Grand Forks daily herald. (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1914-1916, 1914-11-28

appears to have been set in the Rus
s~o-Japanese war, when eager corre-
spondents were politely deceived,
Hospitality entertained. and most zeal
ously kept from the front. Possibly
in the present case there may have
been some variations in the degree Of
p%oliteness and hospitality. but none
In the effectiveness of the regulations
intended to keep correspondents away
from tho front. out of danger of be-
ing hit by bullets, aud away from
places where they might see and hear
things not intended for their eyes and
ears. Hence, while we are pretty we'll
informed as to tho essentials of the
war, we miss the picturesque descrip-
tions written by the trained writer
right on the spot, and some of the
spectacular features of the war are
therefore lacking.
There has been q disposition to
censure the governments of the "a
rious countries for thus circumscrib-
ing the activities of the professional
writer's. That the writer's themselves
should feel aggrieved is not a matter
for wonderment, When a man packs
his grip and dons his equipment. and
travels hundreds Or thousands Of
miles to witness battles and write
about them, n finds, when he has
gone to all the trouble, that he might.
as we'll have remained ut home, he is
convinced that the whole censorship
business Is a nuisance and an abom-
nation. stupid and autocratic, and
destructive Of the liberties of the peo-
pie who read his paper.
We who are not at the front, and
who have no special desire to be
there, nay take a little more dispas-
sionate view of the situation. When
one looks at the thing calmly he may,
perhaps, realize that this war is not a
show that is being staged for the en-
tertainment of the public. 1t is really
rather serious business. 1t involves
such things as sudden death, death by
wounds and starvation, the wrecking
OF homes. the destruction of cities,
the fate Of nations. Wicked, waste
full and thoroughly unjustifnble as it
is. regarded in it's general aspects, it
Is nevertheless, in deadly earnest.
The men who are in charge of it
have some weightS responsibilities.
The authority which they WELD is, for
h time being. autocratic. 1t is so
because the necessities Of the case de-
mand that 1t must be so. The nation
that is fighting for its existence can
not regard much else. The ordinary
rights of the individual are subordi-
mated to the imperative necessities of
the state. The state may. and. in many
cases. 1t must, take the citizens
horse. his house, his field and his
crops, his person, his very life. And
there is no time to bubble over It
What must be done must be done
quickly. And one of the important
duties Of the government is to see
that. so far as possible. all Informal
ton that could be OF value to II in
kept from the enemy.
Naturally. when boards Of censors
are established at critical periods, as
at the beginning Of a great war. much
that is crude. and absurd and stupid
will occur. The situation being mill
tary, and in charge Of military men,
1t is not strange that military men
should be selected as censors. for ev-
erything is regarded through mill.
tary s~pectacles. Accordingly a lot Of
majors and %colonels. some with
wooden legs Inc some with wooden
heads, are dragged from the retired
list and put in charge Of the press
bureaus. They have committed some
fearful and wonderful absurdities.
They could not do otherwise. They
have made the same sort of mistakes
that men always make when they
NEEDLE with technicalities that they
know nothing about. Some of it is
~laughable; some of 1t is pathetic: but
none Of it is strange. The command
ing generals are busy with other
matters. We take it that these gem
tlemen are so interested in winning
battles and keeping the other fellows
from winning them that they do not
care two whoops whether any infor-
nation is supplied to the public or
not. And, 1t being their business to
win battles, and not to provide ia
%cilities for literary bureaus, We find
in the censorship very little to worry
about.
TWO LOST ARTS