Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-22
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. G. NJ.

4
A------------- ---------------i
THE STAFF CORRESPONDENT. BY
Charles Sanford Diehl. San An
tonic: The Clegg Company.
Charles Sanford Diehl. Reporter and
STAFF correspondent of the Chicago
Times. Stan correspondent, superin-
tendent and assistant manager OF the
Associated Press. Now editor of his own
san Antonio Light in that city.
Early In this account OF his life work
the author says, THE art or business of
newsgathering Is one of the most inter-
esting vacations In present day civiliza-
ton"
The final words Of the story run to
the effect that this life-road Is q most
exciting enc to travel, and interesting.
That the world Is, indeed, beautiful
and that so many of its people do clearly
increase the Joy of living. THE sorrow
comes, but" Now turn to the pic
tlire of Charles Diehl, facing you from
the front page. Bind these together,
man himself. And, besides, you have the
keynote of this personal story in the
service of the news. Test for the JOB,
courage under setback as well as in the
free rush ahead, sympathy for the rest
of his tribe and understanding. No
smudgo of unfair advantage here,
though at many q point the fight for
precedence and the scoop" is q tight
one. Such. in a word, Is the spirit of
the man himself, shaping his own pro-
fessional experience and giving his own
quality to the account. A corking story
OF high adventure in hunting the news.
The basic purpose of the whole, how
ever. Is to set out clearly how the news
of the world is collected and dispatched
by o body of trained press writers. /"
To give definite and exact account be-
sides Of "the beginning and growth of
the worldwide Associated Press News
Service"
such. in meager sketch, the substance
of this interesting and useful autobi-
ography of q dyedLin-the-wool news
paper man.
We are strong on receiving benefits,
we moderns, without question. A case
in point: The morning paper and cup
OF coffee beside the breakfast plate stir
no faint curiosity about the tremendous
activities behind both of these. The
world itself has been ransacked to pro-
vide them. Yet, sluggish and injurious,
we merely wish the coffee were a bit
less muddy.
Only a flash Of thought, not more,
on that --latest issue" just slipped across
to you by the newsboy at the corner. is
likely to turn you upon the astonish-
ment Of enterprise lying behind that
simple 2-cent gesture. Here at youI
hand is information on the last few
hours run of the doings of the WORLD
itself. Here Is an extension course ir
education for the common-school man
Here are history, economics, politics, in.
dustry-tabloid, to be sure, but here al
hand and authentic, in the main. Every
minute or so the ubiquitous associated
ISOLATED press" so much relied upon fol
the daily accounts? Under what ne
cessity did it arise? Who had the origi-
nal bright idea? Who whipped II
into shape and enlisted enterprise and
hustle to support and expand 1t? To
what extent does it serve the world to-
day and what is it going to do tomor-
row for the bigger world that tomorrow
Is to be, for the more complex worlC
and the more critically sensitive one?
And here's the story of that vitality
important organization whose purpose
is to collect news the world over In 9
business efficiency of immediate trans
mission. Whose purpose is, besides, tt
stabilize news to a proper substance o.
veracity and reliability, to keep the new:
as decent as may be under the vagari-
Gus behaviors of Grant human nature
In word, to lift the enormous business
OF the news to such efficiency of sery.
ice as marks the other great under.
takingS of modern life.
And here, all by way of story and II
large part by way Of personal adventur,
ana experience, does the growth Of tn.
Associated Press have an objective &C.
counting. Not at first, however. Here
anRlTr AZ IS
go out and get the stuff, to whip it int
shape for the press-and no fooIins
around about it. Here are the con.
facts In these small huntings that
gradually, opened up the young mar
TO some Of the wonder of every-day
hfe-to its beauty, its squalor. its Kind.
ness, its inhumanity, its sincerity ant
It's pretense. Reading, one stops 4
minute to marvel at the schooling II
lie one gets from just the inconspicu.
Gus role OF reporter. It all comes gu,
mere, Tor Verihcation today in an occu.
patlon that does not differ from Charlie,
DiehS beginnings in the service AnC
the reporter grows into the correspond.
ent-that Is, If he does. And he gets
ABOUT the world. Here he gets away
INTO the West, where the Indians arr
breaking out through their cIose-penl
rage OF years at the hardness of the
white man, agent of justice and peace
over on page 189 Is one of the poiQn-
ant incidents of news gathering and
ASSoclateo Press efficiency. Not poign-
ly not-but by the weight of its own
tragic import instead. This is the story
OF the execution of Louis Riel, a Ca
naoan citizen, condemned by the Do
mmion government as a rebel and a
tral0or. The minute of talk between
TINS man-radical certainly, insane pos
Sibly-and Charles Diehl Sins OFF al
us own year and takes a place beside
the reader, this book In hand, weeping
over the cruelties of life. Man, the
cruelest animal Of them all.
However and however. the high point
OF tnls story Is meant to be, and Is, the
work OF the Associated Press during the
Spanlsh-American War. Vivid, clear
ana deeply engrossing Is the work OF
tne press IN every turn and aspect OF
mat connict. Invaluable as historic
record, TINS news account ought to be
moved out into a larger sweep for its
drama, its tense action, its adroit and
caring turns TO keep the news up to
ahead Of 1t.
It Is not all war, however. with In
dian or Spaniard. There are industrial
crises, with labor In rebellion. There
are moments OF financial strain, when
in less colorful mood, but in an equally
vital situation, the press makes its rec
ORD OF activity under the supervision of
actual partaking in the spread If re-
liable report. OF interest to the Gro n
itself is the hight between the ksso-
ciated Press and the United Press /" ant
even the outsider finds zest in fine
strategy Of news fighting.
And, to be sure, professional of an
long an experience and or so innnorta nj
a place in the newspaper world nn1st
have gathered wisdom OF the sort that
takes shape in bodies of advice or het.
ter, in bodies OF substantial opinion
about the newspaper and its repre-