WOMEN JOURNALISTS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 6, 7 November 1890, Page 29

WOMEN JOURNALISTS.

George W. Childs, the veteran publisher of the Philadelphia Ledger, t-lls a p ei-ty good story in cmaection witn his exp^ri^nce wim women journalists " For years," says b«, "the Ledger has publishel a weikly article which has attracted widespread attention and interest. It is, I may say, one of the leading teatures of the paper. For a long time it was wr tten by a man, a non-resident of this city, and whom I had never seen. One morning his wife came to see me. ' Mr. Uhilds,' she sai 1, 'my husband is ill and unable to do hi-i w jrk any longer. For a number of month? past I have been writing his editorials f >r him, and I hive now c m»a to a^k you to allow me to continue doing so.' ' Certainly,' said I, 'If you have beea writing them you can go on doiug bo, but say nothing of tho change to anyone.' " Some time after this the husband died. On going to the offic* in the morning one of my editors mat me with a face a yard long.— ' Mr. Blank is dead,' said he, ' and 1 don't know what we are going to do without him. Hi-* articles were such a special feature, and there is no one else in the country wita ability enough to write them.' " ' Isn't there V I asked. • But do you think that they have been as good as usual of late ?' " ' Better,' he replied. ' The articles became stronger and wiser the older he grew.' " ' But are you sure that there has been no falling off these last few months?' I persisted. "' No, indeed. It is jaet there where the improvement is noticeable. The older ha grew the batter beoanvj his w irk. And that makes it all the more discomforting to realise that we can never secure any one who cjuld do th-m one-'enth as well,' he added, mournfully. " ' On, yes, we oan ' I answered. •It may interest you to know that ftf t more than a year past Mr. Blank has not written one line for tbe Ledger ' ■' ■ Not wntten one lins?' gasped my amazed editor. "' No. For the la-it ye»r and longer Mrs. Blank has been doing her husband 'a work, and she ia still quite capable of continuing to do so,' " And she did, and does to-d«»y."