New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-28
BRITISH JOURNALISM.
TWENTY YEARS AMONG PAPERS AND THEIR
MAKERS.
Arr. r. II. s. ESCORTS PERSONAL "REMINISCENCES
CoD,o.igat 1888.

MAKERS.
am r IT. e. rscorT's PERSONAL "REMINISCENCES
Copyright 1885,
After two decades of unremitting exer'ioh' 'no
worker in the arduous maths of London Journalism
IA perhaps entitled TO feel that he mas reachcu "
table-iand on which he may pause to take oreain'
and whence he may. for few minutes. survey inc
retrospect. For twenty years OF Londoh Jour
nalism means twenty years OF tried ana genuine
work. To him who has lived through fhem ana "ho
looks TO live through more it must necessarily DC an
eyentful period. When. twenty years SINCE iadop'eu
very rashly as was informed by many older ana
wiser heads on the strength suppose OF the succeS
which had attended one or two chance ventures
journalism as a profession. only two of the London
newspapers now in existence were published NJ
penny-Tle DaiIy Telegraph and The Standard Inc
former of these was already an assured triumph;
the latter was growing in favor ano prosperity
from day to day, though its propretors ana con
dnctors we're not able to dvest themselves oil all
misgivings The Morning Post and The Dag Ne"S
cost each of them threepence; 90 did Inc Ao'""0
Herald published from The Stdhdare o"loo ""'
With the exception of the leading articlessand the
quality of the paper identcally the same journal as
The Standard; So of course rs it continues 10 oe'
did The Times The Morning Star, the reputed organ
ofMr. John Bright and of the advanced Radicals
who followed him. dragged on precarious exist
ence at the same price as The Deag IeteSrapa ~
was discontinued some dozen years ago. whiie Jps'
seyenteeu wears ago The Herald, which proved
dead loss was merged in The Standard, already
fine property.
In the higher class weekly press there were INC
Saf,rday Reriao The Spectator Thctram'ner ana iee
Economist OF these The Examiner one OF whose
latest proprietors was Lord Rosebery' has alone
passed away. Of what known as "socety
" bo6
dav Rerier then under the guidance OF Mr.. Douglas
Cook. formerly Editor of The Morning Chronicle,
published every week two or three articles OF the
same kind that now regularly appear IN Inc "or'"
and that the regenerated Saturday might repro
bate as intolerably lfppant or personal The
chief writers for The Saturday RerieT at Its COM
mencement were Sir William Harcourt, tho present
Home Secretary, Sir Henry Maine. the learned
autbor of @Ancient Law" aud of the series OF
articles that have recently appeared IN t@e
Quarterly Rcriew on latter-day Radicalism. ending
in The Age of Progress in the April number; ana
thu Rev. w. Scott, clergyman In the City and
Editor of The Christian Remefabrdncr In the
course of the ten years which in 1895 had elapsed
since The Saturdays first appearance the dimensions
of the journal had grown greatly and host OF
writer's most of them very occasional ones, had
gathered round it. 1t was then, as 1t may Tor all
know, be now, the practice OF tho proprietors
The Saturday Rctieu, Mr.. Beresford Hope and MI
Douglas Cook to entertain their coatributors,-the
word. as have always understood. including any
one who had written for the periodical during the
mast year-at the-Trafalgar or the Ship Tavern. at
Greenwich The only one of these banquets ever
attended, certainly did not write more.than TWO
or three articles for The Saturday Rerleu,-was In
1860, when more than hundred gentlemen OF al!
sorts and conditions, college dons. countryparsons
barrisers professors soldiers and doctors sat down
under tho presidency of the sociable. yet choiefic
Douglas Cook-surely the oldest, most 1rasciDle as
we'll as shrewdest and canniest ofAberdonians VINO
ever 6lcl an editorial chair. He had chambers in
The Albany, where on every Tuesday he. saw MS
more favored and regular contributors. He had
also little house which he subsequently much
enlarged at Tintagel in Cornwall. He was great
gourmet andwas supplied with the most succuent
treasures of the deep by the staff Of fishermen whom
he mantained in the far west. Tie had real love
for hiSCornsh homo and his hosptallties were
exercised in it on princely scale. In slope OF
Tintagel Churchyard facing the Atlantic his boay
lies buried; the contents of his cellar. which was
remarkably we'll stored he left to his scholarly
friend the clergyman of Tintagel, the Rev. W.
Kinsman, and his house itself to Lady Hayter, the
daughter of the late Adrian Hope, and now known
as one of the chief hostesses in London OF. the
Liberal party
The first journalist of distinction with whom.
after Douglas Cook,-and Cook | knew better as
friend than rs editor.-I had ANYTHING to do was
Thornton Hunt, son of Leigh Hunt, and the
assistant editor at The Daily Telegraph office,
bright courteous gentleman somewhat past middle
age and reminding very forciby of the portraits
eff Edgar Allen Poe. Tom Hood, now long since
dead aud gone, had given me an introduction to Mr.
Edward lawson the editor as well as part proprl'
etor of The belly Telegraph, and Mr.. Lawson had
referred me to Mr. Hunt At this time Thornton
HINT on whose domestic complications with George
Henry Le@es need not d well. was living In EustOn
Sauare. 1t was there that met at dinner young
Scotcbman as he was in those days, now dead also,
( whom The Daily Telegraph had attracted to London
from the Office of The Scotsman in Edinburgh. edited
by Mr. Alexander Russell, name that is never
likely TO be forgotten Oh the other side of the Tweed
90 long as Scotch Journalism and Scotch salmon
fishing of which he an ardent deyotce, endure.
London journalism has boosted very few II any
more brilliant ornaments more capable writers
than Ja.,cs Macdonel lie had received "a thorough
trainin, in his profession, not only at Edinburgh
but at Newcastle Tyne, before he came in 1864
or 1865 to London. Like most Scotchmen he had a
marvellous head for philosophy and theology but
unlike most Scotchmen, and as happy conse-
auence of an innate literary faculty nonrlslcd and
formed by careful study OF the great masters OF
French public:sm especially Paul and Jean Courier.
he had singular aptituie lor anu apPIccidtloh Vi
literary style. He employed III the Office of The
Daily Telegraph first believe, rather rs an assist
ant editor and as coadjutor of Dir. Thornton
Hunts Afterward when for several years was in
the habit of meeting him and my old friend Mr.
Justin Mccarthy then leader writer for The Daily
Necs, at the back of the Reporters Gallery in the
House of Commons he had given up all editorial
work and simply writer of leading articles
for the paper. II must have been. / think. jim the
year 1876 that he severed his connection with The
Daily Telegraph and went over to The Times. He