His perseverance is unmeasurable, his tact perfect, his courage undoubted, and his audacity--perhaps the least said of this the better! But it must be of a very peculiar nature--there must be no swagger about it. A reporter should not be what is best described by the vulgar term "cheeky." Such a one will never succeed. He must rather have a quiet determination which will overcome all obstacles, together with a modest demeanor and sufficient self-confidence "not to stand any nonsense;" be fluent of speech and speak with authority when he has anything to say; have a perfect knowledge of men and things of interest, and be an easy, rapid and fluent writer. It may be said that such a man would be a paragon of excellencies. However this may be, a first-class reporter is not often met, and seldom remains a reporter very long, except under specially favorable circumstances, for the opportunities to pursue other occupations, if he be a man of good character, are not few. But once a reporter, the reporting spirit never leaves him. The occupation is so full of variety and interest, that the mind constantly reverts to it. He has plenty of drudgery also. Sitting up till midnight or daylight to make a good _resume_ of some dry speech is not pleasant work; digesting long and complicated reports, and many other duties, are mere drudgery, and form no small fraction of his duties. To these, however, are added the excitement belonging to the work of a detective who is employed in searching out hidden things; that of a lawyer examining and cross-examining a witness in order to arrive at the truth; of a judge weighing the evidence from all sides to come to something like a satisfactory decision on troublesome questions. It may be thought that this is an ideal view of a reporter, and that the reality is never met with in real life. But the ideal has often been reached, and during the comparatively short life of the WITNESS there have been connected with it in this and other capacities gentlemen whose names rank with the highest in commercial and professional life. The ranks of the press in England, France, and the United States, as well as Canada, are constantly being infringed on to fill those of legislators, business men and authors. There is one thing connected with reporting which always has had a tendency to lower it in the public estimation. It has been considered a means of providing men of ability, but lax in morals and irregular in habits, a means of obtaining a precarious livelihood. This has made the dangers to be met with in this course of life very great, because of the associations surrounding those engaged in it, and at one time it was supposed to be almost impossible to be a reporter and a well-living man. But the days of "Bohemianism" have passed in Canada, and for years there has but very seldom been a reporter on the WITNESS who was not at the same time a total abstainer from all that intoxicates.