object of eliminating every word which is not necessary to the expression of the meaning4 ,be sure that you have not said the same thing twice in different words4 ,keep watch especially against pleonasms4 ,let this be your motto3 ,brevity without baldness4 ,undue use of metaphor1 simile1 and figure4 ,this is a sin to which women are wofully prone4 ,they commit it with glee1 and ,i have often found it a most difficult matter to make them realise the absurdities which result from the practice of it4 ,as an illustration of the ludicrous consequences of unbridled indulgence in metaphor and simile1 ,i quote the following extract 7not1 however1 the work of a woman7 from a serious and justly respected newspaper4 ,i have gasped in wonder to witness one of ,her ,majesty's judges forsake--on very insufficient provocation--the gossamer of recreative conversation1 to upraise a few monumental1 ,i may say memorable1 judgments on the subject of lithography4 ,now1 there are many red rags in the various arts with which to encompass the discomfiture of the ,philistine's bull1 and the raven will always appropriate the feathers of the peacock and look ridiculous in them2 but the rapier enwreathed in the red rag of painting is more readily rushed upon1 and plumes of appreciation more wantonly borrowed and grotesquely worn in this walk of art than in any other4 ,shun especially mixed metaphors4 ,footnote3 ,the most beautiful instance of mixed metaphor ,i have ever seen occurred in a solicitor's letter1 brought to my notice by the clerk to whom it was dictated4 ,it ran thus3--,we go upon the principle that1 in order to pull the matter out of the fire1 a fourth of a fifth of a loaf is better than no bread1 which the terms proposed are4 ,see the section on figurative language 7p4 #gf7 in ,nichols' ,english ,composition4 ,but do not take ,nichols himself as a model2 ,i find him writing thus3--,avoid an accumulation of little words4 ,the luggage of particles is an impediment to strong speech and a jar in the harmony of style1 which is nearly as funny as the funny examples which he quotes4 ,chapter ,,vi ,the ,outside ,contributor ,in ,mr4 ,j4,m4 ,barrie's ,when a ,man's ,single ,footnote3 ,this brilliant novel should be seriously studied by every young journalist4 ,it contains more useful advice to the outside contributor than all the manuals of journalism ever written4 the following homily is delivered by a journalist of experience to a naive and innocent beginner3-- ,there are only about a dozen papers in ,london worth writing for1 but ,i can give you a good account of them4 ,not only do they pay handsomely1 but the majority are open to contributions from anyone4 ,don't you believe what one reads about newspaper rings4 ,everything sent in is looked at1 and if it is suitable any editor is glad to have it4 ,men fail to get a footing on the press because--well1 as a rule because they are stupid4 ,this is indeed wisdom4 ,i demur to the first sentence alone4 ,there are to-day 7whatever the case ten years ago7 many more than a dozen papers in ,london worth writing for2 ,i should put the number nearer a hundred2 papers which pay1 if not handsomely1 at least adequately1 seldom lower than fifteen shillings per thousand1 and in some noble instances ascending to two guineas--which is princely4 ,a dozen papers worth writing for in the whole of ,london6 ,why1 it is scarcely uncommon for a single firm to have control of a dozen reputable publications6 ,the beginner must1 for her encouragement and solace under rebuffs1 grasp firmly the fact that the immense majority of ,london editors are not merely willing but in truth anxious to peruse such manuscripts as she cares to submit to their notice1 and to accept them if suitable4 ,the supply of really suitable material of average quality does not often exceed the demand1 and the supply of suitable material which can be called distinguished is always less than the demand4 ,this is why the editorial eye keeps a sleepless watch for that long-desired new writer1 who may be yourself4 ,also1 the beginner should remember with pride that the ,press as a whole relies for much of its freshness and attraction upon the outside contributor4 ,if the stream of unsolicited contributions were suddenly to cease flowing into ,fleet ,street1 the monthlies would find themselves in a predicament2 all the weeklies 7except certain class organs71 from the esoteric literary sixpenny to the penny popular with a circulation equal to the population of ,glasgow1 would be compelled to cast aside dignity1 and solicit instead of being solicited2 even those pompous creatures1 the great dailies1 would feel the pinch1 despite their regular services and seething staffs4 ,let it be your glory1 therefore1 ,o outside contributors1 that the very existence of the ,press1 as at present organised1 depends upon yourselves4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i have already referred to the necessity of visiting regularly a public news-room4 ,as you progress in the power of composition1 so must your knowledge of the make-up of all the principal papers increase2 for the first is useless without the second4 ,you must1 in particular1 know intimately the complicated topography of all the daily papers--on what days certain features appear2 what length of article is affected by each paper2 and the subtle variations of tone which1 apart from grosser differences1 distinguish one organ from another4 ,you must also be well acquainted with the various editorial notices1 and take care1 when sending in manuscripts1 always to obey the instructions there laid down4 ,the length of an article is a most important matter and frequently decides its fate4 ,accordingly1 the question of lengths must be thoroughly studied4 ,for a simple example1 you must know that a ,globe turnover 7the celebrated daily article which occupies the last column on the first page and turns over to the second page7 must necessarily exceed a thousand words2 no article intended for that position1 whatever its merit1 can have the least chance of acceptance if it falls short of this minimum4 ,again1 the first article in the ,evening ,standard must exactly fill the column1 no more and no less4 ,do net despise class papers1 those which appeal only to a particular section of the community--religious1 architectural1 literary1 artistic1 and so forth4 ,these papers sometimes experience a difficulty in getting what articles they desire1 and indeed it is notorious that the editors of certain of them are often at their wits' end in the search for new treatments of an exhausted subject4 ,the reasons for such a state of affairs are1 of course1 first1 that outside contributors in their blindness pass over these papers1 and secondly1 that as the subjects are sharply limited1 so is the field for copy4 ,it would be well to buy for reference ,sells' ,dictionary of the ,world's ,press 7#gs4 #f;d471 a vast volume