The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-06-01

/ gray satin hat. ~ \ navy blue satin
satin hat with mass of tulle thrown car
| cra Scotchman who was transferred
| to the home office after brief service
as chief secretary for Ireland.
Two Directors Names
Early in its history the admins
tration of the bureau was conferred up
on two directors. each with practically
equal and similar powers and duties.
Each was a Dug Out which is the
term for the new army of retired off
GERS and civilians who put on the har'
ness again when war came, and which
docs not imply disparagement because
many of them did valuable service. Sir
Frank Swcttenham's active career had
been on the civil staff Of tine straits
settlements. and he had retired-from
the post of governor general with a
reputation as an authority on the Ma
lay language, and a list of several books
on Malay life TO his credit. Sir Ed
ward Cook had long record in jour.
nalism ending with the edtorship of
The Daily News. and afterward devoted
several years to the editorship of
Ruskin's works and authorship of the
biography of Ruskin and critical writ
ines on English literature.
Real control of censorship. as Ameri-
can correspondents found it, rested
with neither the home secretary nor
the co-directors of the bureau. Ques-
tions military and naval news We're
passed upon by military and naval
censors, the heads of those departments
being Major General Cockerill and Ad
miral Sir Dougles Brownrigg, while
matters of foreign ana diplomatic af-
fairs often went to the foreign office,
The press bureau was only side issue
among the many activities Of the home
secretary, and the directors of the bu-
rcau could not overrule professional
advice when military matters We're
put before them. So long us Lord
Nitchiner was ON the scene his policy
was one of extreme secrecy, and for
some time afterWard the military clung
to the convection that "A war censor
ship was essentially a military measure
and one to be controlled by the mill
tary.
Probably the general reputation of
the British censorship suffered from
the first few months of the war when /
an Overburdened and anxious cabinet /.
found no time for the affairs of the /
when the ruling powers /
had not begun to grasp that co-opera-
tiou with the press was rs necessary |
and important as any other line of .
wartime diplomatic activity; when the |
organization Of the bureau was in
shifting and experimental stage, and .
the watchword of the working censors
was when in doubt, suppress" Then
were experiences of uncertainties and
shocking surprises which whitened the
heads Of newspaper workers. Some
were tragic; others We're comedy.
There were occasions when all the
American correspondents presented
practically the same messages
md some were forwarter and
)ther rejected because of diff
erent interpretations Of their rules
,y different censors. An Associated
Press message giving the admiralty
announcement Of the first important
I
ause the censor to whom it came
lad hanging over his desk the rule
hat the names and locations of ships
must not be published. and this bulletin
vas reeking with the names and To-
atious of ships
On the comedy side one classic Incl
lent stiIl shines. \ correspondent
With the British army had quoted from
ipling's "Reccssional":
The shouting and the tumult dies,
ne Captains and the Kings depart"
kings" Censored
The censors did not recognize this
n a telegraph form as a quotation,
nd being a literal minded man he
rased the Kings" because as after.
'ard explained in parliament, there
'erc no kings present at the front
ence the statement that any had de-
arted was untruthful.
There We're surprises of another sort.
ir +. T.. Smith held strong views of
is own. and sometimes took the strong
ne. All England was startled and de
ressed one Sunday morning Of the
ar by a graphic message in u special
iition Of The Times describing the
ctreat from Mons as rout of broken
no harrassed British battalions The
'tcture may have been oyrerdrawn
any rate criticism in parliament and
ne papers was fierce. But Sir +. T..
mith accepted the responsibility of
this over Kitcheners head
ecause he held that the country should
ave its eyes opened to the darkest
de Of the struggle it was in for. He
so assumed responsibility for permit.
ng the NOrthchffe papers to wage a
lmpaign TO remedy the shortage of
nells, which many construed as an
ldirect attack upon the popular hero
/ the head of the war office, and some \
-iticized as giving information to the |
lemy.
As the censorship passes away with