The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1909-03-22
SCOOPED BY A BOY

OF value to them
boy fresh from college has seooped abby "us" is
the newspaper fraternity.
The youngsters is Sheldon He Is Just out OF liar
ward months after being graduated he had written the
play which Mrs Fske is using this year The play called
salvation Nell"
Ever there newspapers and police courts and
policemen there have been police reporters These are often
"cuhs OF the staff There set Of conventions and rules
and standard Of value that govern police reporters Just as
there others governing lawyers and doctors and brick
layers and playwrights.
OF all people in the world, newspaper and doctors
should bound by tradition For It IS the trade OF
each TO diagnose his fellow The doctor studies the pa
ten physical symptoms and what the cause and cure
The newspaper must study the deeds OF his fellow man
diagnose symptoms his motives ms purposes
Years ago NJ Quad made the Detroit Free Press famous
by his funny stories Of police court proceedings Police
courts were funne those dayswhen there were no really
big cities America-than they now And so came to
be tradition police reporter 10 be funny IL was ira
on to see comedy in rags and hunor whisky hui
nanty tradition put fictitious jests IN the mouths
Of police magistrates II tradition believe man guilty
until he proven innocent ths tradition modified some
what by libel aws tradition overlook the fact that
men and women being as and warehouses by
the thousands without trial by ury without the advice OF
lawyer without being able call witnesses Il was tradition
10 regard the city prosecutor lawyer against the prisoner
instead i he public officer. being attorney. wel for
the the OF seeing that has fair trial and am
pie opportunity to present his side of the
Young Sheldon fresh from college, had reason to
sec the sus through the eye Of tradition
But he did not
Tradition says the people OF the sums arc tough or they
wouldn't live there.
Sheldon SAYS the people the slums hard because they
were born there or have been driven there.
In his first act he interior of tough saloon in
full blast crowded with its griss boys and men-eeing re-
cruts and soddcn piuI painted girls Of the
street brave in vitality OF youth and lis piu old Mary
sottcd below level OF the beast IL IS squad sodd
The wedressed weed audience says Ughhow can people
20 such paeesg"
The las, act shows the stree, in the slushe canyon in
the an-n1ade mountains modern cffdweers live in
almost primitive savagcy X shows tho mixture Of race re-
gon and tongue Ii shows the Drawing the unfaiiui
husband the misery marked we II shows the babies sucked
on the doorstep and the little girls and boys playing on the
threshold OF the groggery.
And il shows the saloon the only brightly lighted we'll
warmed place the streetexcept onehe Salvation Army
barracks.
And here Sheldon how the people in the first act
are possible How and lack OF opportunity stunt
the little plants Stunt them for lack Of human comfort
and sympathy and charity mot ams) pnched by want and
dued by the brute struggle for existence How these
little human plants cklied with the unhealthy paor
Of vice before they age when they choose the
right wrong.
And in seeing things Sheldon has written great
police story He seoopcd the police reporters They have
seen every day the tradition Of the trade has distorted
their vision
The lesson Of it all?
Nothing except that the open door Of the Salvation
Army barracks poured steady light that competed with the
sparkle saloon and the crimson beacon Of the bothe
And the Salvation Army is merely the incarnation Of the
duty that lies in apoee reporters and all the Of
The duty that drink because they er-
able than are because they drink To judge the
duct OF others by standards and environment but
by theirs.
For wepoIce reporters and ashoud be able to under
stand cry Of the submerged voiced by Salvation Nell
when she says:
Fer Gods sake jim lets be straight and give our kid
chanel fer me you had ehancwe knowcd
until il wuz too later