containing indexes of all papers1 with their addresses1 and a quantity of useful information concerning them4 ,the ,literary ,year ,book 7,george ,allen1 #cs4 #f;d471 gives a tabular statement 7incomplete1 but useful so far as it goes7 showing the editorial requirements of a number of weekly and monthly organs4 99 99 99 99 99 ,naturally it is impossible to offer particular advice upon so immense a subject as the selection of topics for articles1 but attention is directed to the following three points3-- #a4 ,editors1 especially editors of weeklies and monthlies1 find it necessary to make their arrangements far in advance of publishing day4 ,therefore the outside contributor must always look ahead4 ,in ,march she should have an eye on ,midsummer1 at ,midsummer she should be engrossed by ,christmas1 and at ,christmas that notorious article1 ,easter in many ,lands1 should be approaching completion4 ,it is useless to send in 7as so many thoughtless ones do send in7 an essay on the ,new ,year just before ,christmas1 or a seaside dissertation towards the end of ,july4 ,and this applies not only to the great annual festivals and seasons1 but also to all important political1 social1 and general events whose dates are known beforehand4 ,take1 for an instance1 the annual meeting of the ,british ,association4 ,if you send to an editor an anecdotal history of the ,british ,association only a a few days before the meeting itself1 you thereby assume that the editor is depending for his topical articles on chance contributions received at the last moment4 ,which is patently absurd4 ,without doubt that editor had arranged his ,british ,association articles a couple of months previously1 and it is not improbable that he accepted the suggestions of some outside contributor who had been clever enough to look into the future4 ,it is a good plan to compile for reference a calendar of festivals1 seasons1 and public events1 exactly such as the editor himself must use4 #b4 ,women need not confine themselves to women's subjects4 ,many women writers seem to think that they are debarred by some defect or limitation of sex from treating topics other than those commonly termed feminine4 ,but there is no reason why a woman should not deal as effectively as a man with general matters4 7,to argue that1 because the male journalist does not usually touch women's affairs without being ridiculous1 therefore the converse holds good1 is illogical47 ,i lay stress on this4 #c4 ,do not disdain to write mere paragraphs4 ,the present is an era of paragraphs1 and they form a most marketable commodity4 ,scarcely an editor but is continually gaping for topical paragraphs4 ,moreover paragraphs are less difficult to write than articles1 since they demand less constructive skill2 many aspirants can put together a passable paragraph who would fail miserably with an article4 ,further1 they have a better chance of acceptance1 cteris paribus1 for the reason that editors find them easier to handle4 ,often an editor declines an article which he likes1 simply because he knows that to use it would involve the re-modelling of an entire issue2 a paragraph is more amenable4 ,lastly1 paragraphs are paid for1 and just as much as articles they may afford one the encouraging satisfaction of seeing her stuff in print4 ,the beginner1 therefore1 will do well to begin with paragraph work2 articles may follow at a later stage4 99 99 99 99 99 ,your paragraph or article having been composed1 there arises the question of the proper way to copy and dispatch it3-- #a4 ,in the majority of instances it is unnecessary to typewrite4 ,typewriting is somewhat expensive and often inaccurate1 and unless you happen to possess your own typewriter1 there is no reason why caligraphy should not suffice for your needs4 7,a few editors1 however1 insist that all copy submitted shall be typewritten47 ,use quarto paper--that is1 the size of a sheet of note-paper opened--and only one side of it4 ,write very plainly1 not too small1 leaving a wide margin at the left hand1 and a good space between the words and between the lines4 #b4 ,fasten the sheets together at the top left hand corner with a paper fastener1 the pointed ends of the fastener being at the top4 ,do not pin the sheets2 do not stitch them2 whatever else you do1 refrain from stitching them all the way down the left hand side1 as this process makes it irritatingly difficult to turn them over4 #c4 ,write your name and address not only at the top of the manuscript itself1 but also on the back1 so that they may be prominent when the manuscript is folded up4 ,write boldly on the first page the exact length of the article in words4 #d4 ,enclose a stamped and addressed envelope--not a book-post wrapper2 manuscripts which see much of the world 7and your earlier manuscripts will probably see a very great deal of the world7 become damaged and ruinous by travelling in a book-post wrapper4 ,be sure that the envelope is sufficiently stamped1 and be sure also that it is large enough to hold the manuscript4 #e4 ,never send out a dirty or ragged manuscript4 ,the editor is prejudiced by the first sight of such a manuscript1 for he knows at once that it has been refused elsewhere4 99 99 99 99 99 ,her manuscript decently dispatched1 the aspirant will feel happy and well satisfied till shortly before the earliest hour possible for its return4 ,then begins suspense4 ,she will sit awaiting with counterfeit calm the postman4 ,she hears his tread on the pavement outside2 he mounts the steps1 knocks2 there is the gentle concussion of a packet against the bottom of the letter-box4 ,is it the article returned8 ,she still keeps hope4 ,even when one day the large envelope1 addressed in her own writing1 is put into her hands1 she says to herself that the editor has only returned it for a few trifling modifications4444 ,invariably the thing does come back1 sooner or later1 with some curt circular of refusal4 ,moodiness and discouragement follow4 ,but it is as wise to be annoyed by editors as to quarrel with the weather4 ,idle depression must instantly give place to renewed activity4 ,the journalistic instinct1 says ,noble ,simms in ,when a ,man's ,single1 includes a determination not to be beaten as well as an aptitude for selecting the proper subjects4 ,if at first you fail--as will certainly be the case2 you may sell nothing whatever for twelve months--be quite sure that it is not-- ,because there is a conspiracy among editors to suppress talented beginners4 ,or because the market is overcrowded4 ,or because your manuscripts have not been carefully read4 ,or because editors do not know their business4 ,try to convince yourself that the true reason is-- ,because your stuff has not yet reached the 7low7 level of merely technical accomplishment which the average editor exacts4 ,or because your topics are devoid of interest for any numerous body of persons4 ,or because you persist in