The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-03-07

than reporters when they are called
correspondents Great correspondents
are reporters plus. They are reporters
and critics They are reporters and
statesmen. They are reporters and
moralists, They are reporters and ar
lists. They are reporters and diploma
lists. They are reporters and citizens
Of the world. One of these was Charles
Dickens, when in the field of journal
ism he fitted himself as a fietionist and
an artist for literature. One of these
was Thackeray, when as a special cor
respondent he learned the art of seeing
things, of putting things and of telling
about things which afterward stood
him in fine account as a novelist, a
satirist and a philosopher. One of
these must have been Victor Hugo,
whose report of the actual Waterloo
and of the actual conditions of crimi-
nal life, convict life, life on the galleys
and life in the slums may be said to be
an inspiration, to journalism, idealiztd
and placed at the service of the spirit
in man.
When we come down to the living
we must, perhaps, tread more cautious
ly. They, may yet do something to
qualify our praise or to reduce our esE
innate. But the risk can be safely in
Cured in the cases of some of them.
Whitelaw Reid in the field of editor
ship or in the field of diplomacy can
be trusted to do nothing to impair the
value of the work he did as war cor
respondent and as a political cores
pendent in the far west and in the far
south. The truth he told about the
battle of Shiloh or Pittsburg Landing
secured the. reform of army admins.
tration and appreciably helped the
eventual triumph of the forces of the
Union as well as, held the American
people to preference of the civil over
the military power in the settlements
of peace. Moncure d. Conway. in the
few letters he wrote for English and
American newspapers in the Franco
German war, cast a light upon the un-
readiness of the French and upon the
thoroughness of the German prepare
tions which relieved mankind from
surprise at the collapse of the one en-
pire and the triumph of the other.
And Andrew D. White, an honored son
of Yale, has been lately contributing
to magazines, eventually, / hope, for
preservation in book form, the work of
a scholar, philosopher, an historian
and a consummate reporter that the
world will not willingly let die. Work
as faithful as his is constantly at the
service Of journalism. Work as able as
his is not at such service because he
has been a man Of action as well as a
writer, man Of administration as well
as of observation. But his work, rare
as it is and fine as 1t is, Is one in which
journalism recognizes what journalism
ought to be.
There is room for reform on the
side the press turns toward society,
room for reform on the side society
turnstoward the press. The right OF
privacy when public interest Is not in
volved in its disregard cannot be dis
puted. But the holder Of that right
can relinqquish it for what he may
deem to be a more desirable equiva-
lent. The press has invaded the right
of privacy, but it has had reason to
think its invasion was invited. There
is much to sustain that impression
The daily receipt Of personal items
from the pens of those named in them
with the polite wish that they may be
prominently and promptly published is
the experience every paper. Re
quests to send reporters to weddings
to christenings, to receptions and the
like are a feature of the mail Of every
| journal. Precisely the reporter pre-
.ferred is often frankly named. Ad
vance lists of guests, descriptions OF
gowns, ornaments, decorations and
programmes kindly included. The
| menu and the address of the caterer
can always be relied on. The intend
ingbride or her affectionate father is
the accurate historian. The least con
sidered personality is the groom. Sc
| ocensive are these personal notices
that invariably the authors of them
| buy large number of papers-presum-
| ably for circulation, possibly for sup
| preston. This pleasant publicity is
grateful and interesting to the public
| when 1t concerns those whom wealth
cultivation or prominence makes OBJ
jects of interest. Those chronicled by
personal request equal in number those
chronicled by general request. Promi
| hence Is solicited by the one. Promi,
| hence Is the toll paid by interest in the
case of the other. The first desire tc
| appear in an agreeable light. Whether
this is due to vanity, or to a. struggle
toward the ideal, it is not reprehensi,
BILE. There Is really a sort of pathos ir
| it and there is human nature in it
| None ever saw his name agreeably
placed in print with any poignant
sense of dissatisfaction. There is affec
| 70 +;o,, ~ fha onptrar nv hut ~ a. q ffaat a.