New-York tribune., 1918-02-16

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,na. nl ,ldpurnallsm. Now York University Illus.
Hat%i: Wsw,i Royal syo. PIP. iii. Ace The Ho,shton
The newspaper" said Wendell Phil
lips' rs parent, school, college, pulpit,
theatre, example, counsellor all in one.
Every drop of our blood is colored bv
II Let me make the newspapers, and
l care not who makes the religion or
we laws The estimate was cXuber-
a"V' III some respects doubtless cXtray-
agant; yet it contained more than a
molety of instructive truth. And how
great and how significant that truth
was the volume before US bears elo-
quent and persuasive witness. Indeed.
we may confess that despite very many
years of lncessant and intimate partici-
patton in the labor, trade, profes
art, or what you will, of Journalism,
we ourselves never realized it's magni-
tude and import one-half as fully as we
nave done since reading Professor
Lees miracle of researchful industry
and lucid exposition.
Beginning with the earliest printed
sheets IN the colonies, and indeed with
some predatory mention of their ante
cedents in other lands and earlier
ages, the author rccounts step bv stem
inc development of the newspaper
press, ITS influence upon the progress
or ol publc affairs, and its relation to
'he polltlcal, commercial and social life
OF the nation. He dweIls instructiye1v
upon the part that ncwspapers have
played IN the great cpochs of Amer
icah history, such as the Revolution,
me CIVIL War. reconstruction and the
PERIODS OF financial and Of social re-
adjustments; and equally upon the
epocns winch have occurred subjective
- waehln the profession Of journalism
Itself. In this there is Of necessity a
vast amount of detail. the accumulation
ana orderly presentation of which has
oeen task before the magnitude of
winch we stand admiring and astound.
Cd; yet with the skill of an accom-
pllshed journalist Professor Lee has
presented it with a fluent and engaging
cnarm OF style which keeps it verv far
lrom ever being dry or dull or tedious.
his lncomparable work-for we
should doubt if anything like it has
ever been prepared concerning the the
journalism of any other lands thus
at once an encyclopedia chronicle of
american Journalism and unique and
triumphant tribute to it. For the news
paper. has we'll been described as a
daily history of the world. Here. then
IS history Of those histories. penned
by the hand of most authoritative
historian. !t teils the stories or IN
numerable American newspapers ind-
vldually, and of them collectively. in
groups and as national whole, and it
does so, with exquisite appropriate
ness, III precisely the manner in which
the true Journalist strives to prepare
III, MS daily volume of the worlds history.
1he profession has waited lone for
such work, but it has been worth
while to wait to have the need so ade
quately filled. The volume should be
the familiar desk companion, the
guide, philosopher and friend" OF
every newspaper man who esteems his
calling as something more than a
!"nny-a-liner's times serving trade. and
1t cannot be too strongly commended to
every man and woman who wishes to be
we'll read concerning the history of
fnls country as seen in the chronicles
Oh one OF the greatest history making
modern times.