The San Francisco call., 1899-01-29

have written disparaging things about
the American newspaper man. SAID
Mr.. Caine, "is in supposing that the
gentleman who interviews you, VINO
meets you at the steamer dock, and
calls you out of bed at midnight to
ask some trivial question, Is the whole
field of American journalism. TOO
many travellers in America do that. The
extraordinary vigor Of the every day
work Of the American journalist Is
what first impresses you. He is always
ON the nail To-day's subject is to-
days need, and whether 1t is the fate
of the Philippines or how to sweep the
snow out of the streets, the journalist
tackles it for all it is worth. Then the
general enterprise of the American
press is beyond comparison greater
than that of almost every other press
in the world. Not even the London
Times, or Telegraph, or Standard. with
their correspondents in every capital,
can suEpass the amazing enterprise OF
the best papers in America.
Remember that by reason Of dis
tance the material of the American
paper costs incomparably more, and
that nearly every days paper contains
Sunday papers of America, whatever
we may think of them as literary pro-
ducts, are examples of journalistic en-
terprise without parallel in the world.
Outside London there is nothing pub
lished, whether in Paris, Berlin, Vienna
or Rome, which for interest or quality
or yet bulk bears moments compari-
son with the best American Sunday
papers.
Then the imagination shown in the
construction and mapping out of a typ
ical American newspaper, to meet the
needs of the largest number of read
ers, is another striking characteristic.
Therefore, when we gibe, as 1t Is so
easy to do, at the unconscientious and
even vulgar aspects of some American
journalism, we should remember its
good qualities, which are neither few
nor hard to find"
Can you give me some of your ex-
periences with the American interview
er, Mr.. Caine ?'' 1 asked.
There were many varieties of them"
was the reply. Some were honest.
Some were entirely Indifferent to the
correctness of their interviews and
made me say many things that should
no more think of saying than of trying
to fly More lady journalists are now
engaged as interviewers than formerly.
and they do their work WELL AS might
be expected their personal descriptions
are embarrassingly precise. The color
OF your hair and eyes and the pattern
of your clothes are facts of the first i'm
portance. Hardly any American in
reviewers, male or female, write short
hand, and as a consequence the visitor
talks the idiom of the reporter. In
certain interviews I found myself saw
ing: 1t makes me tired and 1T tickIes
me to death
fr1tn
me were published during my stay in
New York. In one of these called Mr..
Winter a liar In another 1 gave a
modest description of my own head.
saying the upper part resembled
Shakespeare and the lower part re-
sembled Christ! These fiamboyant f1c-
tions are, observe. the tit-bits oftenest
quoted in England by journals which
most affect to look down on American
journalism. But whatever the inter-
viewer may be it is folly of the English
man in America to attempt to escape
him. AS a general statement think it
would be true that whether you allow
yourself TO be interviewed or refuse to
allow yourself to be interviewed you
are equally certain to regret 1t. But
that has been my experience In Eng
land also.
but you asked me for experiences
with the interviewer. Here are few:
During the run Of The Christian at
the Knickerbocker Theater there was
sad and terrible incident. A young
actress died of heart disease in the
course of a performance. 1 CHANGED
to be in the theater at the moment of
the death, and I was still suffering
from the shock when I returned to the
hotel. Between midnight and / o'clock
in the morning reporter sent up his
card. He must see me at once, If only
for a moment. I saw him at the door of
my bedroom. It's about this poor
young lady he said. fWell?' she
NANN