THE ENGLISH INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISTS.

Evening Star, Issue 9830, 19 October 1895, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE ENGLISH INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISTS.

mfrmv then >T. Js!|on, yety kindly 'the English lastjitute. The f entleman occupying that position was Mr '. W. Qlayden,'editor o| the 'Daily News,' whose name as a political Writer is familiar to many of us in New Zealand, and who .enjoys the'highest esteem of his brethren of i, the pen at Home, not only on account of his high; personal character and attainment!;, but'for his zealous labors to promote the welfare of the profession he adorns. Mr Gladden, whom' I first met at the International Congress of Journalists at Antwerp, and Mr Cornish, the secretary of the Institute, both welcomed me very cordially, audi subsequently received an invitation from the president and Council to attend the annual Conference of the Institute at Norwich. On going there I found among tthe members of the Counoil several old journalistic friends, from whom I had been parted by nearly seventeen years' absence from England, and whose acquaintance I need hardly say it was a great pleasure to renew, I received kindness not only from these,'but from other members of the Institute, to whom I came as an utter stranger, but who evidently regarded the fact that I hailed from such a far-off colony as New Zealand, and that we, too, had a Journalists' Institute of our own here, as establishing a claim on their good offices. From these I learned a great deal as to what the Institute in England has done and is doing. Mr Cornish, too, was kindness itself in answering the questions with which I used to bombard him from time to time, and so, aided by my own observation during the Conference, I was able to gather a good deal of information on the subject; while, as if to complete my initiation, my friends were good enough to propose me as a member of the English Institute, and since my return to the colony I have received news of my election.. It has been suggested to me that it might be of use to the members of -the New Zealand Institute—more especially in view of our proposed affiliation with th'e parent body—if I were to lay before you a few of the facts 1 was enabled to gather, and it gives me great pleasure to do what I can in this respect.

