Year: 1872

body and everything with his small shot he had
nothing to lose and everything to gain, and he paid
no respect whatever to old traditions or old Gus
toms. The town started, wondered laughed
bought the paper-read his paper-advertised in his
paper-and his paper was success. Bennett was
not the man to stop in the first flush Of victory.
Like Mirabeau, his motto was audacity, audacity
always audacity; and audacity won the fight A
new life was infused into the journalism of the
country by the little dngy penny sheets and
the success OF the first real newspaper of New
York naturally stimulated the rivalry which has
produced In these later years so many great and
profitable journals. each OF which fills it's own place.
and none OF which dare to be as absolutely heavy
and stupid as all our papers were when the HERALD
first made its bow.


The essential element OF its FIRST success was the
element of novelty, and extravaganza was the in
evitabe consequence. For the past twenty wears
1t has been celebrated as dilgent collector OF the
news OF the world and as the greatest of our me-
diums for public advertising. Its management has
been LIBERAL its reputation established and its profits
enormous. Mr. Bennett gave to it his undivided at
tention until the inhrmlties of advancing age COM
PEELED him to retire from active life He cared for
nothing but the HERALD, and the HERALD more
tnan repaid his care Now tnat he has passed away
from the scene OF his long strife and his diligent
labor men VIII give him the credit of having done
more for the development OF journalism in the
united states than any one who preceded him.


from the New York Evening Express June 81


The event anticipated all last week took place at
five p NJ. on Saturday. For just fifty years Mr..
Bennett resided in the United States and an account
OF his early struggles and later success set forth
in q notice elsewhere. The HERALD was started in
1885, and up to the period of his death he gave to 1t
the impress OF his genius and great talent as q
caterer OF news In this department of journalism
Mr.. Bennett was, we think, without rival. He
spared neither labor, expense effort of any kind
to eclipse all others in gathering up intelligence
from all parts of the country, and, as he became
able to do so, from all parts of the world. When
81,
his horse expresses and sent out his carrier pigeons
and when there was no telegraph he estab-
lished relays and almost post routes to
get the earliest news. The word News
well Illustrated his eagerncss to secure
1T from North, South, East and West.
When his rivals would not cooperate with him he
worked by himself, and with will that never tired
and an energy that never ragged. His labors,
when he first started the HERALD in 1885 and issued
1t from dingy cellar In Wall street, were her.
culean. He was owner, editor, money and news
reporter, dramatic writer, the distributor of his
paper with his own hands, and worked at least six
teen hours day, month in and month ont, and in
deed until his success was assured. His early life
was impressed with the career of two very opposite
men-the great Napoleon, whose power was SO
marked upon Europe up to the battle of Waterloo,
autobiography OF BENJAMIN Franklin. In 1892 he
came to the United States with $25 in his pocket
good ft-out of clothing and determination to
succeed He was capable teacher of good Eng
lish and OF French, which he always spoke well.
He tried bookkeeping, but did not succeed; ectur-
Ing and failed TRANSACTIONS of Spanish and French
but there was then Qs24) no demand for his SER
vices, and so he led most varied life. He at
tached himself early. to the democratic narty
and to the fortunes OF Andrew Jackson and where
Others were faithess to the old hero he was true,
and at much personal sacrifice. His early career in
ton and Charleston; but nearly forty years OF 1t
were passed In this city, where in time he made his
marx as the - .n daring reckless and and successful
started, the Globe, ded the second, which was the
Iennsgtodntan, followed in It's footsteps, and the
third, the present HERALD, lived after being raked
from the ashes of the first HERALD, which was
burned out four months after the paper was
started and not long before tne great fire Of De-
deed, were recorded with much quickness and
accuracy as to astOnish the people. And Mr..
Bennett went on, with rising prosperity, to the day
of his death.


The opinions of the living avail nothing for the
dead, and Mr.. Bennett was only too willing to leave
all earthly things behind him, and to take his de-
parture


For that undiscovered country


From whose bourn no traveller returns


No man of his time was more intensely parsonal,
and at times hateful, than Mr.. Bennett. His will
was law, his purpose uncompromising, his impress
sons often unjust, and his journal at times ex--
tremely sensational personal and vndictive; but
In his later career there seemed to be soitening
OF old asperties, just esteem for others, and de-
sire to deal fairly with men and public questions.


To have conducted leading and successful
journal in this city for nearly forty years, must
OF course have made enemies; but il this be true
Mr. Bennett also had his many friends and ad-
mirers. He gave blows and received them back
again. and If he was merciless upon Others others
were equally mcrciless upon him: and so on earth
all these accounts are settled, and the worst enemy
he has viii pray that the good he. has done,
the creation and distribution Of wealth, may live
after him. Newspapers certainly owe to him a
revolution in the early dissemination ofintelligence
and in providing cheap newspapers for the million


from the New York Evening Mail, June 81


James Gordon Bennett the founder, editor and
proprietor of the NEW YORK HERALD, died little
after five O'Clock on Saturday afternoon, in the
scventy-seventh year Of his age. The morning pa
pers of yesterday and to-day have given full
and almost exhaustive records OF the ca
reer OF the veteran journalist, and have
left little to be said in the way Of mar
rative or OF comment. Still every newspaper
In the land will have its own criticism to make upon
the remarkable struggles through which Mr.. Ben
nett fought his way up from poverty and obscurity
to power and wealth. No such fight was ever be.
fore made, and it is not likely to be initiated There
is doubt that the hero OF it would have been glad
to blot out some part Of its records, but as much
can be said of many of his opponents who carried
on political and journalistic contests with venom
and unscrupulousness that would not he tolerated
now. 1t is due to Mr.. Bennett to say, however,
that prosperity made him more lencnt to his ene-
mics, more disposed to do them full justice and
less inclined to carry a violent personal warfare.


The death Of so able ana successful journalist
and of one who has long been prominent as
leader in journalism, will be everywhere regarded
as an exceedingly important event. The energy,
perseverance, creative genius and indomitable will
which have been signazed in Mr. Benefits career,
cannot go out Of the world without leaving va
cancy that will be widely felt. The records Of
Journalism show no parallel to the progress made
by Mr. Bennett from the time when he began
publishing his little, one-cent NEW YORK HERALD,
In Wall street cellar, to the time when he created
for the use OF the same paper the stately marble
structure from which the HERALD Is now issued


The building up of such power as the HERALD
has been great work. No paper has ever been
more thoroughly and constantly moulded by the
will and purposes OF its founder yet 1t has for many
years been an impersonal organ of independent
opinion. The position 1T gained 10y its earlier bids
for notorety was held by genuine newspaper en-
terprise and by Improvement in the quality Of its
contents.


1t is greatly to Mr.. Benefits credit that he has
always been so warmly esteemed by those who have
been in his service. From the highest TO the lowest
OF those who have helped to make the HERALD, we
believe there s but one testimony as TO his quick