sending your articles to the wrong papers4 ,the first defect ought to be remedied speedily4 ,the second is more difficult to deal with1 and the third is most difficult4 ,the eradication of these two will necessitate careful and continuous study of journalism in all its manifestations1 and nothing but successive defeats will teach you how to be victorious4 ,however1 perseverance granted1 the hour will come when an article of yours finds its way to the composing room4 ,a day of ecstasy1 upon which every disappointment is forgotten and the way forward seems straight and facile6 ,as soon as you can rely upon selling one article out of four1 count it that you are progressing4 99 99 99 99 99 ,as to remuneration1 a few papers send out cheques at regular intervals without putting their contributors to any trouble in the matter4 ,others1 and among them some of the best1 never pay till a demand is made4 ,some1 including one or two organs of note1 never pay till they are compelled to do so4 ,if a remittance is not received during the month following publication1 it is advisable to deliver an account1 giving the date of appearance1 exact title1 and number of pages1 columns1 or inches4 ,chapter ,,vii ,the ,search for ,copy ,there comes a time when the aspirant1 proudly conscious of a certain technical skill in composition and construction1 and disheartened by repeated failures1 exclaims with petulance3 ,what shall ,i write about8 ,she dolefully imagines that the list of feasible subjects is exhausted2 her wearied brain refuses any longer to carry on its sterile activities1 and despair settles down upon her4 ,this is because her eyes have not been opened to the limitless possibilities for the making of good copy which exist on every side4 ,most probably she has been looking in quite the wrong direction4 ,when ,rob ,angus1 in ,when a ,man's ,single1 remarks to ,rorrison1 ,and yet ,i had thirty articles rejected before the ',minotaur' accepted that one1 ,rorrison's reply is1 ,yes1 and you will have another thirty rejected if they are of the same kind4 ,you beginners seem able to write nothing but your views on politics1 and your reflections on art1 and your theories on life1 which you sometimes even think original4 ,editors won't have that1 because their readers don't want it4 ,every paper has its regular staff of leader-writers1 and what is wanted from the outsider is freshness4 ,an editor tosses aside your column and a half about evolution1 but is glad to have a paragraph saying that you saw ,herbert ,spencer the day before yesterday gazing solemnly for ten minutes in a milliner's window4 ,fleet ,street at this moment is simply running with men who want to air their views about things in general4 ,with slight modification the satire applies admirably to women4 ,perhaps women are not so anxious as men to air their views about things in general 7though they are tolerably anxious71 but they are certainly too prone to write down vaguely their vague fancies about things in general4 ,fleet ,street at this moment 7to use ,rorrison's expressive phrase7 is simply running with women who are writing fanciful essays and not selling them because editors don't want fanciful essays--or indeed any sort of essays4 ,let us see this fact clear3 editors have little use for essays and they have no use for views 7except their own74 ,to gain acceptance essays must be extremely well done1 and emphatically they are not stuff for beginners to tackle4 ,apparently the easiest form of composition in the world1 the essay is in truth one of the most difficult4 ,not much experience is needed to prove this4 ,yet every woman who aspires to journalism must needs employ her clumsy pen upon essays4 ,from my ,window is a favourite title with the rank beginner4 ,charles ,lamb might conceivably have written an essay called ,from my ,window which would have been a masterpiece--and there is a remote chance that some editor might have accepted it4 ,but then ,charles ,lamb is dead1 and his secret died with him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,despite the vast number of articles written and printed during recent years1 there remains a yet vaster number of articles waiting to be written--even after leaving essays out of account4 ,in fact the more articles written1 the more to be written4 ,the field for copy has a resemblance to ,klondyke3 removal of treasure serves only to bring larger quantities into sight4 ,journalism ever grows wider1 more comprehensive2 the whole history of the profession demonstrates this4 ,in the early years of daily journalism1 for example1 the sole subjects deemed worthy of a newspaper's attention were politics1 money1 and the law4 ,some conservative sheets still endeavour to live up to this ideal1 but the circulation and the influence go to those which find no aspect of human existence beneath their notice4 ,formerly newspapers had a morbid dread of being readable4 ,they have lost that dread now1 and those which have lost it most completely1 most completely succeed4 ,as with the dailies1 so with every other sort of paper4 ,the aim is to be inclusive1 satisfying the public curiosity and at the same time whetting it2 for the more the public knows1 the more it wants to know4 ,and it refuses any longer to make a task of newspaper-reading4 ,it demands that it shall be amused while it is instructed1 like a child at a kindergarten4 ,to make sure that you are availing yourself of the immense possibilities for copy which this extraordinary inquisitiveness on the part of the public has fortunately created1 you must cultivate an attitude of mind which is constantly asking the question3-- ,is there copy here8 ,this attitude may and must be cultivated to such an extent that instead of vainly searching for subjects1 you are at a loss to choose among the multitude of ideas for articles which suggest themselves at every turn of existence4 ,i will illustrate what ,i mean4 ,in the first place1 it is necessary to remember that articles are divided into two classes--those which are not topical and those which are4 ,daily papers subsist almost exclusively upon the latter2 other papers require both4 ,we will take the non-topical articles first4 ,these1 since they do not spring naturally from passing events1 must be suggested by the occurrences of one's everyday life4 ,thus3-- ,you get up in the morning4 ,queer ways of sleeping4 ,for ,tit-,bits and its class4 ,material at ,british ,museum4 ,my alarum4 ,humorous4 ,how to economise space in a small bedroom4 ,for a women's paper4 ,where some ,queens sleep4 ,about the sleeping apartments of sovereigns4 ,ample material in biographies and periodical literature4 ,does a woman require more sleep than a man8 ,for the silly season4 ,is breakfast in bed enjoyable8 ,ditto4 ,you walk downstairs4 ,some famous staircases4 ,stair-climbing as a form of indoor exercise4 ,how to decorate a staircase inexpensively4 ,you sit down