New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-21

| change roles or would barter their daily
editorials for the weekly sermon; or
| prefer seven sermons a week?
l do not wish TO quarrel with Mr.
Donald about "The Times" 1t is still
as he says, "the greatest Of them all"
But whether it never reached a higher
level Of journalistic excellence" than
now is. like his former dictum. a mat
ter of opinion. A journal is the ex-
preston of its directing mind. When
| Mr.. Delane was editor OF THE Times
! II was the expression of Mr.. Delanes
mind, and Mr.. Delane was the greatest
Of English editors. Lord Northcliffe,
who controls the paper to-day, is not
its editor, and therefore no comparison
| between the two Is possible; or. if pos
sible, cannot be complete. The reor-
ganization, which was Lord North
chffe's work, is but a few years old.
and during those years his activities
extended far outside THE Times"
Office.
Delane was editor from 1871 to 1877:
and during eleven months of each Of
those thirty-six years was editor every
| day, year In and year out. He devoted
TO his editorship all his energies and all
his extraordinary powers. That it was
! sion OF his mind and character; that
unbroken, untiring conservation OF the
| whole man TO this one duty OF editor
| ship; and that is why Mr.. Donald
view seems to me superficial. He takes
no account OF the forces which were
governing forces. The spirit Of modern
enterprise colors the life Of a great
| journal as a purveyor OF news; not
| Times" its worldwide authority, de-
pended on other things than news. II
| depended for one thing, on length OF
| days Mr.. Delane became editor when
he was twenty-four, without expert
ence of journalism. He had to learn
| his trade, 10 educate himself in jour
nalism; to acquire by degrees and with
| slowness the authority he welded
/ later. If The Times" grew to be the
expression of his mind, 1t was after
many years; and after many more that
he in turn became the impersonation Of
THE Times"
The present editor, Mr. Godfrey Rob-
| inson. is thought TO have succeeded
young to his great post; but he was
thirty-seven when he took charge:
thirteen years older than Delane. He
| had served the paper as correspondent
| in South Africa and otherwise. He had
| edited the Johannesburg Star He
! then entered the office in Printing
House Square under Lord Northcliffe's
eye, and il was Lord Northclffe who
, chose him for editor. One of the strong
! points Of that extraordinary man is his
judgment of men. He seldom makes a
mistake. That Mr.. Godfrey Robinson
will justify his appointment need not
/ be doubted, but the time to announce
his success is not yet II is enough to
say that he gives promise OF rising TO
! the great heights which lie before him.
He has made many changes; many
/ improvements in the makeup Of the
paper and in the handling Of news.
| But some Of his changes are conces-
sions to spirit which is more OF inno-
walton than Of reform, and TO an infiu-
ence which is probably transitory. If
! Mr.. Donald will wait ten years 1t will
then be quite soon enough to establish
2 parallel, or a contrast, between THE
| Times" under Delane and THE Times"
under its new editor-I avoid saying
between Mr.. Delane and Mr.. Godfrey
Robinson
II seems to have been thought that
Mr.. Buckle, the late editor, had grown
! too conservative, or was too little dis
posed TO recognize changing conditions.
He had been twenty three years editor,
and had survived more than one crisis
: in the history Of the paper. Needless
TO say, ne had great abilities. No man
could have held that post for that long
period without great and exceptional
abilities. do not know that the paper
lost any part Of its influence while he
| ruled: or in so far as he ruled. He had
a sound judgment Of affairs and an
unfailing respect for traditions. What
| he lacked, perhaps, was flexibility or
| inventiveness of mind: and the habit
| OF looking out of the window; to use
| Haywards phrase about Gladstone. 1t
! is essential to the conduct of such a
paper that the editor OF 1t should be in
! constant and intimate touch with the
| " orld beyond and outside Of Printing
House Square; even though Printing
House Square be what Wendell Holmes
said Boston was; in the opinion of the
Bostonians.
| In that as in other things Delane was
| supreme. Mr. Buckle as editor did not
gee people enough, nor always the right
people. He was prone. as many editors
are. TO take the office view; which is
necessarily technical view and there
fore not broad enough 1t is possible
for an editor to rely too much upon
himself and upon his own judgment.
In the last analysis it is one Judgment
which must decde-that is what he Is
editor for-but he must none the less
Lrov the opinions Of others in order to
nae them as material for forming his
| avn There is in every important