The Washington times., 1921-02-09
Today
A School Of Journalism.
What 10 Hews7
egga Yes.
0ardaneIIes, No.
Simpson Gives News.
Three Requisites.
by ARTHUR BRISBANE
tcopyrisht leSl.,

lnaugurated the Joseph Medill
school Of Journalism, named for
the founder OF the Chicago Tri-
bune. The present day success Of
Medilfs Tribune proves the Galen
, theory Of heredity-that genius for
newspapsr work and other things
10 inherited through the female
line.
The Tribune is run by two sons
OF Medili's two daughters. One IL
Q good publisher, the other q good
editor. A third grandson, Medill
Mccormick, Is United States Sens-
Tor from Illinois, and q very able
ciusen. Moral for able fathers:
Be glad when q daughter arrives
ana look after her we'll. for she
represents your best chance OF
having your ability handed down.
Can journalism be taught? A
new kind. perhaps, and what is
new ID usually better, although
ancient ones do not admit Il. A
school of journalism certainly can
teach THINKING and putting
thought into words. That Is half
of newspaper work.
A sheriff at Baton Rouge, La,
forgot to hang . colored man. Now
he and the Governor wonder what
they ought to do. The day was
fixed, but the negro was not hang
ed, thanks to the sheriff forgetting.
Can the man he hanged now? Prob
ably not. The hangman has had
his chance and lost II. A man must
not twice be put In jeopardy of his
life, and to sentence him twice
would jeopardize his life twice.
What would you do, II you were
governor, sheriff, or hangman
Would you hang him anyhow,
let him 90, or arrange with him,
1t you could, to accept life i'm
prisonment? :? This, as the students
OF journalism should be told, is
REAL news because it has not
happened before. The sun and
moon rise-that is not news. But
II the sun failed to rise and shine
in clear sky, that would be news
indeed. Amos Cummings said, IF
dog bites fAan, that is not news.
But If man bites dog, that is
news"
Eggs. in storage, drop to forty
cents . dozen. That is bigger news,
please observe, young students,
sthan the fact, csbled by Universal
Service, that France and England
are engaged in a struggle for con-
troll Of the Dardanelles. In this
country, los, ,OO0, 900 people are in
terested in the price Of eggs. One
million, perhaps, are interested in
the fate OF the Dardanelles.
Here is news more important
than the Dardanelles or the price
Of eggs: James E. Simpson. owner,
with John G. Shedd, Of Marshall
Field & Co., says that retail buy
ing is active, if you know how to
make it so.
Thus far in 1921, Marshall
Fields retail department has done
business, Bigger in dollars and
in yardage," as Mr.. Simpson put it
yesterday, than in the same period
Of 1920. More yards of goods sold,
more dollars taken in, but at less
profit presumably.
Mr.. Simpsons advice to retailers
Is: Buy carefully, but buy, keep
up your stock, your assortment,
ready to meet the demand, but
maintain as before the ratio OF
expense for doing business, Ia
volume Of business done. Then
the profit part will take care of
itself. .
The fact that one of the greatest
retailing institutions in the world
has increased receipts and yard
age over 1920 is most important
news to 105,000,000, for on bust
ness prosperity, public ability and
willingness to buy all prosperity
depends.
From Detroit, on the other
hand, comes strange story, but
not really news. A man killed
himself that he might prove a
theory about returning spirits.
The idea of killing himself to
prove his theory in a hurry is new,
but the main idea that ghosts re-
turn is as old as it is false.
A million affectionate wives and
husbands have said: "I'll hover
around you after" but they have
not lowered.
Other millions have threatened,
T1l haunt you to your dying
day." but they have not haunted,
although imagination has some
times done the work for them.
When a candle goes out the light
and heat are not lost. We know
that. Nothing is lost or wasted.
But that candle flame does not
come back in the same shape. And
the light flame we call life does
not come back to burn in the same
way again.
Thomas A. Edison hopes for q
telephone reaching to the next
world. Because of his sound plans
and successful undertaking in the
past, what Edison says is news,
even when he is off the track, as
in this case.
You can no more telephdRe to
the next world than to last nights