The English Institute of Journalists has been established about six years, and now numbers about 4,000 members. It enjoys the possession of a Royal Charter, which, in addition to conferring a dignity to which we can hardly venture to aspire, gives it a legal status such as, I hope, we shall enjoy under our new Act of Parliament passed this session. It is not a trades union, as many people seem to imagine, any more than our own Institute is. It is an association of employers as well as of employed, banded together to conserve the dignity and promote the welfare of the profession as a whole. Three out of five of the past presidents of the English Institute have been newspaper proprietors I refer to Sir Edward Lawson (of the ' Daily Telegraph'), Sir Algernon Borthwick (of the 'Morning Post'), and Sir Hugh Gilzean Reid. The Lord Chief Justice of England is among its honorary members, and the listof Fellows contains some of the most distinguished names in English journalism. The most eloquent statement of what it has done for the profession as a whole that I have met with is contained in a paper read by Mr Clayden before the International Congress of the Press at Antwerp. Before the days of the Institute, he pointed out, journalism in England was regarded as a mere occupation —as a mere respectable way of getting a living —but was never looked on as a profession. Each individual journalist stood alone. If he had to fight for his rights—using the word in the widest possible sense —he had no organisation to back him up, no authoritative evidence which he could produce as to the "use and wont" of his calling, no status to plead or to defend. Any man,, moreover, might call himself a journalist—a lawyer's clerk who sent reports to a local paper, a grocer's shopman who indited an occasional letter, even a loiterer taken up by the police—and not knowing what else to call himself wrote himself down "a journalist." Have we not seen the same'thing in this colony, even in very recent times ? Mr Clayden docs not claim that they in the United Kingdom have cured all this, but he points out that they have set to work to cure it. They have now not only got an organisation but they have made journalism into a profession. Not every journalist, of course, is a member of the Institute, but it may fairly be said that every member of the Institute is a journalist. Moreover, order has been evolved out of chaos. Journalism in England has has now an Organism capable of fostering a code of honor and an esprit de corps among its members, speaking in the name of the profession and securing for it the recognition and respect due to so honorable a calling. Personally I attach a good deal of importance . to the annual conferences of the institute. These are held in various parts of the United Kingdom, a different town being selected each year. The railway companies give special facilities to the delegates in the way of cheap fares. The municipal authorities and local magnates show unbounded hospitality to the members who attend this great Press gathering from all parts of »the kingdom. At Norwich, for example, the delegates were royally entertained by the mayor (Sir Peter Eade) and the local member, Mr J. J. Coleman, M.P., and everything of interest in and around that ancient city was thrown open to their inspection under the most favorable auspices. They were conducted over the cathedral by the Rey. Dr Jessopp, one of the most delightful of contemporary writers, who proved us charming in actual converse, face to face, as he is in his books. The Bishop of Norwich was away , from home, but sent a cordial message making the visitors free of the beautiful grounds of the palace during their stay. At Cambridge, where the concluding half of the Conference was held, nothing was left undone that could show honor to the Institute, or add to the pleasure of its representatives. They were received in the- noble Senate House by the Master of Christ's as deputy for the Vicechancellor on behalf of the University, and other heads of colleges who happened to be still in residence during the vacation showed us the utmost kindness. Personally, as your representative, I have to thank Dr Perowne, the accomplished Master of Corpus Christi, Professor Newton, F.R.S., the great zoologist, Fellow of Magdalen College, and Dr Latham, Master of Trinity Hall, for the especial kindness they showed to one of the least important visitors to the Conference, simply because he came from such a far-off dependency of Great Britain, and naturally felt a keen interest in the ancient seat of learning, so rich in literary treasures and memorials of great men. To walk tbe quadrangles once trodden by Milton, Sir Isaac Newton, or, to come to later times, by Charles Kingsley and Charles Darwin, and to gaze on' the priceless contents of some of the. college libraries, was indeed a privilege' to one coming from a young country, where the making of history has only just commenced. Perhaps one of the most interesting features of the visit from a journalist's point of view was a morning I spent in the Pepysian Library, a privilege wfeich vefy few members of the general public seem to have enjoyed, and which I owe to Professor Newton. Naturally I was much, attracted to the shorthand manusoript of dear old Samuel Pepys. It was pretty to see—as he would put it—the difference between the neatly-formed character of the writing in his diary (with longhand words freely interspersed, apparently to facilitate reference) and the flowing lines and curves in which the faithful chronicler took down from His. Majesty's own lips King Charles ll.'s account of his escape from the Battle of Worcester. ' So far as I am aware, no other member of the Conference was fortunate enough to get into the Pepysian But you will easily see what a valuable educational effect such a visit as this to Cambridge must have on tfce English journalists assembled togethierfor jths}T : annua} conference. You will adroit abo:tJi9ib.it for the younger and numbjjer members of the profession to m"ot si brethren men wb.o fywe, attained the highest pitch of disapotion" ion.' |jpte great metropolitan

