The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-02
KIND WORDS.


Arthur McEwen, in his Letter, has the follow
ing kind mention OF the CALL:
The San Francisco CALL is an experiment in
journalism that ought to, and no doubt
does, interest newspaper men the country
over. Nothing like 1t was ever seen in
city of this size. Editorially it has about all
the faults-including apparent want OF sense
and acknowledgement daily paper can have.
In matter and style it does not often get
above the plane of the rural editor who
acknowledges with gratitude the visit OF
delinquent subscriber to pay up, or of a still
more munifcent patron who leaves Christ
mas turkey on the editorial table. 1 spoke re-
Gently of Mr.. Shortridge, the proprietor, as
an ebullient rustic, but it is not to be inferred
that rusticity does not pay in the metropolitan
field. 1t does. By sprinkling himself and his
paper with hay, Mr. Shortridge is making an ex-
traordinary success. The wonder, the laughter,
the scorn of his esteemed City contemporaries
do not affect him in the least. He pursues his
policy drumming his paper as If life were corn
husk1ng, San Francisco q barn, and himself
the life of the party. He is determined to be
happy, that all California shall join him in the
Virginia reel, and that the JOYOUS whackings
OF his cowhides on the floor shall be heard
above all other sounds and all the time. II is
ridiculous, OF course, but the country contem-
porary likes it, for one can scarcely pick up
newspaper from the interior that hasn't some
thing handsome to say of Mr.. Shortridge and
his paper. 1t is to be feared that Mr.. Shortridge
is very artful rustic, for he has quite deceived
the profession, and more especially his
two rivals, Mr.. de Young of the Chron-
icle and Mr.. Hearst OF the Exam
liner. His advent here scared them al
first, for they were apprehensive of the
competition that might be offered by man
who was able to command capital as large as
their own. But the new CALL seemed so
absurd, and Mr.. Shortridge SO 1nnocently
rural, that both these millionaires have
thought it safe to go off to Europe for vaca-
tion-being treated on their departure to puhs
in the CALL equally generous and magnificent.
Such civility has doubtless increased their
establishment and contempt. They are as
surprised as was William Sharon in 1874
when he found John w. Mackay not only
electioneering to send him to the Senate
but opening his purse to the same end. "H,'
said Mr.. Mackay in confidence to a puzzled
friend, 81 can get Sharon out of Virginia City
I'll own the Comstock." And presently he
did. 1t is to be noted by the observer that
while Mr.. Shortridge is editorially clasping
everybody to his bosom and bestowing his
benediction upon every inhabitant of Cali
fornia. he is giving the news in the CALL.
He cares nothing, this honest countryman,
for the artificial glitter of literary polish, but
when you have read the CALL you find your
self informed of what the world has been
doing the previous day, and that his local
reporters have scored scoops One day you
read, too, that Mr.. Shortridge has addressed
the Young Mems Christian Association on the
theme of chow to Succeed" the next we learn
that he has been the chief orator at the butch
ers picnic. He does not sacrifice the CALLS
space to reports of his oratory as Mr.. de Young
does the space of the Chronicle to his own.
The simple rustic is not booming Mr..
Shortridge for either political or So
cial advancement; what he is after is
subscribers to the CALL. And he is getting
them-something like Is 900 new ones within
three months, 1 am informed. Most of these
necessarily have been won from the Chronicle
and the Examiner. Meantime the ingenious,
hearty son of the soil is making himself i'm
mensely popular by his ceaseless mingling
with the common herd, while his treasured
and smiling rivals are taking their ease in
elegance abroad.
Persons of taste have disrelish for the CALL,
but then they also have disrelish for the Ex-
aminer and Chronicle. The reason is that all
three OF the papers are playing to the ground
lings; for 1t is only by getting the subscrip
tons of the groundlings that q newspaper
here can obtain the large circulation
which brings advertisements and profits.
Each of the papers acts its popular part
differently from the others, but the aim is
them will not make to win readers and bust
ness. Their own test of merit is success;
and, tried by that test, Mr.. Shortridge is
proving himself to be much the cleverest OF
the three. He has broken through all the
traditions, apparently because he knows no
better, but he is playing to crowded houses
his role of Uncle Josh Whitcomb amid i'm
mense applause. 1t is moral play more
over, for F@mer shortridge frowns on lot
terry advertisements, and keeps all the col
umns of his paper clean. No artist can help
but admire the whole performance. If it is not
high and digniied art. 1t is art that achieves
its purpose; and it is much more harmless art
than that of Mr.. Shortridge's competitors. If
the CALL cares nothing for the usages of jour-
nalistic society, it is nevertheless fit to enter
the home, and that is saying good deal for
newspaper which is booming itself. They
yawn over it at the clubs, TO
be sure, and men who like to dis
cover traces of intellect in their newspapers
editorials are moved to anger by It, but the
clubs house q very small fraction of the popula-
ton, and the discriminating are the few.
Though Mr.. shortridge astounds, he obviously
is, as he would say in one of his marvellous
paragraphs, "getting there with both feet"
1t is not likely, however, that the circulation OF
the CALL in Boston, by the efforts of the Half
million Club, would draw many immigrants
hither.