to breakfast4 ,our newsboy4 ,humorous4 ,papa at breakfast4 ,ditto4 ,the proper way of making coffee4 7,there is always a market for this kind of thing47 ,how a cup and saucer are made4 ,should the ,english breakfast be abolished8 ,and so on throughout the day4 ,i put forward these suggestions1 not to be worked out1 but merely to indicate how notions for articles should come to life in you4 ,a constant effort to evolve ideas in this way cannot fail to be fruitful1 and though most of the ideas will be cast aside as valueless1 a few promising ones will remain4 ,on no account abandon good articles because you fear they have been done before4 ,rorrison said3 ,of course they have1 but do them in your own way2 the public has no memory1 and besides1 new publics are always springing up4 ,topical articles are possibly more shy of suggesting themselves than non-topical1 but on the other hand they always have a better chance of acceptance4 ,notions for these cluster about every event or personage that happens to be in the public eye4 ,suppose we are in ,april1 and the ,covent ,garden ,opera is to open in a month's time4 ,at such a moment editors are naturally susceptible to articles bearing on the subject4 ,for example3-- ,earnings of operatic stars4 ,whims of operatic stars4 ,anecdotes 7in paragraphic form7 relating to any of the singers engaged4 ,these three could be worked up from files of newspapers1 particularly of ,american newspapers4 ,how an opera chorus is trained4 ,material for this might be obtained from intelligent women-members of the chorus1 interviewed on the spot4 ,notes on the new operas to be produced4 ,notes about composers and conductors4 ,the ,fortunes of ,covent ,garden ,theatre4 ,a historic-anecdotal article4 ,material at the ,british ,museum4 ,notes about the titled box-holders for the season4 ,material to be obtained from the theatre officials4 ,and about ninety-nine similar articles4 ,in the matter of topical articles1 ,i must quote once more from ,when a ,man's ,single4 ,simms told ,rob ,angus that when anything remarkable occurred in ,london he should at once do an article at the ,british ,museum on the times the same thing had happened before4 ,this kind of article1 if delivered promptly1 almost invariably finds a market2 but it must be delivered promptly4 ,then1 of course1 there are the fixed and movable feasts--,christmas1 ,easter1 c41--for which seasonable articles are required4 ,seasonable articles about these too trite festivals the editor must have 7though he would much prefer to dispense with them71 and he accepts the least hackneyed suggestions which offer themselves4 99 99 99 99 99 ,wide as the field for copy already is1 it widens1 as ,i have said1 continually4 ,in ,america it is always somewhat wider than in ,england1 and a perusal of the ,sunday editions of the leading ,new ,york papers1 the ,herald1 ,world1 ,sun1 ,journal1 c4 7which may be obtained in ,london71 will not be profitless to the alert student4 ,these huge and flaring productions have objectionable features which are only too obvious1 but they are conducted by the cleverest journalists in the world1 and the invaluable journalistic instinct is apparent on every page of them4 ,the splendid pertinacity and ingenuity of the ,american journalist in wringing copy out of any and every side of existence cannot fail to quicken the pulses of those who are accustomed to the soberer1 narrower1 sleepier ways of ,english newspapers4 ,fleet ,street pretends to despise and contemn ,american methods1 yet a gradual ,americanising of the ,english press is always taking place1 with results on the whole admirable4 99 99 99 99 99 ,photography is an aid to the outside contributor4 ,illustrations always assist an article2 sometimes they are sufficient to make an unsaleable article saleable4 ,many articles are capable of being illustrated by means of the camera1 and almost any photographic pictures are capable of being written round4 ,for example1 a series of pictures1 with brief letterpress1 under the title1 ,the ,strand from dawn to dusk1 showing incidents of traffic1 such as a horse down1 c41 would be easily disposed of to an illustrated weekly2 such photographs could be taken instanteously on a bright day without any difficulty whatever4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the foregoing remarks on the search for copy are of course addressed to the aspirant living in ,london1 who possesses immense advantages over her rural sister4 ,she has1 chiefly1 the ,british ,museum1 that blessed fount of universal information1 and her first duty must be to apply to the ,chief ,librarian for a reading ticket4 ,some time will elapse before she is able to use handily the vast apparatus here placed at her disposal1 but she will find the officials benignantly omniscient1 and always ready to help the unskilled in research4 ,also1 she must not be shy of going into the world and collecting such facts as she may require1 ferreting things out1 and refusing to be abashed4 ,so soon as she has contributed to a few papers of standing1 she should have some cards engraved with her name1 and a list of these papers after the words ,contributor to4 ,such a card will constitute sufficient credentials on any expedition of enquiry1 and will frequently aid her to obtain interviews with people of importance in their day4 ,interviews1 it need scarcely be said1 are most popular with the average editor4 ,the provincial aspirant is less fortunately placed1 though if she resides in a large town with a good public library1 she may manage tolerably well4 ,it is the woman sepulchred in a small village who finds herself most severely handicapped4 ,still1 ,i know instances of women so situated who have gained the position of regular contributors to journals of dignity4 ,their success has been usually due to specialising on some single topic or group of topics1 such as nature notes1 household affairs1 country occupations1 parochial management1 home handiwork1 village sketches1 and so on4 ,there is copy even in a village4 ,a woman afflicted with journalistic ambitions once wrote to an editor complaining that she was out of the world1 actually two miles from a shop4 ,then write an article1 the editor replied1 entitled ',two miles from a shop4' ,she did so2 it was accepted and followed by others of a similar kind4 ,chapter ,,viii ,the ,art of ,corresponding with an ,editor ,women contributors are commonly much too fond of corresponding with editors4 ,when the aspirant dispatches the first article1 it is quite customary for her to send it under cover of a long epistle 7not unfrequently extending to eight pages7 in which she gives her personal history in brief1 and a short statement of her literary ambitions1 including in particular her ambition to contribute to your excellent paper which ,i have always admired2 often she adds that though not dependant 7so she spells the word7 upon her own