14 JUNE 1969, Page 27

Great journalists of the world

AFTERTHOUGHT

The first in a series of important articles in which the quality of greatness in journalism is examined and analysed by Field-Marshal Lord Gauntmummery of Meg-Alameinia. Here he deals with the author of 'Genesis', born 2,605 years ago this week.

The qualities required by a great journalist are courage, vision, and absolute dominance in the field. When I say that he should have courage. I mean that he should not be afraid to make the maximum use of well- proven material. When I allude to vision, I am thinking particularly of the foresight needed to examine calendars, almanacs and what have you with a view to discover- ing notable anniversaries in the immediate future which may be useful to him in placing his pieces. Dominance in the field depends on superb showmanship, and com- plete control of the events which encompass him. This necessitates the utter destruction of all competition, and a vice-like grip on editors, publishers, agents and percentages. He should not however be afraid of delegat- ing responsibility in less vital areas, such as research.

I want now to examine a man possessed of all these qualities to a remarkable degree. Moses, or to give him his full name Moses Ben Levi, was born in what is now called the United Arab Republic in the early sum- mer of 1634 BC. Research reveals that he was a goodly child, but in view of the Egyptian government's attitude to Jewish immigrants, and their somewhat intolerant policy of strangling all male Israelites at birth, his mother very rightly pushed his perambulator into the River Nile for safety. By a stroke of extraordinary luck, the daughter of the reigning Pharaoh happened at precisely that moment to be strolling along the towpath en route for her morning swim. She had the perambulator pulled out of the water, and decided there and then to adopt Moses as her own son, appointing old Mrs Levi as the child's nanny. No doubt there was a good deal of unsavoury gossip at the time. That, however, is Moses's own account of what happened.

It is difficult, apparently, to discover much about Mr and Mrs Levi's social background, but for their son Moses to be educated with the Pharaoh's family must have been some- thing of a step up in the world. It is easy, certainly, to imagine the rather shy and reticent youth feeling a bit out of place, to put it mildly, at the Egyptian court, with its bizarre animal headdresses and stilted manners, as illustrated in the various coffee- table books on the subject. Eventually the strain proved too much for Moses, and he appears to have gone berserk, smiting an Egyptian and hiding him in the sand. He immediately flew. to Midian. Here, research suggests, his courtesy and charm made a great impression on the daughters of the local High Priest, who was called Jethro. Moses subsequently married one of them, ZiPporah Jethro, and they had a son, Ger- shom Moses Ben Levi. For the next sixty years, we are informed, he lived as a sheep farmer in Midian. The oni; event which need detain us here, apparently, is the incident of the so-called Burning Bush. According to his own report, he was leading sheep through the Horeb area when he observed a bushy-topped tree which appeared to have burst into flames. It was, as he put it, 'a great sight', and he turned aside to see it. He then heard him- self personally addressed, and was subjec- ted to what research suggests was a lengthy and somewhat tedious sermon from inside the burning tree by someone who claimed to be God. What actually happened, it seems to me, is immaterial. What is im- portant was that from then onwards Moses was very naturally convinced beyond all shadow of doubt that he had divine inspirations and a divine right to lead.

My own experience was not dissimilar. I was leading a platoon of recruits through the desert as a young officer in South Africa, when a wooden Other Ranks' field latrine suddenly exploded and burst into flames in a dramatic manner. I distinctly heard my name called from within, and the subsequent oration, though garbled and oracular, was none the less effective in con- vincing me of my calling. Suffice it to say that from that day forward, Moses was well aware that he was a great leader, a great orator and a great journalist.

I do not intend to dwell at length on the so-called Plagues of Egypt, the Red Sea Crossing, or the ill-organised and ill-dis- ciplined trek through the Sinai desert that was to follow. For one thing research re- veals very little about it, except to pose the question: did Moses wear a wig? The answer, research reveals, is that he did, be- cause he was sometimes seen with Aaron, and sometimes not. I do not pretend to understand the. subtleties of the academic mind, but it seems to me that on this point at least research is sadly inadequate. What seems to me more interesting, in order to fill up the remaining space and claim my cheque, is to consider Moses's contribution to journalism. A grand old man, waiting patiently until the age of eighty for the call of his people to emerge from the political wilderness, and to lead them into a wilderness of a more down-to-earth nature.

There were doubtless others who had a crack at reporting the Creation. There were, no doubt, more interesting memoirs written about conditions on the forty-year retreat from Egypt. There must, unquestionably, be more entertaining, witty and read- able accounts of what went on in the Tabernacle, more concise and pithy de- scriptions of early Hebrew laws and lineages. Much of the material in five books that bear his name, I am sure, was penned by others, Moses being far too busy to waste his time scribbling out lists of who begat who in the murky past. What is im- portant is that it has been a best-seller for over two thousand years. I delight to imagine him, at the age of 120, 'his eye not dimmed, nor his strength diminished', enjoying the fruits of his magisterial craft.