New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-18

succeeds in sketching consistent pio'
IRE of the man as journalist Wl'ilo"'
allowing his personality TO overshaoo"
his. work. This is as 1t shoulo pe' i''
+rS5o the viewpoint of the world news
naner mans work is Of far greater I'M
variance and value than he is himseh'
Even the special talents that go TO us
shaping are Of but subordinate interest,"
This. then. is a record oil the proIes
sional career of the first of special wal
correspondents. with sober chronoiosicdi
,,ota,ion of the events of his private
ufe The virtue upon which Mr.. At
lins laws most stress in Russell 49, ac-
ccrdinglv. professional one, that oil
unfiinching truthfulness as ne saw the
truth The biographer does not always
SEQ eve to eye with him-a later geher-
ation rarely does with the contemporary
witnesses of past events-but ever ne
traces this one principle IN RusseI
,rork whether in the Crimea, in lnola
during the Mutiny, in the United states
during the early stages of the ClNh wall
in the field with the Germans I'm $50 or
in South Africa. William Howard Rus
sell the special correspondent, was born
10 trouble wherever the sparks OF war
few upward and duty called him, but
he never departed from his course as he
saw il. and. almost without exception
history confirmed his judgments In the
upbuilding of his vast reputation the
LOYALTY Of his paper TO him was perhaps
AS much of a factor as was his loyalty
TO it,
William Howard Russell was born at
Jobestown. in the parish OF Tallaght,
County Dublin, Ireland. on March IS
1920. His mother was the daughter of a
Captain Kelly. his father the agent Of an
English firm, and an unsuccessful spec
ulator. Destined for the bar young Rus
sell went 10 Trinity College, Dublin, but
left before graduation, chiefly for lack
Of means. In 1871 a cousin Of his, Rob-
CIT Russell. was sent to Ireland by The
london Times" TO do" the impending
elections for that paper and he
appointed his young relative as
his reporters. The cub Mr..
~ tells US, at first missed some no.
l, incidents. all of which may be
cal. summed up under the head of
L. I'D then formulated plan Of his
On
II was necessary for him to pick up what
Information he could, and he was unwilling
20 rely entirely on the stories of one side.
But where was ne TO get mis- ideally i'm
al inf ff1r fr hot. ha
was not only reporting an election. but an
Irish election, and with a mother wit
which he was always proud 10 remember
afterward, he made his way straight 20
the hospital There he found the wounded
heroes II both sides and those whose
heads were not too seriously broken gave
him as much information as he desired.
and more
RusselIs INST experience as a war
correspondent dsapproved Of the
designation. says his biosrapher-came
in 1880. but the Danish war was so
brief that it failed % give him any in
dication Of the career he was 10 follow.
Miscellaneous employment Of the special
correspondent" and star reporter" Kind
followed Russell was sent 10 the naval
review ar Cherboure in the autumn Of
the same year, reported a state ball al
the Guildhall did" theatres. law cases.
etc. joined in the venture Of a new
paper. the Daily Express" al Dublin
and ever was supposed TO be ready at
moments notice 10 obey the call of the
Times" His great opportunity came in
1854 on the eve Of the Crimean War
Mr.. Atkins rightly makes this chapter
IT. Russell's career the main point Of his
biography The good work in the in
terest Of the British troops achieved by
the special correspondent" Of the Thun-
derer. the deep impression made by his
exposures. and the immediate results
they achieved are sufficiently well
known. Less 50 are Russelrs expert
cnces in establishing the position and
rights # the war correspondent with an
urmy i'm the field. He was a pariah no
arrangements of any Kind had been made
.or him, he was ignored and neglected.
and. once his fearless letters had begun
10 stir the people al home and disturb
the government. bitterly disliked a we'll:
The DAY before the battle Of the Alma
he was riding near Pennefathers Brigade.
when an officer came out from group