efforts for a livelihood1 she is nevertheless anxious to earn a little money2 or it may be that she is in fact thrown upon her own resources1 in which case she explains that she has turned to journalism as the readiest means of providing for herself4 ,sometimes she ventures to hope that the editor will judge her work leniently1 since she is only a beginner4 ,sometimes1 with affecting candour1 she avows that she does not expect for a moment to be accepted4 ,sometimes she requests that in case of refusal the editor will advise her where next to send the manuscript4 ,sometimes she begs for a frank criticism1 and if the editor is foolish enough to justify his heartless refusal by such a criticism1 she pesters the devoted fellow with another long letter of thanks1 in which she timidly suggests that he may be able to assist her further1 but hopes that he will not trouble to send any answer unless it is quite1 quite convenient to him to do so4 ,he doesn't4 ,in her pre-occupation1 she usually forgets either to write her name and address on the manuscript or to enclose stamps2 occasionally she omits even to stamp her own letter4 99 99 99 99 99 ,let this be your rule3 ,don't write to an editor4 ,he has an objection to both reading letters and answering them2 he thinks he does enough when he peruses your manuscript4 ,a good article requires no explanation2 it should be its own commentary4 ,be content1 therefore1 simply to put your article in an envelope with another envelope1 and dispatch it4 ,the editor needs not to be told that it is sent for publication if suitable and for return if unsuitable4 ,and he does not care a pin what are your ambitions and your circumstances2 or whether this is your very first or your ten thousandth effort2 whether you have written in the flush of health or on your dying couch2 whether you are starving or beautifully rich4 ,what are these facts to him8 ,they do not in the least affect the value of the article4 ,if it pleases him1 he accepts2 if not1 he refuses4 ,he is scarcely ,adviser-in-,chief to the ,literary ,ladies of ,great ,britain1 nor yet the ,charity ,organisation ,society4 ,he has no interest in you4 ,what interests him is his circulation1 his influence1 his advertisement department4 ,the editorial notices of a few papers state that the title and scope of an article must be submitted before the article itself4 ,this is absurd1 and in most cases you are safe in ignoring the regulation4 ,an article cannot be judged by its title and a resum of it1 and there is no doubt that editors who enforce such a rule often decline to see articles which would have suited them4 ,if for any special reason a letter should be essential1 make it brief1 explicit1 and formal2 spend as much care over the letter as you have given to the article which it is to cover4 ,see that it contains no superfluous words1 and see that it is correctly spelt2 some letters aren't4 ,when a series of articles is in contemplation or a novel departure to be suggested1 it sometimes happens that a rather elaborate explanation is necessary4 ,do not send such an explanation in writing until you have demonstrated the impossibility of seeing the editor in person4 ,now editors do not like being seen1 and certainly they do not like being seen by the casual contributor4 ,despite the fact that this persevering person is indispensable to them and often their best friend1 they fall into the habit of regarding the casual contributor as their natural enemy1 against whom warfare is to be waged4 ,it is ridiculous1 but it is true4 ,so be it4 ,accept the situation1 and fight for yourself1 taking your advantage where you can1 and casting away scruples of punctilio4 ,by actually seeing an editor you gain a double advantage4 ,for in the first place it is much more difficult for him to refuse viva voce 7especially to a woman ,footnote3 ,i by no means suggest that a woman should exploit her femininity in order to gain points against a man47 than by letter1 and in the second place a personal explanation of a scheme is likely to be much more effective than a written one4 ,therefore resolve to see your editor face to face4 ,that editors are invisible is taken for granted only by the inexperienced4 ,without doubt editors love to surround themselves with an atmosphere of mystery1 aloofness1 and sovereignty1 but in truth they are human beings1 and may be so treated4 ,the invisibility of editors is mainly a legend4 ,if you call at a newspaper office and1 presenting your card1 ask in a firm voice to see the editor1 the probability is that you will see him1 or some one else clothed with authority4 ,you may be requested to state the nature of your business1 in which case you will make the nature of your business as vague and enticing as possible4 ,possibly the editor1 if he is timid1 will invent the story that he is engaged2 possibly he may really be engaged2 in either case you will ask for an appointment1 or wait2 a personal interview is worth waiting for4 ,if you are refused an appointment and also told that to wait would be useless1 say that you will call to-morrow or the next day in the hope of the editor being then disengaged4 ,in any event1 be pertinacious2 and do not fear to worry the man4 ,by pertinacity you will eventually see him4 ,having at last got sight of your editor1 treat him considerately4 ,since you have conquered you can afford to show mercy4 ,explain yourself tersely1 and let your visit be brief4 ,strive to impress by your directness and business-like thought and action4 ,chapter ,,ix ,notes on the ,leading ,types of ,papers ,in a previous chapter ,i have emphasised the urgency of examining with care and regularity all the principal papers4 ,nothing is more important to the outside contributor than a thorough comprehension of their various policies and their essential differences4 ,many beginners1 with a quite creditable literary technique1 render all effort futile by omitting to study what ,i may call the characters of the publications to which they offer ,,mss4 ,they know papers 7except the one or two which they happen to read for pleasure7 merely by name4 ,they may by chance have some dim notion1 gathered from hearsay1 of the aim and spirit of this paper or that--but accurate1 direct information concerning these things1 they possess none4 ,having written an article1 they send it to the first paper whose name enters their heads1 without giving a single thought to the question of suitability4 ,by such beginners the ,standard1 the ,sun1 and the ,morning ,advertiser are recognised merely as so many dailies1 the ,saturday ,review1 ,tit-,bits1 and the ,bazaar merely as so many weeklies1 and the ,strand1 ,macmillan's ,magazine1 and the ,fortnightly merely as so many monthlies2 and no doubt when their stuff has been refused by the ,standard1 they blithely forward it to the ,sun1 and so on4 ,since the early failures of every aspirant are without doubt largely