Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-05-12
NEWSPAPER MAKERS
THE MAGNETISM THAT THERE is IN
THE PROFESSION.

Why CrusOe Didn't Print Paper-Edwin
ArnOld's Love of the Calling -Chauncey
Depew and His sJoIliess-A Tired Lot
of Reporters.
like to brag about newspaper men
who have done good work, because the
men themselves don't like it. For one
newspaper man iSAhant the praises Of
others of his craft is considered taboo"
and the very fact of its being tabooed
makes it exceptionally tempting at
times, so frail are we all. The proper
professional attitude for a newspaper
Misunderstanding to convention-is that
Of being always slightly bored and OF
hating above all things to see his own
or another newspaper mans name in
print As to being in love with his pro-
fession-well, that's all right for new
hand just from college, but now-rats!
Don't you believe word about news
paper work making genuine newspaper
men tired. They couldn't keep away
from it if they tried If Robinson Cru
soc had been a newspaper man, he
would have printed daily edition Of
the Juan Fernandez Castaway in blunt
stick type on the sand in front of his
hut every morning and got out an extra
when he captured Friday
And it must be that age and rank and
station don t serve to benumb this feel
ing. When Sir Edwin Arnold happened
to be in st. Louis few years ago,
sudden crisis in India-Russians and
EDglishmen glaring at each other acIcss
the rugged orests of the Pamirs, the
"Rcof of the World d'-made an inter
view with him of especially timely
value. 1t cane into my days work TO
see him, ard at the close of the inter
view he fell to talking about the jrti-
dental phases of possible Russo Eng
lish war.
Should such a war be declared, -
said Sir Edwin, 81 would instantly 20
to the front for my paper" Len
don Telegraph" and serve as special
correspondent II is the most fascinat-
ing work in the profession, and there is
none more fascinating outside. "
And moment later the English Eeet
and newspaper editcr was telling ne
that he considered James Whitcomb
Riley the most distinctively national Of
living American poets. and that TO his
mind Riley owed much of this to TIE
fact that he was newspaper poet. -
instead of a magazine poet
If / only had DR.. Chauncey NJ De-
pew here to join in this talk al cut
newspaper men, then you'd begin to
realize what fine fellows they really
are. DR.. Dercw couldn't live will ut
newspaper men. They visit him in lis
private Office i'll the New York head
quarters of the New Yclk Central rail-
road. and they laugh at the jokes i'll his
after dinner speeches and boom him for
the presidency of the United States and
for anything else he may desire simply
because they like. him and he ikta
them. The first and only time ever
saw DR. Depew was at the Republican
national convention Of 1892 i'll Mime
apolis, whittier DR.. Depew repaired as
one of the Big -Four" of that yoly
| lively convention. He was surrounded
six deep by newspaper correspondents
| facing them, tall and irreproachGbly
| groomed, looking for all the world like
| the swell old heavy father III ''The
Bankers Daughter. and giving out all
the news he consistently could, sup
| pose. And when he had exhausted his
budget for the time being be turned in
and gave them 'tDepew jolly" of tho
press which was really daisy in its
| line OF course I'm not going to tell
you what be said, because, honestly, it
was bit steep, but just want to give
| you an idea that ] would be greatly le-
enforced i'll this talk if could have DR..
Depew here to take hand in it.
Talking of conventions and bean ing
in mind my already expressed disbelief
in the possibility of newspaper mans
ever getting tired of newspaper work,
| / want to make a kind of exception.
The tiredest lot of newspaper men 1
ever saw was at the close of the famous
all night session cf the Democratic ma
tional convention of that same yeaI-
I892-in Chicago 1t was the night of
the great anti Cleveland fight made by
Tammany in the last ditch; the night
when Bourke Cochran made the gltat-
est speech Of his life; the night when
such an orator as Daniel of Virginia
was hooted from the platform because
the convention was actually too tx
hausted to listen; the night when Cleye-
land was nominated With one recess,
if am net mistaken, the convention
remained i'll session from 10 O'Clock oEC
morning until O'Clock the next. 1t
was crucial session. too, and kept
correspondents on the alert every mo-
ment. Bourke Cock ans speech against
Cleveland was made about 2:30 in the
morning, and dying man would have
been forced 10 Listen and thrill at its
eloquent iBvottive and mastery sar.
casm. But after that came the awful
slump of utter weariness. When the
convention adjourned, day had broken
over Chicago and the streets were gray
in its early light. White faced and
limp, the eclRs of special correspond.
ents almost staggered out and made
their sleep blind way to their respect.
i've hotels. Tired? Yes, but it was as q
soldier is tiIed in the trenches. A few
hours sleep aud the Gght would be Ie'
sumed as gallaLtly as ever.-R. D,
Saunders in st. Louis Republic