jouiprip An important and valuable JAfoittipQf the aa the reading m rapNu We ! had the pleasure of "ffstening to one on 'TheTrue Relation of Shorthand to Journalism,' by a veteran, whom shorthand writers in all parts of the world regard as the Nestor of their craft— Mr Thomas. Allan Reed. Professor Jebb, M.P., a aobolar of more than European reputation, gave a masterly address on 'The Educational Power of Journalism.' Not the least interesting paper to the male portion of the conference was one on ' Women as Journalists,' by Miss Catherine Drew, one of the most able lady members of the profession in England, and at the annual dinner, held at Yarmouth, the toast of " The Ladies" was responded to in a very bright and well-delivered little speech by Miss O'Conor Eccles, whose charming writings you have probably noticed in 'Black and White,' the ' Windsor Magazine,' and other contemporary publications. What is done at the annual conference gathering is imitated, on a much smaller Bcale, of course, at the quarterly or halfyearly meetings of the districts. Members select some picturesque town in the district for the scene of their gathering, and after transacting their business, iuspect the sights of the neighborhood, for which special facilities are usually accorded them, and wind up the day by taking "high tea" together. Such reunions undoubtedly do much to foster the brotherly feeling which ought to prevail among members of the same craft, and cannot fail to add to the fund of general information which is so essential a part of the journalist's stock-in-trade. Besides this a great deal of practical work is done at the headquarters of the Institute, which keeps in constant touch with all its branches and members, and this, I take it, is a point to which we in New Zealand shall have to give increased attention if the Institute is to be a success. Two distinguished members of the legal profession act as honorary counsel and honorary solicitor respectively to the English Institute. Mr J. R. Fisher, 'B.A., author of several books on copyright, libel, and other legal matters of interest to the literary profession, is honorary counsel, and Sir Albert Kaye Rollitt, LL.D., M.P., is honorary solicitor. With the aid of these gentlemen the Council of the Institute keep a sharp look out on all &cts of Parliament and all legal decisions likely to affect journalistic interests. Frequently they take up the cause of its members in the courts where a journalistic principle is at stake. One case in which they successfully interfered just before I visited England had to do with the illegal exclusion of a reporter, a member of the Institute, by the Pontefract Town Council, from its meeting. Perhaps an even more important function of the Council is that it constitutes a sort of court of honor to which members can appeal in cases of disagreements between employers and employed, or to decide points of professional usage between working members of the Institute, in which respects it has done valuable work in settling difficulties and generally raising the tone of the profession. Two other departments which we in New Zealand ought, I think, to keep steadily in view are the Orphan Fund and the Employment Register of the Ejglish Institute. The former had a revenue last year of over £l,lOO, and does a good and benevolent work. The Employment Register is used with good results by both working members and proprietors and managers of journals, and the system is free of expense to all concerned. An arrangement has also been made with one of the large insurance companies by which members can insure their , lives at a considerable reduction on ordinary rates.

I learned on my arrival in England that the Hon. W. M'Cullough, M.L.C., had made formal application on behalf of the New Zealand and Australian Institutes for affiliation to the English Institute, and I had many conversations with members of the Council on this subject. Mr Clayden, Sir Hugh Gilzean Reid, and Mr Cornish, the hon. secretary, were especially interested in this question, and the Council generally entertained the application in a most cordial spirit. Since my return I have received a letter from Mr Cornish, together with a copy of the Council's " Proceedings," dealing with the matter, which I forwarded to your secretary, Mr G. Humphries. You will see that the English Council have met us in a most friendly spirit, the only stipulation of importance which they make as a condition of union being the very reasonable and proper provision that the qualifications tor the several classes of membership shall be substantially identical with those of the English Institute. It is important that this should be borne in mind, because although our qualifications are practically identical at present, the English Institute intend to adopt an examination test, and a proposal was agreed to by the Council to bring it into force on and after January 1 next. This was to be considered at the annual conference held at Plymouth last month, but whether it was agreed to I do not of course yet know. As to the advantages of affiliation from our point of view, I think they would be very great. Largely, of course, they would be sentimental, but not wholly so. It would be a distinct practical advantage for any of our members going Home to find themselves at once admitted to this powerful organisation, of which I have given you a very slight and inadequate sketch. It would be of practical advantage to ourselves, I think, as an Institute to be able .to avail ourselves of the wise counsel and ripe experience of our distinguished English brethren in cases of doubt aud difficulty aifecting the interests of the profession. But even the sentimental advantages are not to be despised. It would be a great thiog if the Press could set the first real object lesson in the direction of Imperial federation, and most of us, I fancy, would feel proud to be knit into one bond with a body which includes in its rankß journalists whose names are as " household words," and to whom we owe the high standing enjoyed by the English Press throughout the civilised world. I hope 1 have not wearied you with this rather long paper. I had intended to tell you something about the first International Congress of the Press, to which the promoters extended me a very coidial invitation as your representative, and which I was pleased to attend on your behalf. I fear, however, I have already trespassed too much on your indulgence, and will refer you instead to the articles on the subject which I contributed to the Christchurch * Press,' the Dunedin Evening Star, and Auckland 'Evening Star,' which some of you may have read at the time they appeared. "