The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1922-09-16

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ence Of a man who has been a report
dramatic event, l consider my most
momentous experience in reporting"
For more than 20 years VIII Ir-
win-William Henry Irwin was the
name recorded in the old family
Bible-has been a newspaper CORES
pondent, varying his assignments
with fiction stories and novels. With
In the decade he has builded a repu-
tatfon for carefully surveying a sit
uation and accurately depicting 1t.
He has written the requiem for fall
ing empires and stood an onlooker
at the birth OF new republics.
Reporting Is fun" he declared.
1T takes you out among people, gives
you adventure, but on the other
hand, the actual writing of fiction is
more fun and you consciously get
farther, for you create something out
of yourself"
A life crowded with experiences
actor. elevator boy, clerk in a rail-
way Office, cowboy. invalid in q tu-
berculosis camp, reporter. editor and
author-and he Is now 40 years old.
Will Irwin spent his early life in
Leadville, Colorado, then a FOSTERING
mining town. Entering Leland Stan
ford University at 81. he was a fresh
man when Herbert Hoover was a SEN
Tor. There sprang up an early friend
ship, which 20 years later found one
the great American wal correspond
ent and the other head of the CON-
mission for the relief of Belgium.
Within three days after the Ger
mans had laid siege to Liege, Will
Irwin was on his way to Europe, rep
~resenting two large magazines. He
was on all fronts, with all of the
| armies.
Twins memorable story of the bat
tie of Ypres was called by the Liter
airy Digest the greatest literary mas
terpiece of the war and was published
In several languages. 1t almost end
fish War Department blacklisted him
for 1t. He was not allowed to ap-
proach any OF the army headquarters
or to have any communication with
officers or soldiers of the British
army. He went to the French army
and there found the same bathing
condition. Then he went to see Lloyd
George and after 10 minutes talk
with him-his rights were restored.
After the war, Mr.. Irwin again
toured the allied countries and made
a long visit to Germany. He was
just in time to cover the Ruhr hebel-
| lion.
The war, with its attendant hor-
rors made a pacifist of Will Irwin.
War today is a wholesale slaught-
erhouse instead Of the highly ro-
mantle struggle that II used to be-"
declared Mr.. Irwin. UNLESS WI wish
to exterminate the human race, we
must stop wars. War up to the pres
emit time has been fought under much
simpler and less inhuman conditions,
but nations have begun to put brains
and energy into war. Professional
patriotism is n of the worst en-
emies the world has. This extreme
nationalism, national ~conceits, and
all that sort of thing. is what is tear
ing the world to pieces. Our Canad-
ian border is protected by three rev.
enue cutters which would be of no
value as far as military service is
concerned, but we do not need any
more protection because we do not
have a hatred for Canada. II a Eur
opean nation had such a border they
would fortify 1t Immediately. 1t is
these Notifications, large armies and
other symptoms of preparedness that
precipitate wars We must do away
with them.
This practice Of financial imper-
ialism and this j~ockeying for new
fields of commercial conquest are the
very things that will bring on another
war;"
Writing seems to be kin to Will
Irwin. His wife, Inez Haynes Gill
more-Irwin is the author of a dozen
novels. His brother, Wallace l., has
written nearly a score of volumes.
His niece. Phyllis Duganne. had a
story accepted by one of the large
magazines before she was II and at
81 was the author Of a novel, PRO
logue."
II have typewriter batteries to the
right of me and to the left of me-"
playfully remarked Mr.. Irwin.
Shortly before the war. Mr.. Irwin
had decided to give up reporting and
devote himself to fiction. Now that
the war is over. he is bending to his
former decision.
Fiction in one way Is the very
reverse from reporting" comments
Mr.. Irwin, In explaining his desire
and method Of producing fiction. II
went through the whole wal and l
only two short stories. The
thing itself was too tremendous for
fiction"
Correspondence has given MI. Ir-
win a national acquaintance with men
and women of affairs. leaders In po-
litical and economic thought, and
authors.
Most of his writing In Summer is
done at his home In Scituate, Massa-
chusetts. During the Winter he lives
In New York. His Summer vacations
are spent with his wife travelling
from city to city; from mining camp
to mountain peak In search of col
or" for his stories. Those rough
days OF Colorado. SO years