New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-02
ROBERT HERRICK's MISTAKE
Due, as Will Irwin Points Out, TO
His Ignorance of Reporting.
o the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: In to-day's issue of The Tribune Rob-
ert Herrick has something to say about fax
ing war correspondents. Upon the authority
Of some of the jealous and gossiping corre-
spondents whom one finds occasionally in the
rear of the European war he goes through
the list of several we'll known "news stories"
of the war, and he quotes one Of his in
formants, as follows: Take W. KS story OF
the battle of Y. He got 1t, every word,
in the Savoy bar, in London" BY "W. X" he
means me, and by 1.-THE battle of Y"
certain article which | wrote last March con-
corning the battle of Ypres.
Mr.. Herrick may be good novelist, but
herein he confesses his Ignorance of the
more difficult art Of reporting. Except for
the personal impressions" type of story, the
best news stories are usually written by men
"who were not there" How was the wreck
of the Titanic reported? Or the sinking o.
the Lusitana? How did Lindsay Den!son get
the material for his best murder stories?
Or f. c. Hill the material for his classic, "A
Little Child in the Dark? The reporters
who wrote these articles were not, of course.
stories accurately. They went at the matter
by the only means possible in the limited
time at their disposal They interviewed the
survivors or eye-witnesses, looked over such
inanimate circumstantial evidence as they
could find, weighed this evidence with that
sixth sense for truth and falsehood which a
good reporter develops, and wrote a true and
proportonate account This is exactly the
method which historians use, only the re-
porter has far less time at his disposal than
the historian, and is, on the other hand, much
nearer the event Carlyle did not witness the
French Revolution, but no one calls him
faker for writing its history.
Take my own story of the battle Of Ypres,
which appeared in The Tribune last March
Late last October made sneak" north
from Calais, and, before | was arrested got
glimpse OF the fighting up there-enough 10
have an idea of the atmosphere. Upon re-
turning to England in February | learned,
what the censor had carefully suppressed.
hat the confused fighting which | glimpsed
was part of battle vital 10 the fortunes OF
the Allies. started out to get for The Trib-
une the story of that battle IL was impos-
sble for me to reach the British lines, and,
besides, the event was long past. So | went
at il as | should have gone at reporting the
Titanic disaster. | interviewed every sur
yivor from general 10 private whom ! could
find in England and who was willing 20 talk.
gathered all the documents available 10 the
public. saw several civilians who had been
with the British lines on business connected
with the army interviewed Red Cross
nurses, surgeons, American ambulance men.
l succeeded in 'prying open" some eXeep-
tional sources of information. Then, taking
Sir John French's reports a basis 10 pre-
vent my going wrong, wrote the story, try
ing to tell the truth. Mr. Herriek sneers at
our lack of imagination-we takers. Perhaps
might have been more interesting II ! had
imagined details. As a matter of fact, no de-
tail appears in this story which was not re-
lated TO me by some reliable survivor. 1t is
true that | got a part Of my story at the
Savoy bar, that, for certain reasons, being az
present about the best centre Of general in
formation about the war in all England.
II Mr.. Herrick cares TO bore himself by
reading my story of Ypres he will find that I
have nowhere either by direct statement or
hint, conveyed the impression that saw the
battle. | know now, in the light of fuller in .
formation, that | made some mistakes. For
example, | embodied a misleading reference
to the strategy at the battle Of the Marine.
But even historians, working at great leisure,
are constantly being caught In mistakes, and
wrote what believed at the time.
If am proved faker by this story, so 10
their infinitely larger way are Gibbon and
7 actus and Taine proved takers. Gibbon
never saw the Roman army in action, and
Taine was never received at the court OF
Louis XIV. WILL IRWIN.
Scituate. Mass Aug. 20, 1915.