The Washington herald., 1922-10-27
Simplicity Is Common Quality
OF Great Men, Says Cartoonist
William A. Rogers, in His Memoirs, "A World
Worth While" Tells of Roosevelt, Me-
Kinley, Hanna and Other Notables.

This Is a most unusual feature
a story about men. In an age when
the feature columns are turned over
entirely to the more interesting sex,
such a story Is nothing short OF
spectacular. 1t came to be written
in the following manner:
An interview was sought from
william A. Rogers. dean of Ameri-
can cartoonists, a man who, through
his work, has lived with the most
famous characters and events of the
past forty years. A modest man, w.
A. Rogers, who has devoted his life
to placing others in the limelight,
and who. this month. for the first
time, became more than a famous
signature through the publication
Worth while" When Mr.. Rogers
was asked for some "reminiscences
OF his encounters with famous wo-
men. past and present, he came out
with the startling statement that in
his whole career he has never in
terviewed or sketched more than
two.
When I was doing my work the
women all stayed at hame." he eN-
planned. There were a few out
standing females. but the editors
wouldn't allow you to interview
them"
Power of women's Pictures.
Mr.. Rogers said that the feminine
invasion of the newspapers began
with the discovery by certain
well-known magazine editor tha'
the public would rather look at the
photographs OF beautiful women
than at anything else. He accord
inRly filled his magazine, from the
middle to the back. with photos OF
actresses. That was over twenty
FIVE years ago. The other CHEAP
magazines quickly followed suit
Then several newspapers.
II can remember so we'll when
those things first came out" Mr.
Rogers recalled. Many people
said. What are they printing tha
stun for?' But now all one read.
are stories about some woman banl
official or woman champion tenni:
player. Perhaps when women ar,
regarded as persons by the news
papers-as they already are in oftic,
and stores-the men will have q
show again in the feature pages"
Unwilling to Cartoon Women.
Even now that women are in pol.
itics one seldom-in fact, never
sees them caricatured in the news
papers. he pointed out. Are tn,
cartoonists too gallant?' he wa.
asked.
Yes. think the average car.
toonist doesn't want to cartoon
women" he said. "one of the two
that I caricatured was that woman
who used to throw bricks ant
things-Mrs. Pankhurst But
never caricatured her after 1914
because she did magnificent thing.
during the war. She became a pa.
triot. AS long as she was throw.
ing bricks l thought she was a fail
target. The other woman I car.
tooned was Lady Astor. didn't
caricature her at ALL wanted tc
make It complimentary"
Mr.. Rogers was sent by Harper.
Weekly to cover Grover Cleveland.
trip through the United States the
dency. Mr.. Cleveland's campaign
had married a beautiful. charming
woman, who, in the present day
would have monopolized good
part of the news coIumns as the
candidates wife.
Admired Cleveland's Wife.
Cleveland was unpopular, Do.
litically." Mr.. Rogers said. "Tht
newspaper men who were assigned
to swing around the circle on thai
campaign had respect for Cd
Grover. but unbounded admiration
for his wife. She had a most re-
markable personality. Her faculty
for remembering names, her admir-
able tact, her kindness which wa.
exactly the same for Pullman porter
or governor, made her a great help
to Mr.. Cleveland. But very little OF
this ever came out in the papers
and never interviewed or sketched
her throughout the whole cam.
paign."
But this Is deterioratins-fron
force of habit-into the usual story
about women! Let US turn back
then. with the famous cartoonist to
some CT the great men who filled
the work days of his past. Himself
an eminent hgure, he is much a
genial one, that It IL hard to picture
him as the creator of some Of Amer
ica's most scathine and influential
cartoons.
ThA ,,,n, - t,7np, ,,ayns tn -. -,