A Better Senate

Senator Irvine L. Lenroot, favorite regular Republican son of Wisconsin, stated in a Chicago address that "the leading 96 newspaper correspondents in Washington are much better qualified to be United States Senators than are the present incumbents."

Having paid this tribute to the source of news he turned to inveigh against the newspaper publishers for whom the correspondents work. Said he: "When we compare the British press with our own, the first thing that attracts our attention is the greater importance given by them to the serious news of the day, especially relating to matters of government, while sensational news regarding individuals is given a minor place.

"With us a murder, an elopement, a scandal gets screaming headlines, and the news of really national importance is usually given second place. I have talked with many publishers concerning this, and the answer always is: 'We give to our readers what they want, and if we don't do it they will buy some other paper that does.'"

The Senator from Wisconsin believes that the publishers grossly exaggerate the perversions of the public mind.

Among the 96 Washington correspondents worthy of the Senatorial toga are: Carter Field, Charles Michelson, David Lawrence, Mark Sullivan, Harold Phelps Stokes, William Hard, Richard V. Oulahan, Louis Seibold, John W. Owens, Arthur S. Henning, Theodore G. Joslin, Robert Barry, Frederic W. Wile, Edward E. Whiting, J. Fred Essary, Gus J. Karger, Charles S. Albert, Roy A. Roberts, Samuel G. Blythe.

Three Princetonians

Recently three Princeton undergraduates called on ex-President Wilson. Since Mr. Wilson's retirement from office, there are very few people, and still fewer journalists, who have had the privilege of personal interviews with him. The three undergraduates were journalists, however, for they went back to Princeton and wrote of their experience for the University paper, The Daily Princetonian.

In their article appeared: "The Princetonians found Mr. Wilson in excellent spirits and good health and willing to converse on many topics. He recited several limericks for the amusement of the three undergraduates during their visit." That and nothing more.

Unappreciant of news value, the three Princetonians did not realize that a limerick from the lips of an ex-President is as rare as a cowslip from Mars. They allowed their fellow-students and the world at large to live on, unillumined by those historically unequaled verses. They were guilty of poor journalism.

Two limericks that Mr. Wilson enjoys reciting are:

There was a young girl from Missouri

Who took her case to the jury;

She said: "Car twenty-three

Has injured my knee,"

And the jury said: "We're from Missouri."

There was a young Prince of Siam

Who delighted in Omar Khayyam.

He said to his Omar,

"You are my Homer,"

And Omar Khayyam said "I am."

"Nose Quack"

The attention of the New York Daily News, Manhattan gum-chewers sheetlet, which is ordinarily fixed upon sensational murder, scandal and theatrico-anatomical intelligence, was trained with beneficial effect upon Dr. Henry J. Schireson of Chicago, who gained much publicity by reducing Actress Fanny Brice's Hebraic nose to Celtic curvature two months ago at Atlantic City.

Dr. Schireson entered Manhattan in search of other wealthy clients with unsatisfactory noses. His hotel telephone went into action immediately, hopeful clients flocked. The News learned of his advent, ferreted out his past, found him to be a notorious quack with numerous jail and workhouse record and no New York State medical license, crowned him "King of Quacks," strewed its picture and news sections with the acrid headlines of a public-spirited expose, "drove Schireson out of town."

Honesty Best

It has become increasingly fashionable for newspapers to print articles supposedly written for them by noted athletes. The public has long suspected that most of the signatory athletes received their rate-per-word without even touching pen to paper.

The New York World, ever sensitive to the limits of public gullibility, published two stories on last week's horse race. One was "BY STEVE DONOGHUE, England's Greatest Jockey (As told to 0. H. P. Garrett of The World)"; the other was "BY EARL SANDE, America's Leading Jockey (As told to G. F. T. Ryall of The World)."

Honesty Without Pay

The Fourth Estate* (magazine for journalists) gave credit to The New York Times for a piece of profitless honesty.

The story told by The Fourth Estate was that the Chevrolet Motor Co. offered to pay for nine pages of advertising in the Times, if the Times would publish a 16-page supplement composed as follows: Six pages of "reading matter" on the History of Transportation and The Conquest of Times prepared by the Chevrolet Co.; nine pages of Chevrolet advertisements; one page of advertisement to be sold to another advertiser by the Times.

"NO!" answered the Times. "As long as large newspapers of the country permit themselves to be victimized by these space grafters, we can hardly expect the smaller papers to uphold the principles of sound advertising. On the other hand if the large papers will consistently refuse such propositions the precedent will be established which will give confidence and power to the smaller city publisher."

All credit to the Times. But "several large newspapers in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Des Moines, St. Louis accepted the offer."

* "Edmund Burke said that there were Three Estates in Parliament, but in the Reporters' Gallery yonder there sat a 'Fourth Estate' more important far than they all."-- Heroes and Hero Worship (Carlyle).