REPORTERS.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2483, 22 March 1882, Page 3

REPORTERS.

David A. Curtis, in a recent lecture says— It was a long time since; James Gordon Bennett was still alive, and so was Horace Greeley, but both were old men, if silvered heads and beards mate age. A. A. Low, the then President of the New York Chamber of Commerce, had returned from a European tour. A great complimentary banquet was given Mr Low at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Elio Honor tho Mayor was there; so was Judge Brady ; in fact, all tho big guns of !ho bar, and all the famous editors except the elder Bennett, who never went to dinners. After all the magnates were seated, the reporters were admitted—there were fourteen of them—and were taken to a long tablo which was not set for a dinner, though admirably adapted for writing purposes. The waiters trooped in with tho viands, but ignored the reporters, who boro tho slight until the courses had been served ; then, by mutual agreement, they arose and tramped silently out the |banquet hall in Indian file. Horace Greeley, Hanton Marble, Jones, of tho “Times”; Brady, of the “Mail”; and Brooks, of tho “Expiess,” saw the departure. Mr Greeley laughed and said—“ Tho boys are serving ’em just right." Tho guest of the evening looked on in dismay; he was primed with a long speech that he wanted well reported. After an absence of two hours the reporters returned from tho bar room of the hotel, where they had whiled away the time in sampling ice-water, and perhaps something stronger. No sooner had they got back to tileir table than waiters were sent to them with wine and cigars. Both were indignantly rejected. “Wu aro here to work, not to drink and smoke,” said the fourteen in chorus. The Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements came to apologise ; he was heard in grim filcr.ee Ke raid a special dinner should be provided. “We are here to work, not eat dinner,” answered the fourteen. To work apparently they wont; pencils flaw over paper; the speakers gle.r,ccd nervously at the writers ; they seemed to suspect their diligence, perhaps they thought it was not deserved at all.

Next morning confirmed their suspicions. The “Tribune” had no reference whatever to the dinner ; the “ Herald” had twenty lines ; the “ World” apologised thattho Low dinner was orond.d cut ; in the “ Times” there was a stickful dictated by the editor, who smelt a mouse and hurried to the cilice from the dinner to HA not a lino of it, just as he expected. All the reporters were severely reprimanded by their cluefe ; one of them—him of the “ Herald”—lost his place, for the elder Dennett was a merciless master ; he dismissed nun for the veriest trifles, but his shrewd managing editor re-engeged all tho valuable ornr.s fast as they were discharged by the i; provable proprietor, who, in the last decade of his active life, did not know his employes, with perhaps fivs exceptions, by sight. From that distant day to this the reporter* h iva not been snubbed at anv of the grand public dinners g ; ven in New York.