The Portland daily press., 1890-08-29
The United States
Official Investigation of
Baking Powders
Observation-Disclosures
Superior to all Others
in strength eavening power, and general usefulness
of tartar powder of the very highest quality.
The Royal Baking Powder is thus stamped by high
est official authority The Leading Baking Powder of
the World

Dlldb bIb idllGI dIldChGN pttfN
agely one night in his Office. The polics
interfered in time to prevent serious con.
sequences, and The Herald furnished tina
next morning highly ornamented ac-
count Of the affair from its point of
view. 1t was readable, if not truthful,
readableness being with Bennett of
prime importance always. At the close
he said that he cared very little about
the assault-he had received no special
injury-but he did object to Hamblin's
picking up silver dollar that lay on
the counter and carrying it off in his
pocket. This was pure invention, as the
journalist privately admitted. His OBJ
ject was, he said, to distract public at
tention, and he had succeeded. The
community was SO anxious to know
whether the actor really had or had not
stolen the coin that they ceased to dis
cuss the main fact This he called his
knowledge of human nature. 1t was
rather shrewd and very like Bennett.
Notwithstanding tie great circulation
and prosperity of The Herald it was
bitterly hated by very large and infu-
entail class. Its methods were certainly
not all that might have been desired,
and appealed to the ordinary rather than
to the cultured mind. Those who ranked
themselves as the best people would not
look at il; they considered it horribly
vulgar and in every way abominable.
But Bennett was Indifferent to the chest
people," he cared only for the average
reader. He was eminently an individ.
ual, though not perhaps of an immacu-
late pattern, and ruggedly independent.
Much of this feeling ceased with the
breaking out Of the civil war, and had
become extinct long before his death.
The advantage of longevity attended
him; he survived the animosities he had
aroused by lasting nearly seventy-seven
years. The old crop of his enemies had
been gathered to their fathers, and new
crop had not been made.
Whatever the opinion held of him as
iournalist-and his ways melted criti-
cism ACKNOWLEDGMENT as man was
not censurable. He was strictly moral,
having no vices, and being entirely do
mestic. Having been married at 45 he
lung VI LIS ll1dIIldk6 Ill
The Herald, as he did of most of his per-
sopal matters, and having had two
children he spent most of the time not
claimed by editorial duties at home in
the bosom of his family. He had no
sort of liking for society in any ac-
cepted sense, but he had few init
mates and cleaved to them; but
even home was subordinated to his
newspaper, to which indeed everything
was. No man has ever lived more
for and by and through his profession;
it was the aim and end of his existence.
The fact that he had built up the great
est newspaper in the world amply re-
warded him for his thirty-five years of
untiring labor, for his conservation to
his purpose. News was the one thing
desirable with him. Other things were
of small moment in his eyes, Opinion,
criticism, learning, eloquence, brilliancy,
had no charm for him, and The Herald
has never been conspicuous for any of
these. People might speak of its news,
but not of its presentation, nor of its edi-
torials or reviews.
oCllICto hdo ul1llg pCSulldI1blCS, SOlll6
of which were essentially adverse to
good journalism. One of these was dis
trust of everybody in his service, the re-
suit being that each employee was made
to feel insecure of his place. Any one
having charge Of department might
suddenly be removed to another depart
ment, irrespective of his competence
ood Hdali+1- Tho ,.aaco,, fo,. +b;e &c -
can be supposed to have any reason
was the belief that any permanence
might beget corruption. Changes were
constantly making to an extent that
seems like sarcasm upon enlightened
management. Herald men We're, as
rule, allowed little freedom and no in
dividuality. Consequently they were,
as body, mediocre and without any
feeling of pride in or loyalty to the pa
per- They were generally inferior. in
mind and attachments to the members
of any other staff of journal of like
rank. For nearly eighteen years The
Herald has been conducted by the
younger Bennett, as he was formerly
called. 1t has both gained and lost I'M
O0A lll1li \lU HO lOLB6I lSttuS III ClICuld-
tom; but do not intend to speak Of
the son in this article.
The elder Bennett died at the begin
ming of summer in 1872, having been
gradually withdrawing from the paper
for several years previous on account of
age and declining health. He had scoffed
at and ridiculed all causes and all
churches in his columns; but in his de-
clining days he returned to the theology
of his parents, receiving absolution and
the last sacrament from Archbishop Nc
Closkey. Benefits mode of exit was at
variance with his whole life in America.
While he did great deal to help jour
nalisIn, he did great deal to debauch it
as we'll. He was singularly inconsistent
"a highly moral man and, probably
without meaning to be so, an unscrupu-
lous journalist.
j. III. B.