due to the neglect of this branch of journalistic learning1 let me once more lay stress on the fact that every paper differs from every other paper in its needs--in what it demands from the outside contributor4 ,each paper has its own public1 its own policy1 its own tone1 its own physiognomy1 its own preferences1 its own prejudices4 ,these must be studied--as one would study a subject like zoology4 ,and as in zoology1 to acquire a useful knowledge1 it is necessary to classify4 ,the press divides itself naturally into a few distinctive groups1 an acquaintance with whose characteristics will form the best1 indeed the only1 foundation for that wide1 detailed erudition ultimately to be obtained through years of experience and observation4 ,of these groups ,i will briefly mention the most important4 99 99 99 99 99 ,perhaps of all the different kinds of papers1 that most useful to the beginner is the popular weekly class1 chiefly represented by ,tit-,bits1 ,answers1 ,pearson's ,weekly1 ,cassell's ,saturday ,journal1 and ,success4 ,these papers pay liberally and promptly 7one or two of them before publication71 and they do not exact from the contributor a high literary standard4 ,their matter falls into two main divisions3 articles beginning with ,how--broadly1 ,how the other half lives2 and articles enumerating curious facts and incidents--for example1 ,peers who have become ,cabmen4 ,if you can evolve novel and striking subjects1 and have the patience to collect such information as may be necessary to work the subjects out1 you may fairly rely upon gaining entrance sooner or later to the columns of these papers1 however elementary your technique4 ,here is also a busy market for short melodramatic stories--stories for which action and a certain ingenuity of plot are the only essentials4 ,do not imagine that the editors of this sort of periodical are easily pleased4 ,although they care nothing for the graces of style1 they know precisely what they want1 and they insist on getting it4 ,next to the popular penny weeklies as prey meet for the aspirant1 ,i name the three ,gazettes1 the ,pall ,mall1 the ,westminster1 and the ,st4 ,james's4 ,these--the first two especially--make a point of their hospitality to the outside contributor4 ,they appeal of course to a cultured class1 and they are catholic in their tastes--ready for anything provided it is topical and well done4 ,they pride themselves on being literary1 and therefore good style is essential4 ,in this particular1 and also in their habits of returning rejected ,,mss4 with promptness1 and of paying regularly without demanding the delivery of an account1 they differ from most of the penny morning papers4 ,with them may be bracketed the ,globe and the ,evening ,standard1 both celebrated in ,grub ,street for a regular daily un-editorial article1 to which ,i have referred in ,chapter ,,vi4 ,when you have contributed a turnover to the ,globe1 you may congratulate yourself4 ,the ,evening ,standard article has less pretensions4 ,save as receptacles for short stories of a lurid inferior kind1 the halfpenny evening papers have little interest for the outside contributor4 ,the ,echo is an exception1 showing a fondness for short1 quiet1 topical articles of a rather serious nature4 ,among morning papers1 the most attractive to the outside contributor is the ,daily ,mail1 one of the best-edited newspapers in the world4 ,the ,daily ,mail does not ask itself on receiving an unsolicited contribution3 ,is it our custom to publish things of this kind8 ,no1 it scorns precedent and is always anxious for novelty4 ,it demands absolute freshness1 a great deal of verve1 and the strictest brevity4 ,it makes a feature of very short interviews and articles on topics of the hour4 ,on its seventh page1 under the title ,the ,daily ,magazine1 room is usually found for matter of a general nature--glorified ,tit-,bits confections4 ,if the ,daily ,mail has a weakness1 it is for statistical articles of an international character1 illustrated by ingenious diagrams--articles in which ,great ,britain by hook or by crook is made to surpass and outvie every other country4 ,another halfpenny morning paper1 ,the ,morning1 has burst the fetters of precedent and usage1 and willingly considers every suggestion of originality4 ,its methods are those of ,new ,york and frankly sensational4 ,the penny morning papers are difficult of access1 relying chiefly on bands of regular contributors4 ,the least hide-bound are the ,daily ,chronicle and the ,daily ,news4 ,on ,saturday the former has a women's page1 for which it accepts outside contributions with some freedom4 ,the ,daily ,news has a reputation for humorous articles dealing with the domesticities4 ,of the illustrated sixpenny weeklies1 ,black and ,white and the ,sketch are usually ready to consider short stories1 dialogues1 interviews1 and light articles1 the ,sketch being the more exigent of the two4 ,the ,illustrated ,london ,news and the ,graphic depend for matter upon their own staffs and regular correspondents1 and ,i believe that neither accepts any fiction from outsiders4 ,to the politico-literary weeklies1 ,saturday ,review1 ,speaker1 and ,spectator1 the aspirant need not turn her ambitious eye4 ,they are fastidious2 they demand advanced technique1 and moreover they touch subjects with which women are not often conversant4 ,of the three1 the ,speaker is the least exclusive4 ,with the vast hordes of religious papers 7it is stated that several hundred are published in ,london alone7 ,i shall make no attempt to deal4 ,but it may be well to say that many of them pay very badly and many of them do not pay at all4 ,the best1 speaking from a journalistic point of view1 is the ,british ,weekly1 a ,nonconformist journal which prints all sorts of things1 and which is edited with brilliant skill2 unfortunately it has the bad habit of not returning rejected articles4 ,as regards the comic weekly press1 not much falls to be said4 ,it may be separated into three divisions4 ,first1 ,punch 7threepence71 which for several decades has stood1 and still stands1 quite alone4 ,it is usual to say that ,punch has of late years been steadily losing its reputation1 but the truth of the statement seems at least doubtful2 and however this may be1 indubitably ,punch is yet the foremost comic weekly4 ,though it depends in the main upon a regular staff1 its doors are not locked against the outside contributor4 ,second1 ,judy 7recently edited by a woman71 ,fun1 ,moonshine1 and ,pick-,me-,up 7one penny74 ,like ,punch1 all these papers1 except ,pick-,me-,up1 are noticeably conservative in their policies1 and continue to move in the old grooves4 ,they do not1 ,i imagine1 offer much opportunity to the outside contributor4 ,pick-,me-,up devotes itself to the humour of the music-hall1 and is probably not largely beholden to women for its sprightliness4 ,third1 the halfpenny organs of wit1 represented