Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-02-06
From the louisville Courier-J Journal.


Mr.. Bryant being no longer actively
engaged i'll newspaper work, Mr. Dana
is left alone to tell the tale of old-time
journalism in New York. He, of all
his fellow editors Of the great metropo-
lis, has passed the period of middIe-age,
though-years apart-he is as blthe
and nimbIe as the youngest of them,
and has performed, with the SIN, a
feat IN modern newspaper practice that
entities him to the stage-horns laid
down at his death BY James Gordon
Bennett. Mr.. Dana is no less writer
and scholar than an editor; as, wit
ness his sketch of Mr.. Greeley, which.
for thorough misunderstanding. is I'M
surpassed. In word, Mr.. Dana, at
fittythree, is as vigorous, sincwy, and
lives as a young buck OF thirty five or
forty. Ills professional associates
were boys when he was managing edi-
tor OF the TriJuae Manton Marble
was at college at Rochester, and
Whitclaw Red was going to school is
Ohio. Young Gennett and Bundy
were wearing short jackets. Nordhotf
was s'roughing it." a mere lad; and
God alone can tell us what Jennings
was doing, or what Godkin was, .cibelt
neither could have been much mole
than a gosling in those days. They
were rough-and-tumble days, sure
enough, even for New York. There
was no Central Park, Madison Square
was "out Of town. Franconi's circus,
surnamed a ''IIippodrome,' sprawled
its ugly wooden towers, minuarets and
''sile-shows" over the ground now oc-
cupied by the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
Miss Flora VI 'Fiimsy, of the opposite
square, had not come into being; nav,
Madison Square itself existed in city
ordinance merely, and, like the origin
al Of Mr.. Praed's ''Darnell Park, " was
a wretched or waste common, where
the boys shared and played shiny"
Halpine, and Arnold, and Wilkin,
with the Bohemians, had not appeared
upon the stage. The elder Harpers
stood in the shoes now worn by their
sons, who were off at boarding school.
George Ripley was as larky as John
Hay is. Delmonico's, down town, was
the only Delmonico's. The warfare
between the newspapers constituted
the most exciting topics Of the time
Bennett was s'Jack Ketch," Raymond
was 1.-The little yillain," and Greeley
was by turns an '.ineendary," a s'white
livered poltroon,' and free lover"
Parke Goodwin and Charles A. Dana
were managing editors, respectively
both scholars. and both, as writers, su-
perior to all the rest, except Greeley,
who, as newspaper writer, never had
superior. The situation is changed
completely. Bennett, Greeley and
Raymond are dead. Dana and God
win, both about of an age, stand at the
head Of New York journalism whilst
Reid, Marble and Jennings all young
men, wear the purple of the new era.
Will it be an era of reform? There are
signs that it will be. Marble is re-
cluse. Reid is essentially man of
the world. Jennings is an English
men One would think that these
three. led by two ripe scholars and
gentlemen, like Goodwin and Dina,
would alter the character of the old
partisan warfare III one respect at least,
and that, if they have need to be per-
sonal, they will be wittily so, and not
brutality and dirtily personal; the
which will be an advance There will
never be an end to the personalities of
journalism. But there is already an
end to the efficacy of filth. In this,
as in other things, there are fashions
Wka, i'll thing, Cor example, can be
said personally injurious Of Reid, Mar
bic, Jennings. Bundy and the rest, all
thard-woykipg, pains-takinG men, with
out vices or peeIiiarities, who do not
INVITE attack ? On the whole, the
newspaper prospect III New York is
very good There viii be. perhaps,
less u what we call s'charac,es'' in
New York journalism. more usefulness.
honesty ana culture and, as the New
York iaiiies. Ike the New York nail
liners, set the ,;.sAion, these excellent
qualities will diHu<e themselves over
,tA" cee9tEI.