New-York tribune., 1903-07-29

CelVe so great a gift IN such faShlon! Minis
ter. where is your religion? He looked up.
Il ana little tired. think shall go up
stairs. and ask your mother to read TO me. Yes
What day it will be for Carfax. will it not2
Carfax viii expand. as Mr.. Murdoch is so fond
of saying This will please Mr.. Murdoch. this
gift-wiIl it not?"
Mr. Murdoch is giving the money, father"
What say? Yes. True. I had forgotten
Still. think he should have let us know more
directly perhaps. Probably he intends to sur
prise US, however. And now-if you will excuse
mel feel bit tired, Thank you" Leaning
on his daughters arm. he climbed the stairs
Next evening the pickle maker came jubIlantly
to the dinner table. Hello. kids ne cried.
comprehensively. to Bradford and Amy. Had
a letter to-day-guess whom from?'
Couldn't. TO save ourselves"
From the old doctor-Dr Craven. He wants
to know whether a rumor he has heard is true.
that I'm to give something to Carfax College
Apologies for writing. but says the directness
of his information justifes him. I told him 1
didn't know where he'd got his facts. but since
he asked me. 1 wouldn't deny I was thinking
seriously of it; had made UP my mind to it."
You told him that, Uncle JACKIE"
Murdoch nodded. Wonder how the old boy
learned about it? Either of you been saying
anything 1t must nave Deen BARRETT ne pre-
tends to be so close mOuthed. but the best Of
US will slip up occasionally At any rate there's
TO harm done. I was thinking yesterday we'd
have TO make up minds to it. pretty soon
I've mailed the formal letter to the board tipped
the wink to the papers, and guess the reporters
will be out here tonight like wolves"
so DR.. Craven knows about it," said Amy,
thoughtfully. What did ne say in his letter.
Uncle Jack?'
Nothing much. Just wanted to know If his
information was accurate I told him didn't
know how he'd got it. but that he'd got 1t
straight"
Il wonder how he heard?" She was musing
aloud. not addressing any one in particular
Neither Bradford Murdoch had time to
answer at the moment. for the bell rang.
THE first VOLTS at the door!'' cried Murdoch
gayly. He was plainly in mood Of reproach
to whoever had betrayed his secret
"a gentleman from The Times to see Mr..
Murdoch"
Tell him to wait III see him in twenty min
utes"
During that twenty minutes the bell rang
again four times. Gentlemen from ''The
Herald" from "The Spy" from THE Eagle"
and from The Globe were also anxious, il ap-
peared., to see Mr.. Murdoch. The City Press
called him up by telephone. and asked permis-
sion to send a man out The representative Of
THE New-YOrk Sun drove up in cab with
his deadly rival the head of the Carfax Bu-
reau of the Associated Press. The telegraph
wires buzzed from Maine to California and Car
fax was the centre Of the electrical storm. Had
the Secretary Of the Treasury embezzled all the
funds in his possession and fled TO OIurdoch's
house. the siege of correspondents could scarcely
have been heavier. Ten million dollars cannot
be thrown into the educational pool without a
splash
Murdoch was in his glory. Well. boys" he
began, and the words were the keynote OF his
mood. Once again he sang his paan, but this
time TO the proxies Of nation. He sat lounging
in his chair ostentatiously careless smoked a
cigar. and radiated content and enthusiasm,
while they piled him with questions. Swimming
before his eyes came the massive headlines.
while he answered gayly. Another of you
he chucked. when the special correspondent of
THE Journal The American" and the The
Examiner appeared We'll, have a cigar.
Funny what stir this little gift of mine seems
to make amt it?' And the reporters accepted
his cigars, and winked at each other when they
had time; and in the accounts next day ap-
peared not a word of his unreserve. or his zeal
for advertisement or his naive enjoyment of
the sensation which ne was creating, but only
stately phrasing which kept him before the pub
lie in the light that ought 10 halo a benefactor
of his magnitude. That was what they did for
him, not because they were grateful for his
heartiness or his good cigars. but because IL is
the policy of the newspapers Of America one
and ALL TO keep up our illusions as a nation.
The moment that we publicly admit those truths
which We privately confess. two things will hap
pen; The United States will cease TO be the
butt Of the worlds laughter, and il will begin
to decay.
OF course the problem soon presented itself.
and was formulated by these trained questioners
what was to become of DR.. Craven? Murdoch
pished and pshawed. The money was given 10
the board of trustees without conditions DR..
Craven friend of his-a personal and dear
friend. Whatever was done would be done
decently and in order There was no hurry.
And the scribbling reporters noted all this eager
ly. thought it incumbent upon them TO
mention that other reporters, ready to scribble
quite fast had been sent posting TO Dr.
Craven long ago; to the members Of the board
of trustees; TO prominent men upon the faculty
-everywhere the slightest chance OF news ap-
peared. The newspapers Of Carfax are NOT
unique in their methods. Like others, they leave
nothing to chance: they discover all they can.
by hook or crook; having done which. they
guess at what remains, and publish the whole
for truth. Murdoch might have known that al
ready men in all the Offices were busy with a
list Of possible successors TO DR.. Craven.
That not a wild night in Carfax news
paperdom. because the facts were all easy TO
get, and TO mystery was involved. But IL was
a busy night. And the headlines. next morning.
left the pickle maker but little 10 desire. Only
one grieved him. as it was repeated with varia-
tions over and over again. President Craven
TO Resign President Craven. It is true. had
refused with stately courtesy. to consider the
matter so far as il affected the business man