by ,comic ,cuts1 and twenty other sorts of ,cuts4 ,if a woman considers herself destined for the comic press1 her wisest course is to collaborate with an artist4 ,a joke may be the best and most original joke in the world1 but it will not have a very safe chance of acceptance unless it is illustrated4 ,the illustration per se may be without talent2 no matter2 mediocre pictures have certainly been instrumental in selling innumerable jokes4 ,and as with jokes1 so with skits1 satires1 and parodies3 the writer must combine with the artist if success is to be reached4 ,monthly magazines divide themselves into three classes3--,first1 the purely popular1--,strand1 ,ludgate1 ,pearson's1 ,windsor1 ,woman at ,home1 ,lady's ,realm1 c4 ,second1 the high-class general1--,blackwoods'1 ,pall ,mall1 ,macmillans' ,cornhill1 ,longmans'1 c4 ,third1 the reviews1--,nineteenth ,century1 ,contemporary1 ,fortnightly1 ,national1 and ,westminster4 ,of these three classes1 the aspirant is likely to succeed best with the second1 since the first demands names of renown1 and the third either expert knowledge1 scholarship1 or high technique4 ,i have left to the last the women's papers1 which are1 in the natural order of things1 written chiefly by women4 ,it is of course to be expected that women-aspirants should turn first to women's papers1 of whose characteristics they should certainly make a special and minute study1 but at the same time ,i must repeat the warning already given against the habit of dealing only with subjects interesting to or connected with the female sex4 ,women's papers are sharply divided into two classes--those which appeal to women of education and breeding1 and those which appeal to women of a lower social status4 ,to the former group belong the ,queen1 the ,lady's ,pictorial1 the ,gentlewoman 7sixpence71 ,hearth and ,home and the ,lady 7threepence71 and ,woman 7one penny74 ,to the latter belong ,home ,chat1 ,home ,notes1 and their countless imitators4 ,the beginner must bear in mind the essential differences between these two groups1 which1 in catering for quite different tastes1 necessarily follow widely divergent policies4 ,both groups pay reasonably well1 and it may be said that all women's papers of any reputation whatever give a considerate ear to the outside contributor4 ,the sixpennies1 having what amounts to unlimited room1 offer to the aspirant a spacious and delightful field4 ,chapter ,x ,woman's ,sphere in ,journalism ,there are certain departments of journalism which women have always had1 and probably will always have1 to themselves3 ,i mean the departments comprising fashion1 cookery and domestic economy1 furniture1 the toilet1 and 7less exclusively7 weddings and what is called society news4 ,it is unlikely that men will ever seriously compete with women in the business of supplying the stuff which women as a sex are supposed to read4 ,my own belief is that men could deal very capably with these subjects1 or most of them1 if they chose to assume the task2 but there happens to be a superstition that such matters are beyond a man's scope2 men accept the superstition1 and leave them alone4 ,hence the distinctive woman's sphere in journalism4 ,now almost all the work falling within this sphere is done badly--with a lack of technical skill which can only be described as shameful4 ,i have argued 7in ,chapter ,,ii47 that the defect is attributable to the early training which women receive4 ,a further explanation lies in the fact that1 in their particular field1 they are never stimulated to improvement by the sight of better performances than their own2 the result1 viewed dispassionately1 is deplorable4 ,in the first place1 nearly all women's work dealing with feminine subjects is in a special degree disfigured by slipshod writing4 ,this is particularly true of fashion articles1 which are on the whole worse written even than police reports in country newspapers4 ,of the scores of fashion articles appearing week by week in journals of standing1 not five per cent4 would pass muster as the work of men4 ,i take up1 for an example1 one of the great ,london dailies1 containing a short signed contribution by a journalist whose fame as a chronicler of modes is unrivalled1 a lady who earns the wage of a ,cabinet ,minister1 and has indeed arrived at the highest places in her profession2 and ,i find in the article the following--shall ,i call them8--lapses from the rectitude of sound writing4 ,hackneyed phrases and quotations3-- ,read1 mark1 learn1 and inwardly digest4 ,inclines towards the portly4 ,de rigueur4 ,hold on our affections4 ,ignore the charms of4 ,strange word3-- ,becomingness4 ,bad punctuation3-- ,so that such a jacket be cut well and worn by a woman of fairly slim proportions round the waist and hips it will be exceedingly successful1 but she who inclines towards the portly should rigidly ignore the charms of the jacket with the belt4 ,unless this sentence has a comma after well1 it bears a meaning quite different from what the writer intended2 it needs also a comma after hips and a semicolon after successful4 ,words wrongly used3-- ,it is one of the earnest principles of my faith to commend fashion4 ,a principle cannot be earnest1 and faith cannot be an action4 ,the writer probably means that she sincerely thinks it her duty to commend fashion4 ,there are only two hats well worn in ,paris just now--this style and the small velvet toque trimmed with a group of plumes4 ,for well1 read largely or extensively4 ,note the other fault in this sentence4 ,wrong or clumsy constructions1 laxity in the use of metaphors1 c43-- ,we may read1 mark1 learn1 and inwardly digest their different charms4 ,fancy reading or learning or digesting a charm6 ,i have no objection to the lion lying down with the lamb--the ,persian lamb--or rather1 ,i should say1 to the sable being allied to this fur1 or to the combination of black caracule1 or sable with ermine2 any two furs1 or indeed three furs1 put together1 ,i recognise as appropriate and elegant1 but the frivolous working of furs with coloured satins and silks now obtaining the affections of the many is not at all to my taste4 ,to comment on this piece of composition would be wicked4 ,there is a great fancy shown by the authorities this year to elaborate furs4 ,in ,english one says take a fancy to but show a fancy for4 ,it is small wonder that the fashion has obtained such a hold on our affections1 because it is so becoming if it is not overdone4 ,a single row of white pearls next the fair or even dark throat of a woman has always a beneficial effect upon her complexion4 ,has a woman then two throats8 ,and talking about a beneficial effect upon a woman's complexion1 let me mention once again the exceeding becomingness of the new shades of blue1 these being rather of the sugar-paper order of blue1 but a little lighter in colour perhaps1 yet having that vivid tone about it4 ,this is freely