The Washington times., 1915-01-28

just how big the story was. Quickly
making his way to Belgium. he and
John T. McCutcheon. on a fine Sunday
afternoon, started out for q taxicab
ride in the suburbs Of the beautiful
town in which they happened to be-
They haven't returned to that town
since. ..
Now comes the primitive influence that
shunted Cobb back centuries. He was
q repc rter again. A real reporter after
the story of q fght-a big fight. and a
catastrophe all rolled into one. and he
jumped right into the midst of II all.
He found that Kaiser Wilhelm was the
one man who could help him cover his
story. He had learned as reporter to
ask him for It,. And SO he and Nc
Cutcheon swept the whole German aYtoc-
racy of its feet with a letter addressed
to Kaiser Wilhelm as from two busi-
they wanted to do business! The Kaiser
given publicity. They. were trained in
the arts Of giving publicity. and were were
kindly inform his underlings to dish out
the necessary Information. The Kaiser
saw the point and informed the under
linEs Cobb and McCutcheon spent
Cobb wrote some OF his story-not the
biggest part or the best part. And with
the remainder Of his material he pack
he reached New York he was given a
great welcome At dinner given by
the Green Room Club Cobb was asked
to make a speech He started In with
" drifted into a recital Of some parts
OF the big story he had gone after. IN.
stead of the laughter and applause that
usually greeted him he found himself
facing an audience Of men. who. school.
ed to every sensation by long contact
with things as they are, and thinking
Of things as they might be, sat In
breathless stiffness.
Held Under Spell.
That was the last stage in the re.
version Of Irwin Cobb to type. He was
going back centuries and centuries to
the time Of the old minstrel who gath
cred his news items and put them to.
gether In song. There was no sweet
melody to accompany Cobb's tale-bu,
there was the grand poetry Of simple
heroics, of willing self-sacrifice. OF tire.
mendous strife and passions. And Cobt
was telling 1t in a way that brough,
all this clearly before the consciousness
Of his audience. The thoughtful listener
suggested to Cobb that instead OF writ
ing all tnl6 Story Oh MS, nc IHdhc 4
tour of the country AZ the minstrels die
Of old and tell It.
And 30 Irwin Cobb. as news le.
porter, is telling the people Of his
country the big story he was sent tc
Europe to get. Great crowds of people
have heard him. Last night he pac ted
the Lyric Theater. In Baltimore. To-
night he will address the people Of Har'
risburg. Pa. Tomorrow afternoon III
will be in Washington to tell his stor!
to the people of this city. And through
it all one big thing will impress Itself
on those who hear him. The higness Of
the story that he went to Europe tc
get Cobb himself sinks Into the back
ground 1t Is always the story-and ht
tells 1t because he Is, as We stated a
the beginning. the finest example o
complete reversion to type that Is nov
being exhibited before the public-t
regular man and the best reporter II
the world,
p. S.-Being a person OF strict reu
trality and desirous Of winning a dinne
bet from one Irwin Cobb that l Couldn'
write a story about him without refer
ring to the fact that there Is a war II
Europe. l respectfully submit thai
while one reporter writing about an
other reporter is difficult enough!
species Of dog eat dog. even thousi
one does wear lions skin-the prin
cipal object has been accomplished.
Besides, the story Of the war Is Cobb
story: and he's the boy that shoul
tell 1t!