The Washington times., 1922-08-14
NORTHCL|FFE'S
CODE HELPFUL
To ALL BRITAIN
High Type of His journalism
Factor In Re-creating
British Thought.
By ROBERT J. PREV.
Universal Service.


un!versaI Service.
LONDON, Aug. 14.-"I believe in
hard work, but hard work is not
enough.
II believe in travel.
II believe in independence. +
II believe that half the journal
istic notions of what the public
wants to read are wrong"
That was Viscount Northcllffe's
creed. He became the greatest fig.
ure in British newspaper history be-
cause he always acted on his beliefs,
thoroughly and with extraordinary
energy.
He worked as hard as any man
could. He Travelled whenever posi-.
bic and as far as possible. indie
pendence-absolute and often v6cif.
erous-never left him from the time
he first set feet in a publishing
office to the time Of his last cam.
paign against David Lloyd George.
Attained Circulation.
That his belief in what the news.
paper reading public wants was
more than an idle theory he showed
by producing newspapers that at.
tanned circulation figures far In ex.
cess OF those Of any other daily
publications.
There is no painting or photo
graph Of Lord Northcliffe in exist
ence that reflects his personality
with such fidelity as did the Daily
Mail 30 long as he personally con-
trolled it--that IL. from its inccp-
ton, In 1895, up to the time OF his
breakdown. in June last.
The London Times, which he con.
trolled for the last ten years Of his
life. was not alone Northcliffe;
other hands could be seen at work
on that paper. The Daily Mail bore
the Northcliffe stamp Of intense vi.
tality, and no other.
Ali that its publisher was. the
Daily Mail is-aggressive, interest.
ing. never profound. bright, clean,
terse, varied, always
very human. Neither Northcliffe
nor his much cherished newspaper
was ever hampered by rigid prin.
ciples. Fiuidly he accommodated
his policies to- the changing circum.
stances of q great transitional period
in Great Britain's history. Such
man could not be dull and he
never was.
Changed English Habits.
In the ordinary sense Northciiffe
did not mould opinion on national
issues-often he discovered that his
political influence was negligible.
But he did much more than that
he changed the habits Of thought
of the English people. He showed
them interests In life whose exist.
ence they scarcely suspected.
He diverted their minds from
sterile politics and the doings of
what used to be known as "the
gentry" and made them think of
the possibility Of the age they lived
In; also OF the more personal In.
terests in life-the things people
eat. the clothes they wear, the
sports they indulge in, and so on.
News with an immediate personal
application to all his readers, men
and women. was always far more
important to Northcliffe the Jour.
nalist than news about intricate
national questions.
He was also the first British
publisher to build a newspaper as
interesting to women as to men,
and incidentally, during the Boer
war he became the first British
publisher to employ a woman cor.
respondent when he appointed Lady
Sarah Wilson to his staff Of writer's
in the Transvaal.
Early last spring, during an edi-
torial council, Lord Northcliffe sud.
denly snapped out: Tell me quickly
what was the most interesting
piece Of news printed in the Daily
Mail last year,"
While his principal aides frenzied-
ly tried to recall some "snappy" par.
agrah Of human interest buried away
In the paper which was bound to have
caught the chiefs" eye, a humorist
said quietly: This social note: Lord.
cliffe left London yesterday for a
long visit to the Continent. No mail
will be forwarded"
Appreciated Joke.
The publisher accepted the joke in
default of a prompt and serious an.
swer to his question:. As he often
did, he was testing the news judg.
ment Of the men who produced his
newspapers, and they all knew 1t was
no big story" that he had in his
own mind.
In June, 1917, he was sent to Amer
lea as chief Of the British war mis-
sion. On his return he refused the
offer of the post Of air minister as
he had refused many other official
posts.
II can't work with twenty.three
others who are usually too late" was
his explanation.
In the following year he became
director Of propaga nda In enemy