The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-06-04
The Late Mr.. Bennett. I

We publish elsewhere U1lei ShsLSn Va
life of the late Mr.. Bennett, the founder y
the New York Herald. He was one Oh tie
most remarkable men of his times. NO l.'n
ever connected with the press in tli's 'o"" -
invoked upon his head greater a''ou' 80 y.
public opprobrium than did Mr. bks !. ~.
, considerable period after tic establishment.
~ Tho m,nM, and no man ever displayed
,,ro,,cr Indifference to that opprobriuin' he
o. t,c t,rsn for the whole press, and re-
.;,od tncir shafts with little apparent con-
corn. lie, only sssned to study now ne
couId turn the war Upon him to advantage.
| BY dint of npremittcd industry and the ac7
tive collection Of news and the introduction
Of new elelneatfsf interest and sensation
into tlc columns Of the Herald he swcilcd
its circulation to point beyond that OF any
other paper ii, the city of New York, ana
fnas acquired a power which enabled him TO
| def Ais i.ssailants.
He was the first to break up the OLD sys-
TEN of respect for the courts in abStaln'ng
from giving details of criminal cases IN ad-
| vance Of trial, and he was the first to intro
| duce the elaborate financial department into
the daily press. The unrcstraiued freedom
| with which he spread before the public the
| details of murders, scandal, and the SOCIAL 40
inys of fashionable society. were denounced
b, everybody, yet everybody took the Her.
aid, and Mr.. BENNETT conquered.
But in time the Herald, having thus trl
umphed. entered upon new fields, and was
regarded as power not to be weakened by
assault. 1t had found in hostility food and
nourishment. The press ceased to assail it,
and copied its example of enterprise.
| Mr.. BENNETT, We are sure, was better
man than he was represented to be. He had
been sufferer from the neglect Of those he
had helped, and he was sourcd against the
world. His course was perhaps made tho
more reckless on this account. and the bitter
dcnunciations of the press tended naturally
to aggravatc the vicious passions that might
have animated his heart The accusations
against him were criminal, and everything
was done to bring him into contempt.
But BENNETT, triumphant and mililor
airc. was different man from BENNETT IN
poverty and struggling against all sorts OF act:
versity. He acquired first forbcarance, and
next respect, to greater degree than had
ever been deemed possible. lie was man
of great readiness as writer, very shrewd,
exceedingly lively and piquant, especially Ill
his letters from Washington; and was en-
dowcd with a power of endurance--a tough
ness under hard and steady work--that his
been seldom cqlaied in journalism. He had
his good qualities as well ~ his grave faults,
and now that he j. dead let Ills make the most
of the former.
Mr. BENNETT died in the absence of his
wife, son, and daughter. who were-in Eu-
| ropc. There was not one he could call his
own to "rcturn his look Of suffering with
the regard Of sympathy"
The New York Star very correctly thus
speaks of the future of the Herald:
"Thc death of the founder will produce
no marked change; none whatever that the
public can see, nor would it please the dead
to have il otherwise. Men die but institu-
tons live, and no better illustration Of that
axiom could be asked than the death of Mr..
Bennett and to-days issue of the Herald'