The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-08
Colonel watterson Eases Up.

lie announcement init HENRY W At
TERsoN lends his active connection"
as editor Of the Louisville Courier
journal stuns those who had hoped
that he would net as deterrent to
men who are inclined to retire from
work at middle age. The Colonel is
only IS by who's Who" and only
80 by his general sprightliness. Those
New Workers who have had the good
fortune recently to see him on our
streets, and particularly in the re-
gion of the Manhattan Club, have
been struck by his increasing youth;
they were sure that II he got much
younger CRowDER would pick him up.
OF course. II there was chance for
Marse HENRY to get into the army he
never would wait for the Provost
Marshal General, but enlistment goes
by years and not by patriotic calorles.
The Colonel has been obliged to stick
autocracy with q pen instead Of q
bayonet, and he has stuck 1t early
and often. When we read that he
will continue to serve ihe Courier
Journal in an advisory capacity we
cannot help thinking that his first
and frequent advice to the new editor
will be: ITO hell with the Hohen-
zollerns and the Hapsburgs."
Marse HENRY reminds us that he
is laying aside the cares Of editor
ship only after fifty years Of glorious
reign. He, Editor WATTERsoN, speaks
of Editor WArTERsoN as follows in
his officially final editorial article in
the Couricr-Journdl:
1T may not be deemed overweening
vanity II he takes some pride In the
circumstance that he has served at the
head Of a leading daily newspaper longer
by many years than any other person
| connected with the American press In
the larger cities of the United States.
Mr.. BENNETT, the elder. founded the
New York Herald in 1895 and died in
1879, thirty-seven years. Mr.. GREELEY
founded the New York Tribune In 1S41.
dying in 1872, thirty-one years. Mr..
PRENTICE established the Louisville
Journal In 1880. being succeeded In 1868
| by Mr.. WArTERsoN, who In that year
made the consolidation with the Courier
creating the Courier-JournaI That was
fiuy years ago. Time, as ARrEMUs
WARD observed. passes-has q way OF
passing"
Colonel WATTERsoN's record Is in.
deed remarkable, and 1t may be that
he has indeed been the head Of his
paper longer than any other Ameri
can has served as the editor in chief
of a newspaper. But when he says
"longer by many years" we cannot
help wondering whether he does not
consider the New York Evening Post
a leading daily newspaper" OF
whether he has forgotten WILLIAM
CULLEN BRYANT. That gifted mar
became the editor of the Erening Posi-
not later than 1928, and he was 1t!
editor until he was MORALLY stricken
on May 20, 1878. At least one news
paper historian, FREDERIC HUDSON
records BRYANT's eiitorship as begin
ming In 1926. If that were correct
Colonel WATTERsoN would be a run
ner up. Most biographies Of BRYANT
however, write him down as havin,
begun his editorship in 1928; so. un
til the month and day Of the editoria
beginnings Of both the poet and tn,
Kentuckian are brought to the sur
face, the contest seems to be n tie
or, as the Colonel himself might say
dead heat.
, For the sake Of young men who's
| LIES ambition is to be the oldes
editor in the world, the exact date
of the important epochs in the live