The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-03-24
CHATTER Xxx

gasp @; tho dying literature Of an epoch IL Is
thouan Of letters replaced by the concierge"
So cxc,aims =. Albert Mi.laud, in one Of his
witty ortslcs IN Tho Figaro
In America, reporting has simply ovorrdn,
swallowed mp journalism IL Is demolition
OF thewall Of private life, the substitution OF
c.Ssio for chronicle. Of chatter for criticism
For The interviewer nothing Is sacred
Audac.;y is BIZ stock ia trado. the most pri'
Vs;e do,ans OF your Ga.ly lilo arc at his
mercy. ard lalcss you blow his brains out
which is no; lawful IN New York state--you
have no means Of getting rid OF HIM
There is no question too inGiscrect for thee
embarrassing inquiiiors, they would have
interviewed s. Antbouy in his hut.
Do not shout victory either because you
have succeeded in getting nd Of tho inter
viewer without replying TO bis questions. 1t
Is IN such cases that the American journalist
reveals himself in al his glory. To your
stupcfacion tho newspapers next day VIII
have an account Of tho conversation which
Won MIGHT have had with their reporters.
II NV advice be worth giving, the best
t.inr YOU can DO, when the interviewer pre-
son;s himself and says, Il am reporter, sir,
and have como 70 ask you for few mo
uscn;s' chat" IS 10 say 10 him;
Mad 20 soc you, sir, pray be sected.'
On the 18th Of November, 1884, at a IN,
tho Germans, after a terribly rough passage
Of nine days, entered the magnificent barboT
Of New York. The sun had risen resplend'
eat in d cloudless bluo sky. We had just
passei Bartholdis statue Of Liberty En-
lrhtcrinr the World" and It seemed as If
France were not far of II was sweet sen
ation. and insiinc,iyely / had raised my
nat. Alat once tho Gernlanic stopped. A
little steam tug drew up alongside, aud there
stepoed en- beard few custom house officers,
followed by several other persouS
''lcoA outr cried one o. my fellow passen-
gers. seeing that appeared to be unconscious
OF danger
what il the InattGP asked
"The intervieweTsY
"yonsen.e. not hers snray.' exclaimed.
No sooner were the words out Of my mouth
than two young men handed INC their cards,
With the announcement that they were Jour
nalis's
We have evms - present. our respects W
YOU. they said. and 10 wl.h you pleasant
time in our country
While they uttered these words they
scanned me from head 10 foot, jOtting q few
s:roke~ on their note books. They were tax
.slg my portrait. which appeared next morn
4 = Ia. ffrfa hat IA fT6f
Of View York thought Ct 70 devote to me.
Oh. that first afternoon in New York,
spent in the company Of the intervieweisl !
shall never forget III
The Office Of my lecture manager, Maj"
Pond. was situated on the ground floor Of the
Everett house, whore had put up. Ihithg
Ircpared after lunch 10 undergo the operar
iion Of tapping by eight lnter'iewers at once.
"Ahr sal one of them, after the usual
situations, 1--WE are going - bore yen, - let
us begin at the beginning
This made me smile.
IL know your first question" slid, ''you
are going 10 ask mo whether this Is my first
visit TO America"
"You arc right; that Is generally our first
question. but have another TO ask you be-
fore You have just eaten your first msal In
America: wha; did you haven
"Goailemcn," | replied as seriously as
poS1bly could Il have Just been In for
piece Of tirbot bceistok and potato chips
celery salad, and vanilla ice"
"And now" remarked another reporter,
81 have an important question TO put TO you
hope it viii not astonish you"
~Ohw replied, IL am in America, and
mute ready not 10 be astOnLshcd at any
thing"
"Well, then" said be, Il want to ask you
what AFRO your impressions Of America"
Excuse me" exclaimed, II havo only
been in It three hours, and thoso three hours
have been spent IN this botel You must
really allow me 10 abstain for tho moment
from telling you what think Of America,
for you viii admit hope, that one must
have passed wholo day at least In America,
III order to judge IT with any accuracy"
Hers | rolled cigarette aud rang for
Rmoa squash.
The reporters Immediately made an entry
In their note books
What ia that you hAvo put DOWN. l
asked
A young fellow, with face beanlng with
act:vity and Intelligence, replied; Il wrote
that at this point Of our conversation you
rolled a cigarette and rang for a lemon
squash"
The questions they al;cd really appeared 10
me - commonplace, ~ trivial, tina, ! was
almost ashamed 10 think / was the hero os
this little farce.
With the idea Of giving them sonethtng
better worth writing, | launched into aneo-
dotes, and tod few 70 these interviewer
This brought about little scene which was
quite comic. II | looked at one reporter
Little oftcner than the r,st, while | told IN
anecdoie, be would turn 70 his brethren and
say:
This story Is for my paper you have no
right 10 take it down, 1t was told especially
to mo"
''Not at all" would cry the others. lit was
told 20 all OF Us
Next day ! procured al tho New York
morning papers. more from curiosity, must
say in justice to myself, than from vanity,
tor was not at all proud Of my utteranos
Of The day before
Judge OF my surprise on opening tho first
paper to ind nearly two columns fun Of
sinaAng details. picturesque descriptions.
well tea anecdotes, witty remarks, the whole
c.vrly mingled and arranged 10y men who,
had always supposed, wSro mere steaogra
piers
Evcrytldns was faithfully reported and
ar.sticaly at down. Tho smallest incidents
we-o rendered interesting by tho manner Of
telling. Tho major, for instance, who, &c
cusiomcd 70 this Kind Of interview for many
years, had peacefully dropped asleep, com
fortably Installed. with his head on the sofa
pillows aud his feet ON the back Of a chair;
NY own gestures, the description OF the
pretty and elegantly furnished ofice-on was
very crisp and vivid They had turned
everything 70 account oven the arrival Of
Al. f,... couch s..,. NAL. ~ fitrpt.h A ltxl.