Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-06-13
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tThe Eate flames Gordon Renuin.ett R 4 e Il
| : James Gordeh Bennett wasb born in sht
early part Of the year 1876, ia the Little
4 Village Of New Mill, Keith sBanfshire
! Scotland Ae received q strict elassica
! and ecclesiastical education at the RO
i man CatnOlic Seminary atolAberdeen
and was intended for the clergy In
Aprils 1919, however, abandoning al
ideas of Joining the priesthood, he cams
to America, and commenced work as 6
school teacher at Halifax, Nova Scotia
i Thence he removed to, Boston, thence
/ to New York, IL wasy with difficulty
that he secured the means OF. existence,
indeed. report has it that only, his find.
ing q SILVER quarter in one of the walks
on the Common, at Boston, saved him
nom starvation or suicide. ~ In the fall
Of 1873, he became a proof reader in the
publishing house of Wells d Lilly. !. In
1S22 he removed to, New York, having
signalized his residence at, Boston by
the publication of a volume of poetry
strongly tinged with the morbid phil
nsoPhy of Byron. In New York he
was Identified most closely with the old
c9,p-ie, and EhqursT, then the leading
Journal OF the country. HALF of its
matter and all of its spice flowed from
the facile pen of the needy young
Scotehman. It was him who inaugn-
rated the Washington eerrespo ndenee,
giving It a lively personal and social
tone, which was, a generation in ad-
vance of his ltime. After a troubled life,
during WHICH he appeared as a writing
master, a Lecturer on political economy,
and an instructor, in short hand, and
after 0ne or two rendeayors to, start q
party 0rgan-no notably. the, bReTnsY5u91a-
ictst, at Philal phiaf Mr.. Bennett foun-,
+ded and started, in May, 1885, 1.-THE New
, York Heyalds 1t is currently reported
that had his, then .eafitar possesseds dis.
cernment SUFFICIENT to see how valuable
an assistant he had, the, Herald would
neyerr. have been started Ardifferenca
Of s., a. Week, ne small item when a mani
was paid Sl5s "a week, and contemplated
ma rinlOny, lost a. good sub-editor 70.
the C0lqT'ier, and reyoluti tioniEed eAmerir.
can journalism, The, Herald was first
issued IN, a cellar in Ann street, the edi-5
tors desk consisting of a hoard placed
on two -four barrels Advertisements
were written out for the, patrons Of the
new paper by its indefa atigable editor.r-.
E,xhaustlon seemed, to, him, an ,impos-
sibihty. Besides his Office work. from,
six to eight columns of matter of the I
most widely. varied character flowed
rom his pen daily As a paragrapbist,
he was without, peer orlriYal in his day;I
he was; prompt to seize upon, the. .popu-
lar side Of every question, and utterly
regardless of clamor or consistency. ,s.in |
its adyocacy of opposition-,A; fertu-
date eentract with ISi, pISoi,puiar, physician
fibated the. Herutd over the financial
difficulties which Invariably attend the,
starting of new paper 1t became
fashionable to decryI the Herald, Iwhich
was the first step t9WarGs reading lit7r1
In rs columns appeared the first eomr
merclal article ever pu blished In Ameri-i
60, whichTTiin TTiin that era of wild cat
drew an immense number, of readers,
The great fire in New York In 1895 af-l
forded MT. Bennett an unusual oppor-
tanity, which he pFofted 70 the full I'D
HIS reports we're marked byI'ff q ;des71
oripIlYe power Rf Dickens and the
estliSena6tstatds of pefoe.m His history !
after l840-when the Herald became q
power in the land-is the history, of the
J Herald. His motto was, News, news,
news" and carrief-pigeon, pony ;ex-
press, telegraph wire, steam YACHT all |
were pressed into hiSservice. - In, 1854 |
he was offered the Ministry to. France.
Since 1861 Mr.. Bennett lived in COM
plete retirement at;his country seat at /
Eornhain, occasiopally lyrTapd only &C.
casionally directing the course of his
paper by telegraph Tn bis retirement |
it is understood :. that he, ybecame. "a |,
ataunch devotee of the Catholic faith,f
His death leaves a void in American
I6ul nalisIn which can IieYer bsad adeauate7f
W flied, Not that there are not men as, |,
clever or ,outsp ken, but because it was
bis fortune to be clever and lontSpoken \
at a.critical tide in the affairs Of journal,
ism. What Ihe began Fred Hpdsan,
and j. r. Ue Putnam completed. :, This,
detracts in, no measure from.
bis excelie ience and high genpwn, as the
father and originator of the modern
'ched of American Journalism. His (
personal virtues will long survive him. L
No needy artist or struggling liytergte,tr;
ever found the portals of James Gordon
Bennett's heart closed against him, and !,
for his munifcent charities and multis |
Eudinous kindnesSes the, world VIII II
'Drgiyes and soften, his verdict as ito.
many Of his eharae eteristic spe5itissI I,s9tl
I - l. IL