The Tucson citizen., 1902-11-20
A GENEROUS EDITOR.
Cheated by a Fake story In His Ovvr
Newspaper.


Newspaper.
The following true story of a New
York reporter is told by correspond
ent:
"As a reporter my friend had not won
the regard of his city editor. He fre-
quentIy failed to return from an as
signment with a good story So when
he was told to draw $40 from the Of
fee, go out and give it to man genu.
inely in need of it and then write, as
social study, the needy mans valuation
of current reports of abounding pros
perity in the country my friend thought
he had a task that was easy, but or
ganized charity would not, because of
principle, encourage such 'indiscrimi-
nate giving and refused to tell of any
one who was in extremity. Going
down to the Bowery, the reporter
questioned a policeman and was di-
rected to a certain tenement. When
he got there, the man had been dispos-
sessed and had taken his family out of
the neighborhOod After no success
with two other devices for discovering
a man really in Nant it looked as
though the reporter would once more
have to go back to the office and re.
port failure
"But what so prepOsterous as to say
to the city editor that man who was
badly off for the lack of $40 and who
had views on the subject of prosperity
was not to be found?
''Press time was near. Some plan OF
action had to be decided on. Meeting
q friend who though earning a good
deal, always spent more, the reporter
said, For heavens sake, don't you
need $10?' With excellent presence of
mind the man answered in the proper
way. and the reporter dashed back to
his desk to write his little social study.
He imagined a poor man who had a
pitiful need and told an imaginary tale
about him.
"It was charming, but very sad
The city editor next afternoon praised
him; 1t was the finest story 'of the
day. He added: Already several men |
have stopped in to leave checks, and
here is a fifty dollar bill the chief him.
self just dropped on my desk for the
poor man. You cash these checks and
take all the money to him and write
something about the relief it will af,
ford to him. Wait a moment; here's
another $25. Why, it's from the chief
again; you see what an impression
you've made! Taking the money, the
young reporter hesitated. fumbled it.
Well? inquired the city editor.
"Then the young reporter had to
give the account of the hunt for q
needy man as here set forth. After
looking out the window a long time
the city editor said:
"'Of course you are Indefinitely sus-
pended. / ought to devise some tor.
ture for you also. You might he con-
cluded, rising, picture to yourself what
feelings the Old man will have-that
kindly old chief to whom must return
this $75-when he hears that he was 7
cheated by fake in his own news
paperr New York Commercial Ad'
Yertiser.
Sense I'm Proverbs.
There is deal of sound sense in the
proverbs Of a nation. Earl Russell de
fined a proyerb as being the wit Of one
man and the wisdom of many, and the
aptness Of this Is well shown in the
following from the Spanish, "Since we
cannot get what we like, let us like !
what we get" The thought is as old
as the race Of mankind, but ages pass
ed before one man hit upon the happy
expression of it. ~slis saying from the
Chinese Is q whole homily on pride In
one sentence. when tree is blown
down, it shows that the branches are
longer than the roots"
For concise expression of the lofty
aspirations of youth and the sober
achievements Of ripper years take this
sentence from Henry D. Thoreau, "The
youth gets together his materials to
build a bridge to the moon, or per
chance palace or temple on the earth
and at length the middle aged man con-
cludes to build woodshed with them"