Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-29
PRINTING THE NEWS
Henry Watterson's Views on
Honesty in Journalism.
SHOULD BE FAIR TO PUBLIC
Veteran Editor in Address to New
York Press Club Advocates
Clean Newspaper.

York Press CLUB Advocates
Clean Newspaper.
NEW YORK. May cs.-Henry Waiter
son, editor of the Louisville Courier-Jour-
psl, was the guest Of the New York Press
Club at dinner in his honor tonight. To
his right and left sat other newspaper
men Of national prominence and some
others not Of the craft were there as
guests. Among these were Brig. Gen.
Walter Howe, commander of the Depart
ment Of the East, and Representative
William Sulzer.
The cover Of the menu was a repro
duction, reduced, of the first page of Col.
Watterson's paper. the Courier-Journal.
A cut Of Col. Watterson adorned the in
side
Grew Up in "Print Shop"
Mr.. Watterson said:
II was born next door to a print shop
and grew up IN a newspaper office. First
and last / have filled every newspaper
function from galley boy to leader writer.
/ am proud Of my calling and jealous Of
its good name. Until gave up all-around,
oH-nlgn1 WORK, L was never SO happy as
toward the wee sma hours, when, the
boys around me, wires were flashing and
feet were hurrying and the presses We're
beginning to thunder below. Now that I
no longer see the paper to press, 1t re-
joicee me to find myself still surrounded
by the boys-the boys In the trenches
and TO recall the old days and nights.
and. in fancy, TO believe that there's life
In the old man yet,
Not one OF you has walked these
~4f, -
fully, and sometimes more despairingly,
than l have. 1 remember once seeing
young James Gordon Bennett through a
window OF the old Herald Office. down
about the corner OF Broadway and Full
ton street, and Of nurmur!ng, with John
1.eech's ragged urchin. looking upon
little boy in & London home eating plum
pudding. Wouldn't 1t be bully to be
him.? Just fffty-two years ago Mr.. Dana.
then on the Tribune, paid me S. for a bit
OF what would be called space writing
now. and ten years later. when We had
come TO be, as 1t were, professional COL
leagues. he was pleased to be reminded
OF the circumstance. and from that hour
to the day OF his death was my most ex-
ceslent friend and comrade.
"Dishing Up the News.
81 beg you will not be alarmed. 1 am
not going to weary you with the remin-
iscential nor set up for schoolmaster.
Still less is it my purpose to deliver q
lecture on journalism. 1 think 1 know
what news Is and how to prepare 1t
equally for the tea table and the break
fast table. Like v1ctuals. 1T may be
served hot and savory, or raw and I'M
sayory, be brought on plain. or be dress
cd and decorated. to suit the ever-vary-
ing public taste. There Is in this, as in
cooking. an art. A fine, ruddy murder.
like fair round Of beef may be ruined
In the roasting. and scandal, fat and
Juicy. blonde and frowsy, wholly spoiled
A .sk.llful chef can take a few scraps and
fabricate dish to delight a gourmet. So
deft reporter can put this and that to-
gether and piece story to set the town
a-talldng. In both cases. however, there
must be the basis OF essential fact. 1t is
given to no man to make silk purse out
OF sow's ear; to no cook to render
saute out OF sawdust and boot-heels; to
no reporter to turn scoop out of a lie.
Il was engaged as general utility man
upon an afternoon paper in Washington
city. Each morning there were laid upon
my desk the New York Evening Post
and the New York Evening Express of
my Bnsinesss vas e With pencil paI paste
and scissors to riddle the contents Of
those two interesting sheets. For bet
ter attraction. adopted the form of
leg work to do. and fresh from my
early cofree, with the Post and Express
before me. knowing all the local points
and people. nothing was easier than
New York date line. I fairly reveled
In my artistic fraudulency. 1t was SO
disguised in the warming over process
uiariy copied by the papers from which
Il had been originally taken. Those,
however. were halcyOn. innocent and
happy days. when genius had some
DNay avNd 4rtN 4 SarH
- Still In the Harness.
NEVERTHELESS, fiatter myself that,
barring the late hours and the locomo-
ton. can still hold my own with the
best Of you In the work OF news gather-
ing and news collecting, in distinguish
ing what is and what is not news. even
TO the latest up-to-date .frills and flounces
sorts OF Herald square and I'D street,
provided they be open and above board,
clean and truthful - to}crably truthful -
and not furtive and ignoble.
IT draw the line at straight lying and
the station house. The city editor should
never consider himself a brevet chief Of
police. the reporter semi-professional
detective. The newspaper, with the law,
should assume the accused innocent until
proven guilty: should be the friend. not
fender. not the invader. Of private life
nor the assailant o. personal character.
The newspaper is not commodity
20 be sold over the counter like dry
1oods and groceries. 1t should be. as
II we're, a keeper Of the public con-
science, it's rating professional. like the
ministry and the law, not commercial,
bucket shop. Its workers should be
gentlemen, not eavesdroppers and
scayengers, developing o spy system
peculiarly their own. nor caring for
theEpopular respect and esteem.
sself-nespect Never Obsolete.
# know that It is the fashion to
calf such sentiments old-timy. just as
81 u the custom to call old men courtly
who are not actually. vulgar and sloven-
~. g Self-respect can never grow OBJ
soiyte. and self-respect is the bed
rcc& 0: the puofic respect. There will
be Eshyster journalists as there are
shyH-er lawyers. unworthy newspaper
mel there are unworthy clergymen.
Eu& IN eaca calling the rule is bound
th42imprint of the higher instead OF
th3zlower brand will be sure to find
IT. 84p short, my dear young friends,
stsH for the manhood, for the gentle
manhood, of our guild. profession and
nora trade. and I believe that In the
properties will learn that integrity and
cleanliness pay the best dividends. and
that good faith and good humor are
positive assets.
"i hope there is no one Of you here
tonight who Will not be one day a man
sging editor. at least a city editor. and
whenever any one OF you finds himself
yo O. poaft1op NJ authority LET him cavrx,