Oh my, what a wonderful story about the marvellous violinist Fritz Kreisler. See pages 356-357 of our book Commitment to Freedom.
When Monitor music critic Winthrop P. Tryon uncovered the fact that Kreisler was not only the performer but also the composer of quite a few items in his repertoire, Kreisler requested that this information remain a secret. In fact, his reason for not identifying them as his own compositions on his programs was that he "found it inexpedient and tactless to repeat my name endlessly on the program".
It was nineteen years later when Kreisler finally gave permission for the story to be made public. And The Christian Science Monitor faithfully responded.
Julie Swannell
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
An undiluted pleasure
There's a lovely little note on page 343 in the chapter "The Monitor Today". It reads as follows:
"To work for the Christian Science Monitor was an undiluted pleasure. . . With a courage almost unknown in the modern newspaper world, the Monitor never seemed to mind if the news was a day or two late, provided that when it did arrive it was comprehensive, fair and accurate."
The writer was a Mr. David E. Walker.
Comprehensive, fair and accurate. Wouldn't readers be glad if all their news was reported in such a fashion today.
Julie Swannell
"To work for the Christian Science Monitor was an undiluted pleasure. . . With a courage almost unknown in the modern newspaper world, the Monitor never seemed to mind if the news was a day or two late, provided that when it did arrive it was comprehensive, fair and accurate."
The writer was a Mr. David E. Walker.
Comprehensive, fair and accurate. Wouldn't readers be glad if all their news was reported in such a fashion today.
Julie Swannell
Friday, 25 November 2016
A great man
What an extraordinary tribute for Monitor writer Charles Gratke - see page 321. It was written by a fellow newspaperman, the so-called "hard-boiled editor of the Lubbock, Texas, Evening Journal: Charles A. Guy".
Among some of the notable phrases, "he had banished fear from his life; he had even defeated man's greatest mental enemy: worry...". "One hundred fifty minutes a day, Chuck Gratke gave to study of his religion..."
"He made no effort, aside from setting an example, to influence anyone."
Great men are always an inspiration, and the world sorely needs to hear more about them.
Julie Swannell
Among some of the notable phrases, "he had banished fear from his life; he had even defeated man's greatest mental enemy: worry...". "One hundred fifty minutes a day, Chuck Gratke gave to study of his religion..."
"He made no effort, aside from setting an example, to influence anyone."
Great men are always an inspiration, and the world sorely needs to hear more about them.
Julie Swannell
Thursday, 24 November 2016
Challenges and defence
Canham offers his readers much detailed information about various political events in the 1920's and 30's, which, to the Australian reader today makes little impact. However, the underlying message is that the Monitor's job has always been to keep abreast of the times, keep its readers informed, and offer relevant commentary that would stand the test of time.
It is interesting that "as the end of the paper's first quarter century approached, friends both on and off the staff carried out a careful re-examination of its purposes and performance" (page 261). Thus was a "Fact Finding Committee" established by the Board of Directors, and we are told that it applied itself "with zeal" (page 265). Three practical steps were taken as a result of the assessment: (1) revitalization of the local editions, including additional staffing; (2) unnecessary restrictions were lifted, and resulted in the "restoration of an uninhibited capacity to tackle unsavory news" (page 266); (3) a weekly magazine was established at the urging of a group of British readers, including Lord Lothian and the Viscount and Viscountess Astor.
I wonder if the description of an extraordinary newspaperman such as Richard (Dick) L. Strout, would hold true today. Canham describes Strout as a craftsman whose writing was "well-trimmed, vividly descriptive, perceptive" (p. 281-282). His style is described as "independent and objective" as he "covers a story with clinical dispassion, writing with warmth and perception but without bias" (p. 282).
Page 287 reveals an interesting picture of Christian Science in Germany at the outset of World War Two. We are told that there were 64 churches or societies and 161 "not-yet-recognized groups". What follows is a very helpful assessment of the "background of defeat and national humiliation" that lay so heavily in the thought of many German citizens at this time, and the revelation that their "letters, telegrams, and personal visits hammered at Boston's doors during the 1930's", all of which "recommended that the Monitor should blunt and muffle its criticisms of Hitler" (p. 290). By 1941, Christian Science was banned in Germany. Churches and reading rooms were closed. Books were confiscated. Members were arrested and persecuted.
World thought was swirling and roiling as the Monitor published a May 1940 "Editorial Letter" in response to an outpouring of emotion from readers. The letter said: "Some of you have written that you do not feel a newspaper founded out of a great love for all humanity should 'take sides' in the conflict. However, it is that very love for humanity which compels this newspaper to take sides, not against any nation or group of nations in and of themselves, but against the evils which are attempting to destroy the very basis of civilization" (p. 294-5). Indeed, the editorial pointed out the attempt to destroy Christianity itself. Thus, arms must be taken up to defend against this evil.
