A LITERARY CORNER

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10950, 12 July 1921, Page 3

A LITERARY CORNER

« (ft. A.L.) TWO FAMOUS NEWSPAPERS. “MANCHESTER GUARDIAN” AND “DAILY MAIL.” “Manchester guardian” , Place for age! The “Guardian's” . memorial number proclaims a century i the “Daily Mail’s” does not go further than five and twenty years. Ergo, it is right to begin with the old “Guardian.” And what a history tho number tells with * its many illustrations! The history ofyjfrigland between the two twenty-one’s is all there—Chartists, Reform Bill, Corn Laws, Freetrade, and on to the end, passing swiftly over many events. These are all strung together by the political policy and enterprise of the ipen who made ;and maintained tfi© “Manchester Guardian” as the mouthpiece a"nd support of ,a great party. History strung, as it were, on the chaplet of tlie “Manchester Guardian’s” virtues. There is a great picture in colour of the earlier date. \v© observe that the pillars of great architecture are of a violet tint, picturesque exceedingly, and as unusual, the colour extending far into the street vista, resting patchily on the curious woodwork of the quaint old buildings. v The roadway is occupied by twiu brothers of John Bull going sedately about their business in the c.ostume of their stout relative, squat haty broadish brimmed, long square coat, high stock and wonderful throat get-up, breeches, and highboots. Their ladies wear poke bonnets and positively look as if they regarded them us made from tlie girdle of Venus herself. With that exception tlieir attire is not very different from the display of the present year, as skimpy, but not quite so ready to admit that there really are such things as though extremely eloquent about the beauty of foot and instep and the daintiness of the shoo that is first cousin, to the slipper of elegance, aud there seems to he a league against the high heel. Elegant horsemen abound, making profound bows to the ladies, a stage-cpach rises above the pedestrians, and life is canned on swimmingly by various typi- « cal persons of the time. When wo follow* the picture indoors we see, of course, the rooms of the big newspaper 'and the machinery which has grown up since these John Bulk? and ladies and stage-coach conductors blowing bugles,' and the other typidal persons of 1821 have ceased to frequent the big city, but we know what they would bethinking about it had they by some miracle remained in the places of the outside picture. Also, how would they stare if they could see the other outside pictures wltich give some idea of the Manchester of to-day. On© picture attention. It is Mr C. P. Scott, tlie editor who has served the paper, fifty years. He is surrounded by the story of the paper, which, ho has sketched into As you read you get some idea of how the big paper has battled through a hundred . strenuous years. “In all living things,” -says he, “there must be a certaip unity, a principle of vitality and growth.” This main idea he develops to the full extent of the page allotted to him. As he works he drops words of wisdom, supported by his str.ong face ? his intellectual head, his eyqg, candid, shrewd and kindly. For example:— Character is a subtle affair, and . has many sides and shades to it. It is the slow deposit of past actions and ideals. It. is for bach man his / most precious possession, and so it is for that latest product of time the newspaper. %mdamentally it ini- . plies honesty, cleanness, courage, fairness, a sense of duty to the reader and the community. t A newspaper - is of necessity soihething of a monopoly, and its first duty is to resist the temptations of monopoly. Its primary office the gathering of new* At the peril of its soul it must see * that the supply is not tainted. Neither in what it gives, nor in what it does not give, nor in the mode of presentation, must the unclouded face of truth suffer wrong. Comment is free, but facts are sacred. “Propaganda” so called, by this means is \hateful. * The voice of opponents no less than that of friends has a right to be heard. Comment also is justly subject, to a self-imposed restraint. It is well to be‘frank; it is even better to be fair. This is an ideal. Adlirievement in such matters is hardly given, to, man. Perhaps none of us can attain to it in the desirable measure. We can but try, ask pardon for shortcomings and there leave the matter.

