The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-03-16

gests ct once the chroniQue and the so
called special article Of Paris newspapers.
and that recalls on the one hand. the essay a.
It Was conceived In the time Of Addison. and.
on the other. . familiar chat. A mastery OF
this form Of writing involves nothing less than
the simultaneous possession Of all the quail
tiles essential to . journslist-good sense.
scutsness. lightness Of touch. swiitnoss OF
conception. amplitude OF Information. neat
ness and precision Of style. habitual felicity In
expression. Nothing could better give tho
French reader an idea Of the prerequisites
than the tone Of Mr.. John Lemoine."
The writer goes on to note what he. Of course.
would deem regrettabe. that. In English jour
nalism The leading article is always imper-
sonal. and. like every other part Of tho matter
printed Except OF course. some letters from
volunteer correspondence. bears no signature.
It Ia not an individual man that speaks. 1t Is
the newspaper or rather-for such Ia tho inva-
riable point Of view-it Ii the collective wisdom
OF the community. or. In othor words. the
chorus OF the antique drama descanting upon
the events Of tho day. OF those leaders some.
and those not always the lsnst rslished. arc
pennod under high pressure In the ONCE
itself about midnight. or o'clock In
the morning. while the presses are
groanlng and an employee IL waiting.
scissors in hand. to cut the copy into slips and
distribute them to the compositors. Other
leading articles are forwarded from the writer's
home. In compliance with suggestions from the
management. by three or four collaborators
having permanent appointments on the stan.
One OF the marked features OF English journal
ism Is the dictatorship exercised by the editor
in-chief. He must have an eye on everything
and a hand in everything His is the respon-
sibility: his lieutenants retain only the mini
mum OF initiative that Is absolutely indispen-
sable. All they have to do Is to be perpetually
retdy. each in his own speciality. to improvise
at a moments warning and upon any one Of u
score OF topics with which he has proved him
solf exceptionally conversant. a column OF ele-
giant. judicious. and cogen tlprose."
Elsewhere. In tho same paper. Mr.. Daryl es-
says to make clear to his countrymen who have
lately seen more than one Of his confrSres be-
come Cabinet Minister in France. tho position
OF the journalist in English society. This he
begins with owning is Hard enough to de-
fine; 30 hard that Burke thought 1t necessary
to ooin torn for the purpose. which has
since boon widely circulated. the term OF fourth
estate. He thereby placed the publlcist in an
intermediate zone between the aristocracy
the middle class. and the proletariat. But this
definition. that perhaps was accurate ut the close
OF the last century. has ceased to be 80 in our
day The truth IL that English journalism. az a
natural consequence OF Its marvellous Develop
mont. has sent out roots in all directions. and
now represents all classes. The system Of
anonymity has slngularly favored this species
OF universal collaboration: and tho solid uni
versity education. which in Great Britain is
possessed by almost all the aspirants to the
liberal professions. has vastly multiplied the
number OF the men who. feeling themselves
capable OF writing on occasion a leading article
or book review. yield sooner or later to the
temptation. The young barrister who can
command moro epi.rams than briefs. the ply
stefan who lacks patients. the young man
destined to diplomacy. to parliamentary
honors. or to tho luxurious life OF q country
gentleman. Is not sorry to turn his leisure
to account by enlightening his contem-
poraries or to receive remuneration for this
collateral labor. He would perhaps have
hesitatcd had he been called upon to sign
his articles. and might perhaps have shrunk
from committing himself in path divergent
from his goal. But the system o; anonymity
removes all his scruples. and so he enlis.s in
journalism. We might name. by way Of illus
ttftion. several hereditary members OF the
upper House who went through thoir political
on'ths press. The Marquis OF
Salisbury. for instance. long discussed diplo-
matte questions In the Quarterly Rcrie,o lit
would have been still more pertinent to have
mentioned tho Saturday. to which Lord Salts
bury. before succeeding to the title. was an as
siduous contributor before dealing with them
In practice. And among the members OF the
House OF Commons. OF the bar. OF the bench.
OF the stats OF university professors 1t might
be hard to find one who has never smeared his
finger with little OF that good ink which is
every day renewed In newspaper Office
This is all true. but Mr.. DARYL knows that
university professors and the lights OF the
bench and bar are not particularly proud of
the surreptltious guineas which they have
earned upon the press. He does not fail to
dilate on the marked difference in respect OF
socia! consideration between tho position occu-
pied by London journalists and TINT OF their
Partisan confreres. 1t Is not" he says. I'm
Great Britain that we can apply tho aphorisn,.
journalism leads to everything 1t would.
indeed. he more Just to affirm that it
leads to nothing. 1t Is highway on
which everybody travels: but this high
way Is not the path to parliamentary
distinction. nor to great administrative or
financial success. II there are journalists in
the House OF Commons. 1t WAS hardly in that
that they got there. Quite recently we
have secn one OF the metropolitan boroughs
prefer nobody to Mr.. John Morley one OF the
men who have reflected most credit uron Eng
lish journalism by their talent and their charac-
tor" Since Mr.. Daryl penned these lines Mr..
Morley has obtained q seat in Parliament.
" Speaking generally" continues tho writer OF
these papers. we may aver that the journalist
does not possess In England the prestige which
no enjoys elsewhere" We must again inter-
rupt. for tho author Is thinking too eXclu-
sivey OF Paris; the social position OF the Jour-
nRlist Ia far better in London than in Berlin I'm
that Interchangeable hierarchy. wherein every
member has his rank marked on the table OF
precedence from the sovereign down to clergy.
men. lawyers and tho liverymen OF civic cor
the intermediate grades being occu-
pied by princes OF the blood. dukes marauises,
earls. vfscounts baronets. and 'squires 1.-THE au-
thor has omitted barons and. OF course. tho
children OF peers arc sandwiched all along the
listl. tho journalist. as such. has no place. is
no'rherp. as the phrase is. BY virtue OF hi. per-
sonal qualities. he may have gained for himself
the most enviable position In society. but his
profession does not help him at ali carries
with IL N privilaCa and Mia In ,,,hi;o