THERE TO WORK.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1524, 11 April 1882, Page 3

THERE TO WORK.

David A. Curtis, in a recent lecture says :—": — " It was a long time since ; James Gordon Bennett was still alive, and so was Horace Greely ; but both were old men, if silvered heac's and beards make age. A. A. Low, the then President of the New York Chamber of Commerce had returned from a European tour. A groat complimentary banquet was given Mr Low at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. His Honor, the Mayor was there ; so was Judge Brady ; in fact all the big guns of the 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 table, which was not set for a dinner, though admirably adapted for writing purposes.- The waiters trooped in with the viands, but ignored the reporters, who bore the slight until the courses had been served ; then, by mutual agreement, they arose and tramped silently out of the banquet hall in Indian file. Horace Greely, Manton Warble, Jone (of 'the Thiws), Brady (of the Mail), and Brooks (of the Expresb) saw the departure. Mr Greely laughed and said : ' The boys are serving 'em right.' The 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 the 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 their table than waiters were sent to them with wine and cigars. Both were indignantly rejected. •We are here to_ work, not to drink and smoke,' said the^ourteen in chorus. The Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements came.to apologise. He was heard in grim silence. He said a special dinner , should be provided.. "'We are here ,to work,! not to eat dinrier,' answered the fourtee f n. , To work, , apparently they wont '," pencils J flew over paper; the speakers glanced, nervously . at the writers ; they seemed f to suspect their diligencej perhaps they thought it was not deserved at all. Next morning! confirmed their - suspidions. •*, The* Tribune had no reference.whateyer to the dixinei' r j the Iteralel hod-twenty lines ; < tße World apologised that the Low dinner' was >Zpnr . • " y,i~V ft-/*' - ! -

crowded out sin the Times there was a stickful dictated by the editor, who smelt a mouse and hurried to the office from the dinner to find not a line of it, just as he expected. From that distant day to, this the reporters have not been snubbed at any of the grand public dinners given in New York.'