Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-05
Newspaper English.
From the Baltimore Sun.


The defense of newspaper English" by
DR.. Woodrow Wilson. president of Prince
ton University. coming SO close upon Mr.
Henry James vigorous assault, seems to
be intended as a reply to the latter gem
tleman. Mr.. James. in a recent speech
in this city and elsewhere. uttered remarks
about the newspapers calculated to make
their ears Jingle and their argus eyes to
stare He calls newspaper English an
eruption of black type" "hysteria,"
screaming and what not 1t cannot be
denied that there Is some occasion for
this terrific arraignment. There Is also
book English which is open to the same
criticism. The language of many books is
bad, hysterical, a mere eruption of type,
and In some of them 1t IS dull. involved
and muddy. But 1t would be manifestly
unjust to apply these terms to the lam
guage OF all books including those of Mr..
James. DR.. Wilson said:
Il think the English used In newspaper
articles is remarkably good. 1t is gener
ally terse and clear and right to the point,
and tells in simple way exactly what the
writer wants to say. 1t is most surprising
to me TO understand how the reporters
writing as they do so hurriedly and under
such a great pressure able to write
so well. l can hardly comprehend it. None
need be afraid of spelling their taste for
good English by reading newspapers. The
articles are almost always delightfully."- free
from stiltedness and trite conventionality,
which is more than can be said of the aver
age cole CLANS effus,ons."
The president of Princeton evidently APP
preciates the difficulties under which news
paper write. An event occurs, say at
10 or IL o'clock at night, railroad dis
aSter, a great fire or a murder. The news
paper reporter is hurried to the scene. He
knows nothing of what has happened but
he is expected to learn all about tt-how Ii
happened, the names of all who are killed
and much about them DOSSihle. the
value of property destroyed. the amount
of Insurance and 1t may be a great deal
of antecedent history. In order to get at the
truth he has often to encounter the oppo-
sition of those whose interest il is to sup
press or minimize the affair. He has to
collect evidence. get accounts from various
witnesses no two of whom may agree
weigh the evidence and the probabilities
and write the account inside an hour or
so under the necessity of going to press
historians. with years for the collection and
weighing of evidence. can agree. in an ac-
count of any great event. One of them
must be wrong. And yet II the reporter
makes trivial error he is held up I'M
reliable.
But Mr.. James did not confine his criti-
cism to reporters. The editor and the cor
respondent come in for their share of con-
domination. 1t is said of Macaulay that the
smooth flowing, beautifully rounded sem
fences which seem to have poured from
his pen like rain from the clouds OF sum-
mer were. in fact written. rewritten and
revised until there was not room to In
terine any more. The newspaper writer
| has no opportunity to do this. The paper
| goes to press at certain hour and there Is
| no time for revision. Nevertheless, some OF
| the best writers in this or any other coun-
try have been newspaper writer's They
were good writers not only in the lam
| guage they employed, but in the force and
vigor with which they enforced their views.