Practical Suggestions for Mother and Housewife | Page 4

development of a subject is subsidiary to the practical
psychological order. Formal logic, the analysis of the process of
reasoning, is a cultural study rather than a practical one, save in
criticism both of one's own work and another's. More cultural, and at
the same time more practical, is the study of exact reasoning in the
form of some branch of mathematics. Abraham Lincoln, when he "rode
the circuit" as a lawyer, carried with him a geometry, which he studied
at every opportunity. To the mental training which it gave him was due
his success not only as a lawyer, but also as a political orator. Every
one of his speeches was as complete a demonstration of its theme as a
proposition in Euclid is of its theorem. Lincoln once said that
"demonstration" was the greatest word in the language.
Delineation of character is the chief element of fiction, and herein
literary aspirants are particularly weak, especially the women, far more
of whom than men try their hand at short stories and novels, and who
are generally without that preliminary experience in journalism which
most of the male writers have undergone. It is not enough for a novelist
to "know life"; he must also know the literary aspect of life, must have
the imaginative power to select and adapt actual experiences artistically.
Young women who write are prone to record things "just as they
happened." This is a mistake. Aristotle laid down the fundamental
principle of creative work in his statement that the purpose of art is to
fulfil the incomplete designs of nature--that is, aid nature by using her
speech, yet telling her story the way she ought to have told it but did
not. This is his great doctrine of "poetic justice."
The writing of children's stories is peculiarly the province of the
woman author, and here, because of her knowledge of the mind of the
child, she is apt to be most successful. The best of stories about
children and for children have been written by school-teachers. Of

these authors a notable instance was the late Myra Kelly, whose
adaptations in story form of her experiences as a teacher to the foreign
population of the "East Side" of New York will long remain as models
of their kind.
Journalism is a sufficient field in itself for a woman writer in which to
exercise her ability, as well as a preparation for creative literary work.
The natural way to enter it is by becoming the local correspondent of
one of the newspapers of the region. In this work good judgment in the
choice of items of news, variety in the manner of stating them, and
logical order in arranging and connecting them should be cultivated.
The writing of good, plain English, rather than "smart" journalese
should be the aim. Stale, vulgar and incorrect phrases, such as
"Sundayed," and "in our midst," should be avoided. There are two tests
in selecting a news item: (1) Will it interest readers? (2) Ought they to
know it? When by these tests an item is proved to be real news that
demands publication, it should be published regardless of a third
consideration, which is too often made a primary one: Will it please the
persons concerned? This consideration should have weight only in
regard to the manner of its statement. When the news is disagreeable to
the parties concerned, it should be told with all kindness and charity.
Thus the facts of a crime should be stated, who was arrested for it, etc.;
but there should be no positive statement of the guilt of the one arrested
until this has been legally proved. Many a publisher has had to pay
heavy damages because he has overlooked, or permitted to be
published, an unwarranted statement or opinion of a reporter or
correspondent. But even though there were no law against libel, the
commandment against bearing false witness holds in ethics.
The woman at home may also become a contributor to the newspaper.
Her first articles should be statements of fact on practical subjects, such
as the results of her own or some neighbor's experiments in a household
matter of general interest, or reminiscences of matters of local history
that happen to be of current interest. Thus when a new church is erected,
the history of the old one may be properly told. Here the amateur
journalist may practise herself in interviewing people.

After such a preparation as this, one may confidently enter the active
profession of journalism as a reporter, preferably upon the paper for
which she has been writing. Since in entering any profession
opportunity for improvement and advancement in it is the first
consideration, the young reporter should cheerfully accept the low
salary that is paid beginners. There is no discrimination on account