His* eye turns to the future. What tasks await the developed great farreaching newspaper,' worked on the lines si* admirably set forth. Answering his question, he says: “Whatever its position or character, at least it should have a character of its own. . But newsjiapers are now great organisations by amalgamation, towards which the press as other businessesare tending. “The process may bo workable, but already there are drawbacks. As organisation grows personality may tend to disappear. It is much to control one newspaper well; it is perhaps beyond the reach of any man, or any body of men, to control half a dozen with success. It is possible to exaggerate the danger, for the jniblic is not undiscernmg. It recognises the authentic voices of conscience # |md conviction when it finds them, and it has a shrewd intuition of what to accept and what to discount.”

Has conclusion is clear. It is a matter which must settle itself. Competence, unity, high ideal, co-operation between tlie business and editorial eides will Settle it Alh the workers should be a friendly company; editor and manager working hand in hand. “And -this is what makes the.work of a paper worthy -and interesting. It has so many sides, it touches life at so many points, at every one there is such possibility of improvetnent . and excellence.” This is applied to every man -whatever his plate on the paper, editorial, business or mechanical. “It. is here that ability counts and that character counts, and it is on these that a (newspaper, lijte every great undertaking, if it is worthy of its power and! duty, must rely.” And style ds not forgotten. “People talk of ‘journalese* as though a journalist were of necessity a pretentious and sloppy writer; he may he, on the contrary, and very often is, one of tlie best in the world.”

How, following this ideal, this i great journal has a successful century behind it, and is facing the future with hope, is well brought out in the centenary number thnt is packed with most interesting detail. Of that detail, not the least is the story of many stubborn fights against public opinion, out of which the paper emerged bruised and bleeding, hut sound, respected, and quick to recover grqund lost. The most notable instance is the episode of the Boer war, in' which the paper stood, almost and its way against slings and arrows*hurled from every side. It is a great lesson against time-serving, and it surprises ninny who are not in the habit of crediting the Press wifTi _ the courage that risks life and possessions. “DAILT MAIL." After 25 years this paper celebrated early -in May. Tho celebration threw® considerable light on the new phase of journalism so thoughtfully discussed.

