The herald., 1895-02-25
The Press Agent

INC FIGoS hSCht
Who invented the press agent2 What
is press agent, anyhow? And why is
he?
These questions were never more i'm
portant than they are at the present
time, when good artists are being hurled
into the pit of oblvian through the idi-
otto efforts of the vulgar and ignorant fell
lows who call themselves press agents.
A press agent is primarily supposed to
be person who acts as a middleman be-
tween manager or performer and
the newspapers. His purpose is to in
fiuence the papers in favor of the per
former-or, to put it in the language of
the profession, get him some good notices.
For there have been press agents who
can work the papers, There was
James W. Morrissey. He invented the
Emma Abbott kiss. He told the news
paper fellows that although Emma was
clad in the armor of virtue, and always
sang Nearer My God to Thee when she
had ghost of chance, she could kiss
longer and harder and more clinchingly
than any prima donna on earth. Then
he induced Emma to stand on the stage
with her lips apparently glued to the
tenors although they We're really hall an
inch away, for about two minutes. The
result was that young men and maidens,
having read of this salute, hastened to the
theater to study this exposition of the
holy erotic.
This kind of press agency work still
goes on. But it is worked among the re-
porters, not among the critics. 1t concerns
itself with the private personality of the
artists, not with the public performance.
1t fills the columns of the sensational
papers with the accounts of the doings
al nd ttp1ainoe of ci nd orr TI
does more to degrade the artistic profess
sions in the public mind than anything
else that is known. Public performers
are held up to public view as lot of human
Freaks whose daily lives consist OF an un-
bro&en string of eccentricities, to speak
OF nothing worse. The public is expected
to visit the theater and the opera house,
not to be enthralled by art, but simply to
see these human freaks on exhibition.
Result-dollars
But there is another kind of press
agent work that does world of harm in
another direction. 1t is the business of
sending out advance notices." which
read like circus advertisements. These
advance notices are of a nature to raise
public expectation to a pitch which
nothing human can possibly reach, and
the stupid fellows have not sense enough
see that If you announce that the most
stupendous, marvellous amazing, over
whelming pianist of Europe is about to
appear man who has been pronounced
the peer OF List, an artist of solid, re-
spectacle attainment will inevitably dis
appoint the public.
Yet this is the kind of stuff that pours
into every newspaper office, If these
press agents had an ounce of common
sense among them, they would see that,
setting aside all consideration for the
artist, no paper could afford to stultify it
self by publishing critical opinion of
performer before his appearance Yet the
papers are asked to do Just that very
thing, not once a week but almost every
day. The press agent has it in his power
to be extremely useful to the newspaper
man. He ca. irnish great deal OF in
formation wli,1 the journalist desires to
get, which he will gladly print, and
which will be OF benefit to the artist. But
it is not the sort OF stuff the average press
agent sends out. A statement that M.
Jean de Reszke is studying Tristan" in
Germany is good news.
Mr.. Paderewski's route in Europe up to
March is good news. Such things are
printed at once with pleasure by every
paper in the town. But the announcement
that Frau Cosima Wagner has expressed
her belief that in M. de Reszke's she will
at last find her ideal Tristan, is not worth
the paper it is written on, The notice
containing the statement that the Man
chester Squealer says Mr. Paderewski's
Polish Fantasia is the most notable con-
tribution to the literature of the piano
since the death of Chopin makes food for
the office cat. 1t is unimportant if true,
and probably ism t true. But the whole idea
of the press agent seems to be to get ia
vorable words into paper. He does not
look beyond the utterance of the moment;
he has no business perspective; he does
very little good and a great deal of
harm. The average press agent has not
sense enough to see that his fulsome fiat
terry of his employer is not only worthless
as news, but would be actually injurious
1.-THE Boston symphony Ochestra
played to rather poor houses on Friday
afternoon and Saturday night 1t is hui
initiating that such an orchestra should
not be able to gather better houses when
Mr.. Seidl, with one not as large by
twenty or thirty men, and not so well
drilled, fills the house to the top gallery.
The strike and the bad weather had
bad effect, no doubt, on the concerts of the
Boston orchestra, but that is no explana-
ton of the neglect the orchestra has suf-
fered here since it succeeded Thomas.
1t is wonder that Mr.. Ellis has not
thought of some scheme to increase the