The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-05
rFrom the Boston Post obituary, June 81

from the Boston Post obituary, June 81
In the death Of Mr.. James Gordon Bennett, ST.,
the United States has lost its most distinguished
and most truly representative journalist There
pre- two or three other prominent editors, whose
pames win be at once recalled, to whom, ut first
Thought, this proud pre-eminence might be &C
corded by many; but though they may have
equalled excelled Mr.. Bennett in certain special
and important respects, they cannot dispute with
him the palm OF general superiority, ana they will
be amongshe frst to pay q sincere tribute Of well
deserved praise to the remarkable merits and ab-
Lies Of the departed. James Gordon Bennett was
bern at New MIL Keith, in Banfrshire, Scotland
IN 1900 Ills parents were weto-do tenants OF the
: Earl of Fife, under the shadow OF whose propric-
tary residence, Duff House, the Bennett residence
reared It's modest head. Here young Bennett first
saw the light, and amid the beautiful hills and
wales OF Banh, Inhabited by sober and Industrious
pOpulace and watered by the romantic and wind
Ing Isa, he passed the first years Of his life. His
Fheir ancestors, the Benois, had long before emf
grated from France, and became attached to the
sstabshed his seat u in these North Of Scotland
regions. The future editor remained In school at
Keith until he was about fourteen years old, when
he went to Aberdeen, where he lived for two or
three years, and was educated for the Church, with
his brother Cosmo, in Catholic seminary. In his
youth James was considered q boy of good natural
abilities, fond OF solitude and reflection, very SEN
stive on points OF honor, generous, self-conadent
and amiable. His habits were uniformly good, un:.
less tendency to make poetry be excepted, and
his disposition, shown by extracts from his early
records, noble and ambitious. The result Of
the young man, stimulated by the contemplation Of
Byron, Walter Scott, Benjamin Franklin and Napo-
rSo% h he s s o.
termined to throw off the yoke Of parental and
pedagogc restraint. He did so very suddenly, and
where Franklin was born.n No opposition seems
to have been offered. and on the 9Th Of April, 1872
the young adventurer sailed down the Dee with q
very small sum OF money In his purse and a very
large sum Of determination and hopefulness In his
HG ana M enne BEGAN s @
by Immediately securing q position as teacher.
His pay was meagre and HIS situation disagree
ton he made his way to Portland and Boston by
schooner. In this city he made halt, and not
knowing single individual he soon found himself
without money as well as without employment.
One day. while on the verge Of starvation, he was
strclling on the Common, moody despairing and
'York shilling" He seized it with aacrity, and at
once procured some food. The shilling seemed to
thereafter he stumbled upon Mr.. Wells a country
man OF HIS who provided him with employment In
the printing house Of Wells Lilly then one Of the
leading book firms OF the country. Hero Mr.. Ben
nett, whose Office was that Of proofreader, had ex-
cellent opportunities for selfimprovement, which,
It was in Boston that Mr. Bennett tn r St had his
attention attracted to the profession Of journalism
then n 4, It, infancy The New England Saaa
by John Neal, In Boston; and the National Aduo-
cate Commercial Advertiser and Evening Post, in
In the North, and these became the subjects OF Mr.
Bennetts careful study. He was not long in dis
s s q SSss% with his
with this end In view he went to New York in 1885,,
and was soon engaged by A. 8. wilmington, pro-
Journal he was employed In 1928, chiefly in making
TRANSACTIONS from the Spanish newspapers received
by way OF Havana. He returned to New York dur.
fpw
months made SHIFT to exist by writing for various
metropolitan Journals, meanwhile observing and
ministrations Of Presidents Monroe and Adams
In 1925 he made his first attempt to become the
John Tryon the New York Sunday io,mino Courier.
for which he had been very active as q reporter
The enterprise, however, did not succeed, and In
short time Mr. Tryon bought back the establish
ment In 1876 Mr.. Bennett became connected with
the National Advocate, then journal OF great In.
nuence, and very soon became renowned for the
vlgor and pungency OF his criticisms and para
graphs. He began TO be assaulted, sneered at for
ms foreign BIRTH and revlled by the opposing
press-in word, began TO be famous
IL would be useless and impossible to trace the
various means by which from this small beginning
Tue HERALD has risen to It's present enviabe posi-
ton In American journalism. Its success has been
entrciy due TO the genius and perseverance, of Mr..
Bennett HIS early partners soon died, and he then
oDaned ana held entire control of the infant enter
Disc; Inc struggles, the discouragements the OBJ
poslaon, the losses, the ISLANDERS which he encoun
eiea were legion, but step by step he rose superior
70 them all and carried the HERALD on his shoul.
aeis rom ts dingy birthplace and contracted cradle
70 Tue ,maRnihcent marble palace on Broadway and
n n,e Ninety SIX column sheet Of the present day
! Ine position which the HERALD fills and tile
inhucnce ~ has had and continues TO have
on Journalism aud civilization is well known
70 al VINO read the English language. 1t has
been the pioneer among newspapers OF this country
ana has Initiated all the forms Of editorial comnii-
nicatton which are popular aud In general use Mr.
Bennett originated tile system OF press kilograms
and the custom OF cditoriay commenting on tele
grams. He originated the extensive system or
press correspondence which now prevails so gene
rally brilliant examples OF which are to be noticed
A. tre HERALD letters during the Crimean war; the
Austro-ltallan war, the civil war In the Unisd
States, and, In later times, the Lowcry letters the
Livingstone and Nile letters, the Uasscr letters,
SO. lilo Instituted the present system OF financial.