THE HIGH CALLING OF THE JOURNALIST

Joseph Pulitzer. By Don C. Seitz. (Geoffrey Tiles. I es.) NEARLY fifteen years after the death of Joseph Pulitzer, the blind Colossus of American journalism, his publisher, Mr. Don C. Seitz, has provided the world with a life of the man whom he truly calls a " Pioneer of Journalism." Just as the pioneers of '49 achieved wealth by supplying the world with gold, so Pulitzer found wealth by furnishing the world with news. His was the first of the great journalistic fortunes.

Starting his career as an owner of newspapers at the age of thirty-one with a capital of only £1,040, Mr. Pulitzer purchased a derelict daily paper for I500 and amalgamated it with another languishing news sheet by taking in the owner on a sharing basis. He reserved the balance of his capital (E540) for working expenses. Before this sum had been expended the consolidated journals, known as the Post-Dispatch, of St. Louis, began to pay and never lost a dollar. Four years later he bought the New York World for $846,000 delivered in instalments. The first instalment was furnished by the profits of the Post-Dispatch, and afterwards from the revenues of the World, which paid for itself from the beginning.

The creed of the newspapers owned by Mr. Pulitzer was short and crisp :

" This paper will serve no party but the people ; it, will he ne organ of Republicanism but the organ of truth ; it will follow ne causes but its conclusions ; will not support the ' Administration' but criticize it ; will oppose all frauds and shams-wherever and whatever they are ; will advocate principles rather than prejudices and partisanship. . ."

Throughout his life Pulitzer insisted upon this policy, and

followed it with consistency. Only eight years later, writing to a friend; he this able to sa-f:" "'1 ani -hOniulto actin-it:that the earnings of the World for 1886 were over $580,000." Some eighteen months before this he had paid off the whole of his obligations in the purchase of the paper and -equipped -a magnificent building, which was for many years the tallest in New York, at a cost of $2,500,000.

It should not be forgotten that Pulitzer was stricken with blindness within eight years of his purchase of the World, so that some of his most important work was done after he could no longer see. Mr. Seitz gives a pathetic account of the sudden darkness which came upon him (Pulitzer was then

only forty-three years of :age) when travelling • for his health in: the Mediterranean with: Mr.. Claude Ponsonby, the first of the many secretaries who sought to :serve bun.

4 joined Mr. Pulitzer's staff on my return from the Boer War, and was welcomed by the entourage as one who could furnish new topics of conversation. Mr. Pulitzer hated silences at meals, or indeed at any -time. -But from the day 1 joined his staff he never mentioned the South African

struggle, which he regarded as a blot, on England's escutcheon. He:modified his views' later; when -the former Boer Republics were given self-government.

On board the yacht ' Liberty,' in which Mr. Pulitzer crossed the Atlantic -five times, we were always searching for conversational- and controversial-matter to -keep 'things going. " What makes 'for success in life ?-" was' one subjeet which furnished endless discussion. The answer which won Mr. Pulitzer's approval was : " The successful man is he who discovers his aptitudes and develops- them:.7 This' pleased hint as being terse, and the query became a subject for dis- cussion in the pages of the World, provoking correspondence for. months. - . • J• • An epigram that amused him was the answer-to his question : " What isa chaperon ? " The answer-given-was : "A social

instrument to defeat the ends of nature." Discussions between Americans and Englishmen on board his yacht were frequent, and heated. Sitting one day on deck in a rocking-chair and

chewing gum, a young AmeriCan chaffed the.. Englishmen present on their lack of progress. " You are typical of many Americans," retorted an Englishman. " You sit in a rocking- chair chewing gum. One is movement without- progress and the other is mastication without nourishment." ,

Mr. Pulitzer's benefactions were numerous. His pet scheme, however, was the establishment of a School of Journalism at Columbia University. He left $2,000,000 for this purpose, and following his example, schools of journalism have been started in over a hundred Universities and educational establishments throughout the United States. To a friend, he wrote : " If there is anything in my melancholy life's work which I hope and wish may do goOd it is that it should give encouragement to thousands of hardworking journalists who honestly believe that they have no chance of ever becoming owners or part owners of newspapers because they have no capital. If there is anything that a hardworking newspaper man really needs it- is encouragement, hope, belief that he may rise from the smallest to the highest position."

There was much of the despot about Joseph Pulitzer. With the exception of Mr. Seitz, the author of the book under review, and, perhaps, Mr. Frank Cobb, his Editor-in-Chief, few of those in his entourage but had a wholesome fear of the Chief. Yet he was able to get the best out of all who served him, and I confess that my early -fear of the man was replaced by affection and immense admiration, not only for his amazing talents but for his idealism and desire for public service through journalism. He possessed a fiery passion of patriotism and pride in his country and a wholehearted devotion to bettering government, exposing fraud, injustice and abuses of every kind.

Yet no man was more misunderstood and misjudged. The abuse hurled at Pulitzer has made me very reluctant to believe ill-natured gossip of public men and particularly of great editors.

I remained with Mr. Pulitzer until his death, and during the ten years I was with Min, first on the World and later as his confidential secretary, a number of .young men who have " made good " came and went, besides a legion of unsuitables. eblonel George Harvey, late Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, was one. Many years.. later when the World was criticizing Colonel Harvey, who had held various posts on the paper`" and-Rail baskiie Pulitzer sent this message to his chief editor : " Tell Cobb to treat Harvey -

more gently. even when wrong. Able, brainy fellow, and one of my boys. • Don't handle him too severely. -I -like him." There were also Sir Theodore Cook, Sir Pomeroy Burton; and Mr. Alfred Butes. The two latter left to join the North-

cliffe forces and were responsible for two bad days in my life.1 Mr. Eiffitzer regarded exercise on horseback as the best Medicine, and in spite of his blindness took a daily ride, aecom. -partied by his unfortunate secretary • often mounted on a hired hack. It was my lot to endeavour to console Min on the day when • Butes decided to leave him. • Pulitzer was like a demented creature. Brandishing his crop, he bade me explain why he was treated so cruelly. I. remained his whipping boy until he discovered later that in some small measure I could fill the place left vacant by Butes.

When Joseph Pulitzer was suddenly taken ill on board ' his yacht in Charleston Harbotir, none •of his personal staff realized that death was at hand. We were at luncheon when his English servant, with tears streaming down his face, an- nounced that Mr. Pulitzer was dead: Outside we heard the flag being lowered to half. mast. Silently the luncheon party!? broke up. The great editor had passed away.

Mr: Seitz haS written a-Very delightful book and it is, incidentally, a test-book 'on the of jouin- which

. •

NORMAN THWAITEE.