mixed with dark blue1 the lighter shade being used for making trimmings to bodices1 or indeed to make an entire bodice1 while the dark cloth forms the skirt and coat4 ,the hat which completes it will take every shade of blue4 ,observe particularly the two its and the this1 neither of which refers properly to any substantive4 ,so much for the craftsmanship of one of our most celebrated women-journalists6 ,when such a person1 writing over her own name in the columns of a renowned and powerful paper1 may thus brazenly ignore the elementary principles of composition1 it may be guessed what latitude of carelessness and error is allowed to obscurer performers in obscurer sheets4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it is not only in the apparently trivial but really important details of style that women's work falls short1 but in qualities even more vital4 ,fashion1 to refer again to that branch of journalism1 is a complicated and difficult subject1 requiring for its adequate treatment the utmost orderliness and lucidity4 ,yet fashion articles are seldom arranged with any skill1 and seldom lucid4 ,the subject is usually handled after a haphazard method resulting in misty paragraphs of which often not even the writers could explain the meaning4 ,it is said that men cannot understand fashion articles4 ,certainly they cannot1 but the fault is not theirs4 ,over and over again ,i have heard expert fashion-journalists confess that they had failed to comprehend the writings of their colleagues4 ,if articles on dress were properly done1 men could understand1 though they might not be interested in them4 ,fashion gives the widest scope for the journalist's art4 ,the constant change1 the bewildering variety of it1 offer opportunities for descriptive and critical work which1 if they were seized1 might result in articles as interesting1 as accomplished1 as distinguished1 as any in the literary reviews4 ,but these opportunities are uniformly missed4 ,cookery1 that is to say practical cookery1 gives fewer opportunities than fashion for the display of merely literary skill4 ,it is a subject which demands from the journalist clearness and thoroughness4 ,the average cookery article may be passably clear so far as it goes1 but it is rarely thorough1 and so it fails in usefulness4 ,writers upon cookery in women's papers have been content1 without thinking upon what is really wanted1 to follow the methods of cookery books1 ignoring the truism that cookery books1 by reason of their omissions and silences1 are valuable only to efficient cooks1 who stand in no deep need of them4 ,it is to the inexperienced cook that cookery articles are designed to appeal1 and therefore they should be exhaustive1 describing processes exactly1 measuring quantities with precision1 taking nothing for granted1 leaving nothing to the imagination4 ,that cookery articles1 even if read1 are certainly not acted upon1 is proved by the monotony of the suburban dinner4 ,and they are not acted upon because the reader finds them incomplete1 sketchy1 and superficial4 ,it would be possible to take all the other subjects coming within woman's sphere in journalism1 and to show that women have failed in the treatment of them to reach even a moderate standard of competence4 ,look1 for another instance1 at the reports of weddings and society entertainments1 all done after one execrable model1 dull and perfunctory4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i bring this general indictment in order that the eyes of the aspirant may be opened to the opportunities which await her4 ,a brilliant future lies before the woman who will devote to these neglected women's subjects skilled craftmanship and the enthusiasm of an artist1 of which surely they are as worthy as anything else in journalism4 ,at present it seems as if the women who write for women are content to remain all their lives mere amateurs of the pen2 the one who first puts herself to the trouble of becoming an expert may rely upon making a sensation in the world of editors4 ,chapter ,,xi ,conclusion ,it is not part of my scheme to deal with newspaper offices1 and so disturb the illusions of the aspirant concerning the glamour of those places4 ,to those who are outside them and would fain be inside1 a newspaper office is a retreat where1 amid cigarette smoke and the rumour of continual event1 clever people write what they like when they like1 while others1 only one degree less gifted1 correct1 by means of cabalistic signs1 proofs1 with the rapidity of lightning and the omniscience of gods1 exchanging at intervals brilliant repartee with the beings who write4 ,round these are supposed to hover boys1 compositors1 porters1 famous contributors and timid aspirants1 and in the underground distance is the roar and vibration of vast steam machines which disgorge papers more quickly than one can count4 ,the reality is perhaps different from this picture--how different the aspirant will realise when she has at last obtained a position in an office4 ,having obtained such a position1 she may congratulate herself that the most trying part of the apprenticeship is over4 ,henceforward she will be among those who can put her in the right way4 ,she will no longer need the assistance of a handbook2 it is only the unattached beginner1 working 7so pathetically7 without guidance and in the dark1 who needs that4 ,one thing1 however1 may be said about the newspaper office4 ,it is as strictly a place of business as a draper's shop or a bank4 ,many women-journalists fail to recognise this fact4 ,they do not see that in an office the relations of people must be first and foremost official2 that social considerations1 and even considerations of animal comfort1 must be put aside in order that ,business may have a clear road4 ,i have met in newspaper offices the sprightly woman who martyrises herself because she must work in a room with other women whose dullness and primness jar on her vivacities2 the woman who is aggrieved because winter is warmed for her by a gas stove instead of an open fire2 the woman who feels insulted because male associates do not accord her the elaborate ritual of deference to which she has been accustomed in drawing-rooms2 the woman who arrives late because she is tired1 and blandly offers to make up the time at night2 the woman who says1 ,i forgot to do so and so1 ,i'm so sorry1 and stands like a spoiled child smilingly expectant of forgiveness2 and other women of a similar kind4 ,a vast number of women engaged in journalism1 ,i verily believe1 secretly regard it as a delightful game4 ,the tremendous seriousness of it they completely miss4 ,on no other assumption can the attitude of many women-journalists towards their work be explained4 ,therefore1 my final words to the outside contributor1 as ,i leave her on the threshold of an office1 are these3 ,journalism is not a game1 and in journalism there are no excuses4