New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-07
AN ExILED JOURNALIST.

Z ..n,rpscv avn KNOWLEDGE or NEWSPAPER
cneRKsposDEHT coURrKD BY ALL CLASSES OF
socrETY.
,v,ox rrfE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRiBuNB.l
!. I,ospox, Feb 49, There were not many journal
-. hstter known in London OF better worth know
Enc than DR.. Max SchiesinRer, who died last week
IL IA very imperfect description of him to say that
VA vas London correspondent OF the KOiHischc
ztfsao ard of the NeHe Frec Presse OF Vienna. nor
aoAs IL complete the account to add that lie was the
inventor of system under which English news
was supplied in cheap and expeditions way 10 the
less wealthy and important journals throughout
Germany But in his discharge OF the multharlous
dutes which these three posts deyolved Oh nllh no
did kind OF service which Engishmen ought NOT
"a lat pass without q much more ample recognition
than they have granted him. The two papers Win
which he had the closest connectloi-the two ABOVE
named-are perhaps the most powerful III al
Deutschland; unless an exception be mace III ia'oA
If one or two semi. official sheets which owe their
iranence less to their own abilities than 10 ther
relations with the Government. No one paper IN
armanv q so widely read as the KOlRis0ae Ze'tan0
No one paper in Vienna has anything like the en-
terprise OF the financial connection which the Ne"e
Fre.s Psesse has, To the latter Dr. SchleslnRer con-
fributed less regularly and largely than TO lts rVh
in Cologne. 1t Is much more OF "seDsat'ohai
naper and its correspondents, here ana else"nere'
were expected to supply it with reports not 10 say
rumors by telegraph rather than by post. Like
some American journals, it cared more tha1 tne
story should be than that 1t shouid DC true' ana
DR. schlesinger was man OF such essenbal VeracltS
~ character that mere news-mongering was not to
his taste. With the KOlaische ZeitH"g be CORE
snonded constantly both by post and by telegraph.
To that paper and to his letters and dispatches
tina German public looked day by day and week by
week for not only their news but their views Oh
English affairs. His position was such that ne was
able to great extent TO form the puDhc OPINION Vi
Germany with reference TO England. SUCH posi-
tlop is one of great power and great responsol'V'
and it was his wise and honorable use OF his oppor
tunities which gave DR.. Schlesnger his altogether
exceptional reputation, both here and IN Germany
THE WORK OF AN EXILE.
Not the least remarkable fact about him. taking
all tins into account was that be was not Ter
man. BY birth he was Hungarian. by conVlo-
tion he was Liberal and in 1913 he one OF the
many revoiutionists whom the failure OF the 1915
enterprises exied from his native land Ills PROBES
sion was that OF medicine, and he gave upas nave
always understood, a safe and profitable career at
home in obedience to his principles, and IN acting
mon them in the way which most men of that sort
tnan felt 20 he the only means Of loyalty to principle
When all was over IN Hungary be came to London
and IN London he has lived since; creating his
own postion i'll a foreign country by force OF his
own capacity and originality. When first knew
him now some ten years ago, he had become hrmiy
established and established III way winch con-
uection with no single German newspaper eould
have insured him. The German press was not rich
when DR., Schlesinger began his connection with II.
Taken as q whole, it is not rich now, but poor. ana
has never discovered that the sure road to wealth
is by liberal spending: seeming paradox the
truth Of which every great English aud American
paper has demonstrated by its own experience
The two leading journals before named have iound
II ont of late years The Vienna paper, indeed at
least in its present fOrm is product Of late years,
and has lived in some degree up 10 the standard OF
the period which gave it birth. But suppose it
NAV be freely said that any man who from 1850 to
1870 undertook to live in London on the proceeds
of his contributions to any single German paper
would simply have starved.
What DR.. Schlesinger did was TO devise and put
in practice a scheme by which poor newspapers
conld get English news at moderate price, Not
eyen the EaglIsh newspapers made any Tree use OIL
the telegraph prior to 1870 The Germans hardly
used IL at ALL Thew were content with such intel
Ieence as reached them by mail They could not
even afford to subscribe for English papers, or 10
have letters wntten by correspondents OF ther
own. Dr. Schlesinger being one OF those men VINO
look at things as they are and know now 70 make
use of existing facts undertook TO improve upOn
this state of affairs without revolutionizing it.
Possibly his political experience in Hungary had
implanted in bis mind doubts whether revolution IS
the surest and quickest means of arriving at new
order of things What ne did was to prepare each
Morning an epitome of English news from the Eng
Ish papers For this he invited subscriptions from
the German papers, and to each subscriber he sept
by post q Autographed copy OF this epitone:at
very moderate price. The number of his subscriber5
varied from sixty to ono hundreds each making
such use as he pleased of the material sent him. IL
was not as rule published in bulk by tho different
journals which received it. Each editor chose
what he thought suited his own readers best. 1t
was taken by papers of eI cry shade Of opinion
for, protesting to be and being in fact summary Of
news, it was compiled with absolute impartiality.
NEWSPAPER CORRESPONDENCE.
Tbis though profitable, never would have made
DR., Schleslnger known he was known in Eng
lard and on the Continent. His fame as journal
list was derived largely from his letters; and
especially from his letters to the ROlNsce Zetun0
In these he was himself. His opinions could be
freely expressed. His rare powers OF observation
could be put to His political knowledge OF
Affairs served bun well in this branch OF his jour-
nalistic work. BY and by IL came to be known IN
England that there lived in London man who
wrote on English subjects In the leading newspaper
of one great section of the Continent. When Ger
many, which TO most Englishmen was vague geo
graphical expression before 1866. came to the
front, German opinions and the organs OF German
ouiuion began to attract attention. The men who
were known to influence that opinion found them
= selves of mnch moro Importance than before; and
among these men Max Schlosinger was quickly poi
celved 10 be foremost OF those who concerned them
selves especially With the relations of Germany to
England He had footing at the German en-
bassy. He soon became known personally to the
officials Of the English Foreign Office These gem
tlemen presently remarked that there was much TO