jDe |)ee-)\eepeps JacViccu. 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tlqe Interests of Hoqey Producers. 



$1.00 A YEAR, 



W. Z. HUTCHINSON, Hditof & PKOp. 



VOL, V, 



FLINT, MICHIGAN, JAN. 10, 1892. 



NO, I. 



The speeial topic of this issue is 



Writing for the Bee Journals 



That of the next issue ujill be 



The Gradi .g of Honey. 



Writing for the Press an Art that Must t 



Learned. — The Course Necessary 



for its Acquirement. 



WM. F. CLARKE. 



T^TRITING for 

 A A periodicals, 

 of whatever kind, 

 is an art. I am 

 not sure but it 

 ranks as one of 

 the tiue arts. It 

 has lie en said 

 that a poet is 

 born, not made. 

 No one is a born 

 editor or. iournal- 

 istic correspond- 

 ent. A native gift there must be, doubtless, 

 but it can only be developed by down right 

 hard work. The art is governed by three 

 general rules : possession of ideas, knowl- 

 edge of grammar, and ability to express 

 one's self in an interesting and forcible 

 manner. In the absence of ideas, there is 

 nothing to say ; without some knowledge of 

 grammar, words are wantinc: and unless 

 there be some grace and force of diction. 



both ideas and words fall flat. The text- 

 book I studied in my school-boy days de- 

 fined English grammar to be " the art of 

 speaking and writing the English language 

 with propriety." But more than propriety 

 is needed. What we call "style" is of the 

 greatest importance. As the value of the 

 materials of a building, whatever their cost, 

 depends mainly on the skill with which they 

 are put together, so in literary architecture, 

 it is the manner in which ideas are con- 

 structed that constitutes the main worth of 

 a composition. A diamond has little beauty 

 as it lies in the mine. It must be cleaned, 

 smoothed, cut and polished by the lapidary 

 before it is fit to sparkle on the bo^om of 

 the wearer. So. thought in the ore has little 

 use or charm. It must be put in the mental 

 crucible and fashioned skillfully into words 

 and sentences by the literary artist. Writing 

 for bee journals demands competent ac- 

 quaintance with apiculture, knowledge of 

 grammar, and a befitting style. 



Every writer's personality is a kind of 

 mopld, and forms a style which is peculiarly 

 his own. Style is like the human face. No 

 two countenances are precisely alike. There 

 are often striking resemblances, but not- 

 withstanding these there is a peculiar per- 

 sonal identity. Variety is pleasing, provided 

 it is variety in kinds and degrees of excel- 

 lence. Variety in food is not pleasing if 

 some of the viands are of choice and others 

 of poor quality. It is better not to put in- 

 ferior dishes on the table at all. If placed 

 there, it will be '"love's labor lost." You 



