The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1921-10-28


Thus firmly has the inStitution-he
soon ceases to be person merely
known as the column conductor estab-
lished himself in American journalism
and in the hearts of American news
paper readers.
outside American journalism he does
not now exist, unless you count the
good and growing better, columnist on
the Paris edition of THE CHICAGO
TRIBUNE.
But that is American Journalism. too.
Prof. II f Harrington, director OF the
Medill School of Journalism of North
western university. lectured last even
ing on "The Wit and Wisdom of the
Column Conductor" His subtitle mlght
have been "Or the Easist Thing in
Journalism to Do Badly" but he did
not stress that part.
It's Dogs Life.
To be witty-or the cause of wit in
others-twenty times a day 365 days
in the year was. the lecturer granted,
a dogs life, and he said we ought to
be kind to our column conductors. He
was. All he named he said were good.
For reasons of delicacy or humanity he
left out the others. He sought no
local broils.
He whom B. L. r., may he rest in
peace, used to call "Old Ed Howe IS,
so Prof. Harrington thinks. the father
of them all, with Eugene Field, BIZ
Nye, and George AIDE less chargeable
with the paternity of the TRIBE.
He is wrong there.
The first great columnist was Charles
Lamb. He was on the job for the Lon,
don Morning Post about century and
a quarter ago, when he was "a or 20
years old, and that job nearly, II not
quit, drove him to drink, a pastlme TO
which he never required much forcing
every morning paper" he said, "as
an essential retainer to it's establish
ment kept an author who was bound
to furnish daily a quantum of witty
paragraphs at siXpence joke. and 1t
tbnnDbt nrpttV high. too so
were some OF the Jokes.
Howe American parent"
But the current American tribe must.
Prof. Harrington insists. learn to say
papa to "Old Ed Howe" of the Atchi-
son Globe. who, the lecturer said, he
liked to think of as "the greatest
American paragrapher. whose humor
nobody has ever eMcelled." (By the
way, he is going to lecture to the Med
i'll school this semester.) Prof. Har-
rington gave us handful of Howe's
capsules-"all the wit and all the wis
dom in a capsule" was the way he put
it. Here are some:
Are you disposed to give men credit
"A woman is as old as she looks be-
fore breakfast.
"Don't be ashamed If you can't play
the piano. BE proud of it.
"If a man is treated well in a small
town he thinks he can do better IN
bigger"
Humanities I'm TriviaIities.
Harringtons comment: "Such is
Howe; never ceasing to be interested
in the tTivialities of the curb and of
the town. and finding in them the
humanities."
Eugene Field he accounted marvel,
for that was the day of the one-man-
column as differentiated from the col
umnist plus the contributors. And
they were long columns and the type
was not our present day exercising,
but space-devouring minion--cuss It.
Into Fields column, along with much
banality and crude horseplay, went ex-
qusite things, among them 1.-THE Dutch
Lullaby" which the professor thinks is
"the finest poem of childhood in the
English language, with Little Boy
Blue a close second.
OF b. L. T., who was really the
father of 1.-THE column" as now builded.
be il Morley's, or Frank Adams, or
Don MARQUIS, the lecturer said:
"Taylors special gift was the gath
ering of the fun or the wisdom of
paragraph into one thrust. With as
tonishing terseness he achieved wit,
banter, raillery, satire and sunshine.
He was great as a paragrapher, great
as a rhymester, great as philosopher"
Harrington thought the line Taylor
put over the item about Jan Olson in
the Lone Tree Reporter classic of
laconic wit. The item was. Farmer
Jan Olson butchered Friday"
Tayor's caption was:
KILLING TINE.
Chicago Daily Tribune. Oct. 14)