The Washington herald., 1921-04-03
CHESTERTON CALLS
HEADLINE WRITER'S
SAVAGE CYNICS

COntinued from page !, Main sectiOu.D
evident cases: but there are many
more subtle cases Of the same
thing; of the tendency to see that
the nation hlls up its own gap with
It's own substitute, or corrects its
own eNtravagsnce with its own pre-
caution.
The national antidote generally
grows wild in the woods side by
side with the national poison. II il
DID not all the natives would be
oead. For 1t is so. as l have said.
that nations necessarily die of the
onoiluted poison called progress"
IL is so in this much-sbused and
oyer-abused example OF the Ameri-
can journalist. The American in
terNiewers really have exceedingly
good manners for the purposes Of
their trade, granted that il is
necessary to pursue their trade.
And even what is called their hus-
Ting method can truly be said to
cut both ways. or hustle both ways:
Tor II they hustle in, they also hus-
tie out.
II may not at first sight seem the
very wsrmest compliment to a gem
tlemsn to congratulate him on the
fact that he soon goes away. But il
really is a tribute TO his perfection
in very delicate social art: and
am quite serious when / say that in
this respect the interviewers are
artists.
II might be more difficult for an
Enrlishman to come to the point,
particularly the sort of point which
! American journalists are supposed,
with some eNsggeration. to aim at.
1t might be more difficult for an
Englishmsn to ask a total stranger
on the spur OF the moment for the
! exact inscription on his mothers
grave: but ! really think that il an
Erglishman once got SO far as that.
he would go very much further,
and certainly go on very much
longer
The Englishman would approach
the churchyard by a rather more
wandering woodland path; but IL
once he had got to the grave. ]
think he would have much more
disposition, so to speak. 10 sit down
on it. Our own national tempers
inert would hnd it decidedly more
difficult to disconnect when con-
nections had really been establish
ed. Possibly that is the reason why
establish them.
suspect that the real reason that
an Englishmsn does not talk is
that he cannot leave OF talking.
suspect that my solitary country
men. hiding in separate railway
compartments. are not as much re-
tiring as a race Of Trappists. as es-
Gaping from a race of takers.
Practical Advantage.
However this may be. there Is
obviously something OF practical
advantage in the case with which
the American butterfly fits from
flower TO flower. He may in a sense
force his Acquaintance on us, but
he does not force himself on us.
Even when. to our prejudices, Ne
seems to insist on knowing US. al
least he docs not insist on our
knowing him.
II may be. to some sensibilities,
A had thing that a total stranger
should talk as IL he were friend
but it might possibly be worse IL
he insisted on being a friend before
he would talk like one. And I am
here. for the sake OF argument
taking American Journalism at its
worst. and showing that II might
well be worse.
To a great deal of the interview
ing. indeed much the greater part
Of il. even this criticism does no,
apply: there is nothing which even
an Enclishman Of extreme sensi.
hility could regard as particularly
private: the questions involved ar'
generally entirely public. and treat.
ed with not a little public spirit.
But my only reason for saying
here what can be said even for th'
worst exceptions is to point out th''
general and neglected principle
that the v~ry thing that We com
plain Of in q foreigner genersll!
carries with il its own tore'r,
cure
American Interviewing is gencr
ally very reasonable. and il is al
ways very rapid. And even q
those to whom talking to an intelli
gent fellow creature is as horrible
as having q tooth out. may still
admit that American interviewin:
has many Of the qualities OF Amer
icsn dentistry.
| Another effect that has rivHI
rise to this fallacy. this eTaECera
tion of the vulEarity and CURIOSITY
of tire press. IL the distinction he
tween the articles and tho head
lines: or rather tho tendency &
ignore that distinction.
The few really untrue and un
scrupulous things I have seen u
American "stories" have AWAY
J been in the headlines. And th'
headlines are written by somehod'
eIse-some solitary and saNaS'
! cynic locked up in tho office. hatin'
all mankind and raging and re
vcnging himself at random. whil'
the neat. polite and rational press
man can safely he let loose to wan
der about the town.
, For instance. ! talked to two de
cidedly thoughtful fellow-journal
lists Immediately on my arrival at |
town in which there had been SOM
labor troubles. I told them my gen
Il eral view Of labor in the very lar
. rest and perhaps the vaguest his
, torical outline. pointing out that tn,
. one great truth to be taught to tn,
middle classes was that capitalism
was itself a crisis, and a passini
. il was breaking down as that |
had never really stood up. Sla'
veries could last, and peassntrie
could last. but waFe-esrning com
munities could hardly even live. AM
were already dying.
All this moral and even meta phys
] icaI generalization was most fairl!
, and most faithfully reproduced b.