as we have seen, by the veteran Mr Scott, of the “Manchester Guardian.” it did this by the vast number of the celebratois, and by the speech of Lord N'ortholiffe, their chief, who has led the way into the new journalism. Tlie fori mer numbered 7000, almost all members of the staffs of the Northelifie journal, invited to luncheon at the Olympia to honour the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first of those journals. had come to meet their London confreres, from Paris, from Manchester, from Scotland, Ireland and Wales., It was a .substantial proof of the vast development discussed in* Mr Scott’s fine article. Lady Nartlicliffe\was present to mark- her long and close association with the women journalists, and other workers on the “Daily Mail/’ and Lord Northcliffe brought witli him his old mother, who has watched hei sou’3 career with great affection and pride. * The guests not of the employ show * still further tho wide ramifications of the new journalistic departure. Among them were Lord Riddell, the president of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association ; the heads of all the great trade unions connected with newspapers; representatives of many American newspapers and new;s agencies; representatives of 250 leading advertisers arid of, the chief wholesale distributors of news-i papers. “Of well-known writers and contributors to tlie Press in general,” “The Tftnes” . report tells us, .“there were present about 500.” “Some idea of the magnitude of the entertainment,” the rejioTt adds,* “may bo obtained from the facts that the length of the tables was one mile, 40.000 plates were used, and there were 75,000 pieces of small silver and knives.” On Saturday Olympia Hall was occupied by a building exhibition, and by midday of Monday morning everything was ready for the mammoth luncheon, and the hall fully decorated. It was “some catering.” And the caterers, Messrs Lyons, had been made to understand that efficiency aud speed are the objects always of Lord Northcliffe's admiration. Lord Northcliffe spoke to the multitude through a stent-orphone, thus: “A gramophone record of liis speech had been taken previously by the gramophone company at their works at Hayes, Middlesex, and the five trumpets of the stentorphom, reproduced it.” They did it well Lord Northcliffe put that beyond doubt, for he said ti\ his “friends from ' Carmelite from Manchester, and from Paris, let me ask you to measure the warmth of the welcome by the loudness of njy voice.” It was one for the five trumpets. The speech that follow- j ed is not too loim for quotation, and coo full of remarkable matter to ; condense : We have met to celebrate 25 years of struggle and success —25 years in which *we have accomplished a great deal for the welfare or our country—--25 years in which we have distributed millions of pounds in wages and iu salaries —25 years without one sinygle atom of friction between the executive officers of tho undertaking ,and the various editorial, commercial, mechanical, and distributive staffs. The 25 years of our existence have qomprised -some of the most difficult periods in the 'history of Great Britain. We have conducted our sturdy craft through two wars, and many labour struggles. We have gone through fat years and lean years, the last beihg the leanest we have ever experienced. That we should have been able to ettrry on and tro carry on with success, throughout so jnany difficulties, is due to the loyalty and enthusiasm of the staffs, from the Editor-in-chief, Mr Thomas Marlowe, down, to the humblest lye-rag in the machine room. . • The vitality and enthusiasm which have built up a net eal© rapidly approaching a miliibii and a-half copies is due to the efforts of our 3000 workers, and in praising these, we must never for one moment forget those who have passed from among ns, amd who died for England, in the deep seas, or on foreign soil. the o-nly newspaper in the world which is published in triplicate —in London*, in Manchester, and in Paris. There are'many here today who Jiave -crossed the Channel for tho first time, and who speak no English, but they desire me to you tiuAh thdi r loyal fiy and en th. usiofsru are as great as your own. Twenty-five years is a long span in the working life of any of ue. Only the younger of us will see the 50th anniversary of '‘The Daily Mail.” Let all of us wfi<T produce these newspapers in such happy circumstances, let the staffs of “The Daily Mail,” “The Continental Daily Mail,” “The Evening News,” "The g Weekly Dispatch” and "The, Over- * seas Mail,” join in thanking the Almighty fori the blessings showered upon us, in fervent hope that the year 1948 may see our undertaking in the same proud and unique position which it occupies to-day. I ask you all to rise and drink to the toast of long life f and happy times to the workers of Northcliffe Prhss. Later on, Lord, Northcliffe supplemented this sketch of the past with--a look into the future, the look of a practical man prepared to make his way much further. After k -returning thanks through a megaphone for the toaet of his health, and the kindly references to his wifo and mother,„ he said : - >■ I would like also to speak of the future of our craft. It is in my belief only at its beginning. The competition among newspapers here is,* less than in almost'any other country. are many fewer actual purchasers of newspapers here than in the United States. There .is no reason why that should be so. When wo are able to obtain the machinery for which we are waiting, I trust that we shall be* able to produce better newspapers and give employment to larger numbers of people, and that one day we may give an entertainment twice as largo as this one.

Thus we have the old order of the newspaper and the now. The marvels in the histories of both are great—and the greatest marvel is the belief, practically backed for action, of the pioneer of the new order that he has only entered the gate of a new field of proportions at present immeasurable by any of our standards. “ART IN AUSTRALIA.” S. Ure Smith, Bertram Stevens. C. Lloyd Jones (editors). (“Art in Australia, Sydney.) The ninth number of this fine publication is d'' "'tod t~. the r.'\* o' etching, with most interesting letterpress and a oulle.-Lioii .i.: -t! * , amples/ Pride of given to an i essay on the Art by Lionel Lindsay, j himself an accomplished etcher. | essay is brilliant/exhaustive, and full of tho enthusiasm of the artist anxious to realise his ideals, and capable of doing it. He tolls of the great etchers of the world from Rembrandt to our own time, touching as he goes their characteristics, their methods of work, the secrets of their success. The la6t point ia treated under the heading, “The Etcher —His Vision and Handling,” ancL.thcre is much about etching, aquatint, dry-point, mezzotint, and the final printing proper for each of these processes. It is a complete description of the practice of the down to small details. The whole, specially illustrated, makes a very charming essay. Mr Bertram Stevens gives’ a list of the Australian artiste who have' taken

