The Washington times., 1904-08-03
WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 3. 1904.
Journalism'S DecadenCe.

Is modern journalism deteriorat-
ing?
Alas, it must be confessed that it
is. The modern school scribes are
woefully weak in invention and the
splendid minds of a former day seem
to have vanished, never to return
Here's the summer half over and
not a single correspondent has sent
a thrilling story about how Zeb Corn
tassel, a sufferer from rheumatism
for thirty years, whose tweaks and
twinges made the Government fore
casts look like false pretenses when
ii came to predicting changes in the
weather, had been cured by walking
into a nest of bees and being stung
nearly to death. That this perennial
yarn should have been overlooked is
indeed a sad reflection upon the coun-
try reporters upon whom we used to
count for so much summer reading.
Also, the first of August has come
and gone, and the best that the en-
tire corps of summer resort boomers
has been able to do has been one sea
serpent, and that a measly, fresh
water affair which appeared in a
Northern lake and came up when
there was no first officer on deck, spy
glass in hand. trying to detect the
first glimpses of the distant head
lands
In the old and better days such an
effort as this would never have been
printed at all; on the ground Of pure
waste of space, when every man
brought thrilling accounts of sea ser
penis 40 feet Tonga length peculiar
tc sea serpents-as big around as a
hogshead, moving through the water
at incredible speed, with an undulat-
ing motion, and sinking out Of sight
just as the popular actress on board
the magnificent liner was prepared to
take a snapshot of him with the jew
eled kodak. presented to her on her
opening night in London by the Duo
de Fathead.
Those who have had experience
with Indiana correspondents marvel
lot al the unusual crop Of fiction
writer's that State has produced, but
it. must bring the blush of shame TO
the cheek of every Hoosier writer 10
think that for more than three
months not a single airship has been
seen flying over the back counties at
night, making strange signals with a
mysterious searchlight. This In the
face of the proud boast that used to
be made that If Santos Dumont were
TO disappear from Paris in his airship
late on Friday afternoon he would be
seen over twenty-three different In
diana towns early Sunday morning
When old reliables fail US that way
things have come 10 a parlous pass
and it is no wonder Mr.. Pulitzer hur-
riedly endowed a college of journal
ism.
The Presidential candidates have
been known for a month, yet Uncle
Cyrus Haskins, who has voted for
every Democratic nominee for Presi-
dent since Andrew Jackson. and was
county clerk in 1858. has not discov-
cred any locusts with UnmistakablC
P's on their wings, an unfailing sigr
that somebody whose name begins
with P Is going 10 carve the White
House turkey. This evidence of pres
a1a - fc nj
as appalling as the remarkable silenc,
OF the Kokomo and other Indian;
space writer's.
Even that old, reliable standby, III,
Delaware peach crop, has failed L
fail this season; nary a prima DOM;
has been saved from the undertov
at Atlantic City; no lake teeminl
with fish has suddenly risen cut o
the ground near Tom Trapper's de
servedly popular camp in the Adiron
dacks, which is patronized by III
most exclusive people; no twO-header
calf has been born on the land o
Farmer William J. Bryan; no sciol
OF a princely house, travelling incoe
nito. has fallen desperately in Low
with a wonderfully beautiful Ameri
can heiress, whose name is withheld
for the present; no waterspout ha
nearly wrecked an Italian tram
steamer; the Kansas harvest has pro
duced only one correspondent VIII
has had the energy to send out
story of the desperate farmers hold
ing up freight train and kidnapin
the tramps for work in the fields
not once has the entire wheat are
of Minnesota been devastated by ha
30 that as far as the eye can reac
nothing Is 70 be seen but ruin, wheT
yesterday we're untold thousands {
wealth represented by the wavin
acres Of grain; and Reggie Wander