Births, Marriages and Deaths DO ones .
Therefore, get as many items as possible about people.
Just here comes in a suggestion of importance. The weakness of most correspondents is that of missing many people. They fall into the habit of depending, in their news-getting efforts, on old friends and fail to cultivate new ones. As a consequence they travel too much , to use that expression , in a circle .
Instead of speaking only to Mrs. Brown, Mr. Rosencrans, Miss Grundy, and the accustomed “ old reliables ," go also to an entirely new set of people, and see what a brand new and fresh lot of items you can find. Think of the persons in your neighborhood con cerning whom you have never, or not for a long time, had an item of news, and see what you can find out about them or their affairs. In this way you will discover new storehouses of items.
Untold Stories of the People
There is scarcely a person in your neighborhood about whom an interest ing story cannot be told. Such stories help brighten up a local news column.
In one family there may be a girl who is showing an especial aptitude for music, or a boy whose mind runs wholly to botany or geology, and who in consequence is constantly finding things about the farm that no one dreamed existed there. In another family there may be another kind of boy or girl, doing something in some other line, just as interesting.
And there are, of course , the old people with bright minds and good recollections. Their birthdays should be noted as events . Sometimes they are interestingly reminiscent. 'The school teacher ought to be able to sug gest many interesting things about the youngsters.
Reports of births, marriages and deaths are always important as news. In inquiring for news, the correspondent should always ask if the person inquired of knows of any recent births in the neighborhood or else where. No comment should be made upon birth announcements excepting, if the event occurred in some other place, to state that the parents formerly lived in your vicinity, or that the mother was formerly Miss---, or some thing similar, for identification by old friends. The name of the baby, if a name has been given, may be used . Correspondents are asked never, under any circumstances, to attempt any witticism in announcing the birth of a child. They are also urged to be exceedingly careful to get their in formation as to the names of parents, sex of the child and date of birth exact .
People like to read about marriages. If they are of worthy character and reasonably well known, always tell about the contracting parties. Tell whose daughter the bride is , where she was reared and schooled, what some of her accomplishments are, how she was dressed on the occasion , by whom she was attended, and give details of the ceremony, and particu larly of any features different from most marriage ceremonies. Make dis tinctions, of course, between quiet, home weddings and the elaborate kind, whether in church or at home. The latter should be given in more detail than the former . Don't forget to tell something about the groom (although you need not tell how he was dressed ). And tell , of course, about the recep tion, if there was one, and about the guests from out of town and about 233