up etching, and done most ;of them famous work, h’* pages introducing the great body of examples beautifully reproduced which make the bulk of the number. After them, Mr Maurice Hurst has an appreciative story of the etchers ’ of New Zealand, Linley Richardson. Archibald Nicholl, Richard Wulluork. 1. McDonald, Arnold Goodwin, Mina Arnot, and Flora Scales, with fine examples of their work. This is, of course, not new to the connoircseurs' of the Dominion. Tlie new thing most of them will learn from Mr Hurst is that Meryon, the greatest of the French etcher# ot the- Nineteenth Century, the man who led the way in the revival of tlie* art, clid his first work in Akaroa, when serving in the very early days of the settlement- en board the French corvette, “Le Rhin.” nad story is sketched by Mr Hurst, and it is given at, greater length in Mr Lionel Lindsay’s essay. All etchers acknowledge him at-, their master to-day, and his pictures- command great prices. But he obtained no appreciation during his life, dying, after years of disappointment, in dire poverty. It ia a sad story, like that of the great painter of Barbizon. > “paid inT full.” John Goodwin. (Herbert Jenkins, London.) A story of a great inheritance, a charming heiress, a devoted young lover, and a gang of ruffians plotting in most criminal fashion to get the money , for themselves through a wrongful claimant. It is a strong story, very thrilling, abounding in dramatio incident, and the company that works it out does some and heroic things. “INDISCRETIONS OF ARCHIE.” P.>G. Wodehonse. (Herbert Jenkins, i London.) This is not a story that depends on love-making The hero,'' in fact, starts by marrying h;s Both -are New Yorkers, as is also .the- father-in-law. The old man is rich-; the -voung man poor. Though the latter 'has served against the Boche and done well, the former despises him considerably. The two are as incompatible as oil and water, and the older man has a temper. The young man rouses this to fever heat by numerous attempts to make good. These are the “indiscretions of Archie.” They are highly amusing, and Archie makes them more so by the lavish use of free and easy brilliant epigrammatic language by which he tries to explain the indiscretions. These producing situations too funny for wdrds, require great deal of explaining. When the last pf them is followed by the advent of a baby everybody is vastly pleased. Tlie only regret is on the part or the reader, who is sorry that the fun has ended. One of-the most amusing books of the year. “THE VOYAGE.” Chyrl C-rae. (“N.Z. Times” Co.‘, Wellington.) This is a first attempt at literature, r, is poetry, and the young authoress has displayed a remarkable mastery of the intricacies of the hexameter metire; all the more so as she has handicapped herself heavily by the lavish use of parentheses. There is poetic imagination in the descriptions of the happenings “of “The Voyage,” storms, sunrise, sunset, trade-wind weather, and so forth. Thbse would command more at tention if there were not so many 6inali details .of the tfoilv life at sea. There is enough promise m the little brochure Tor the conclusion that with attention to thef above points the next effort of the writer will go far. “THE AZURE LAKE.” Cecil Adair. (Stanley Paul and Co., London.) Here wo have a shining blue lake in a sub-tropical island in a charming setting; a wonderful atmosphere, masses of flowers; abundant foliage, and all the scents of Araby the blest* Jhis beautfHU place in which life is an exquisite enjoyment, is the scene of a most complicated family history in which two pairs of lovers get tangled up b apparently most hijpdoss fashion.""There is unlimited *pom for inventive faculty, constructive power, romance, and good drawing of character, sipa the space is filled in the manner that Cecil Adair’s readers expect from such books as 4‘Gabriel’s Garden,” “Under the Incense Trees,” and -ethers too numerous to mention* .