The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-09-10
THE WAR CORRESPONDENT

The war correspondent has returned home, and is now en-.
gagged in writing charming "reminiscences for the edification OF
the leisurely. He did his work well. He had advantages that
his predecessors never enjoyed. Provision was made for his COM
fort and convenience, and he had wire connection with his home
office at all times, Getting news from the war cost American
newspapers many millions of dollars, and because they spent the
money, the American people were kept better advised on the
progress Of the war than were the people Of any other country.
Even England fell far behind us in this respect much of the news
reaching England was cabled back from this country. Our war
correspondents were alert and industrious, and d~isregarding cost
or expense, gave thet newspapers the news day after day. Tho
French newspapers gave their readers only skeleton epigratns Of
great events denuded OF all details. The American war CORE.
spondent told his story as if he were telling t TO a friend sitting
In the shade Of his own vine and fig tree.
The first and worst war correspondent Of whom we have
any record was a gentleman by the name Of Homer, who had
poor eyesght but who eontrived to be born In more places than
is reached by a fy-by-night show in a season.
He reported the siege OF Troy in two volumes without ever
writing down a word, lie went about singing or mumbling it as
long as he lived, and his companions and successors continued
the industry for about four hundred years. Homer had no foun-
tain pen or lead pencil, no typewriter: (What would have hap.
pened had some Of Our blond type hours happened along there
A very scholarly Athcnian, by the name OF Pisistratus, first
wrote down Henets stories, that had been hawked about for
centuries. II Homer had the voice and genius Of Harry Lauder,
his sung story may have been tolerable, Lauder, without previous
ali or tune, can make melody out Of a grocery bill. The Athenian
wrote it down as he had learned 1t, including the absurd battle
Of the frogs and mice, which the y,e1cst tyre would indignant
ly resentbeing accused of having written. Homer was nine years
late in reaching the scene and confines himself to the last year
Of the war, and the biggest event Of this and Of the whole siege,
the wooden horse and the capture and burning of Troy, he makes
no mention OF, His sense Of news values seems to have been woe
fully defective. For this oversight he should have been fired and
made to walk home, II he had one. The world would have known
nothing Of the wooden horse or the burning of Troy but for
Virgil, who stole the story from Arctnin Of Miletus, word for
word, without credit or compunction, and, putting it into the
mouth Of Aeneas, had It poured into the willing ear of Dido, and
thus made 1t his own,
College boys for the past twenty centuries have perfected them
selves in the art Of cursing on Homer and Virgil, aud both may
be innocent Of many sins charged up against them, because their
works were filled with additions and interpretations which they
had never seem Virgil deserves credit for having told us the
outcome Of the ten years war, and il he had choked old Father
Anehises long before that garrulous gentleman passed out, and
ehoked his equally garruous ghost after Its epiphany, he would
have escaped many steeljacketed imprecations from students
ever since, .
The American war correspondent who crossed the sea has
rendered the American people a great service. They are better
informed than any other people on either side Of the great conflict