And so to coverage of the war itself where correspondents were encouraged always to seek the long-range view, while of course reporting first-hand events in an illuminating and pleasing manner. Reading about this period provides a fascinating lens through which to view the challenges of our own times.
Julie Swannell
It is interesting that "as the end of the paper's first quarter century approached, friends both on and off the staff carried out a careful re-examination of its purposes and performance" (page 261). Thus was a "Fact Finding Committee" established by the Board of Directors, and we are told that it applied itself "with zeal" (page 265). Three practical steps were taken as a result of the assessment: (1) revitalization of the local editions, including additional staffing; (2) unnecessary restrictions were lifted, and resulted in the "restoration of an uninhibited capacity to tackle unsavory news" (page 266); (3) a weekly magazine was established at the urging of a group of British readers, including Lord Lothian and the Viscount and Viscountess Astor.
I wonder if the description of an extraordinary newspaperman such as Richard (Dick) L. Strout, would hold true today. Canham describes Strout as a craftsman whose writing was "well-trimmed, vividly descriptive, perceptive" (p. 281-282). His style is described as "independent and objective" as he "covers a story with clinical dispassion, writing with warmth and perception but without bias" (p. 282).
Page 287 reveals an interesting picture of Christian Science in Germany at the outset of World War Two. We are told that there were 64 churches or societies and 161 "not-yet-recognized groups". What follows is a very helpful assessment of the "background of defeat and national humiliation" that lay so heavily in the thought of many German citizens at this time, and the revelation that their "letters, telegrams, and personal visits hammered at Boston's doors during the 1930's", all of which "recommended that the Monitor should blunt and muffle its criticisms of Hitler" (p. 290). By 1941, Christian Science was banned in Germany. Churches and reading rooms were closed. Books were confiscated. Members were arrested and persecuted.
World thought was swirling and roiling as the Monitor published a May 1940 "Editorial Letter" in response to an outpouring of emotion from readers. The letter said: "Some of you have written that you do not feel a newspaper founded out of a great love for all humanity should 'take sides' in the conflict. However, it is that very love for humanity which compels this newspaper to take sides, not against any nation or group of nations in and of themselves, but against the evils which are attempting to destroy the very basis of civilization" (p. 294-5). Indeed, the editorial pointed out the attempt to destroy Christianity itself. Thus, arms must be taken up to defend against this evil.
And so to coverage of the war itself where correspondents were encouraged always to seek the long-range view, while of course reporting first-hand events in an illuminating and pleasing manner. Reading about this period provides a fascinating lens through which to view the challenges of our own times.
Julie Swannell
Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Fracture and restoration
I have just read about the litigation period, when there was a schism between the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees. The question was: who was to lead? A startling question and most unfortunate.
It was just following the end of World War One. The brilliant, dedicated, indefatigable, erudite, witty, well-connected, cosmopolitan Mr Dixon was Editor of The Christian Science Monitor. Canham describes his writing as "historically exact, literarily rich, politically shrewd" - see page 173. But Mr Dixon was a law unto himself, which is not how Mrs Eddy had laid out the structure of her church.
There was limbo for a couple of years. Staff left. Circulation plummeted from a high exceeding 100,000 down to a low of just 17,500. Ultimately the court decided for all time in favour of the rule of law. In the case of the Christian Science organisation, this meant that the Church Manual gave ultimate authority to the Board of Directors.
The choice, then, by the Board of Directors, of a new Editor in 1922 was astute and timely. Willis J. Abbot was a veteran newspaperman.
The work of restoration was underway. In retrospect it was like a resurrection. Canham writes that "Under Mr. Abbot's editorship, and with the support of the entire Christian Science movement, the Monitor's circulation began steadily to return to its pre-First World War figures, and ultimately ...excel them. By 1924, only two years after the paper had been returned to loyal hands, its circulation again exceeded 100,000. At the end of the decade it had reached 130,000." (see page 183.)
It is noteworthy that "the entire CS movement" was involved in this work of rebuilding and restoration.
Julie Swannell
It was just following the end of World War One. The brilliant, dedicated, indefatigable, erudite, witty, well-connected, cosmopolitan Mr Dixon was Editor of The Christian Science Monitor. Canham describes his writing as "historically exact, literarily rich, politically shrewd" - see page 173. But Mr Dixon was a law unto himself, which is not how Mrs Eddy had laid out the structure of her church.
There was limbo for a couple of years. Staff left. Circulation plummeted from a high exceeding 100,000 down to a low of just 17,500. Ultimately the court decided for all time in favour of the rule of law. In the case of the Christian Science organisation, this meant that the Church Manual gave ultimate authority to the Board of Directors.
The choice, then, by the Board of Directors, of a new Editor in 1922 was astute and timely. Willis J. Abbot was a veteran newspaperman.
The work of restoration was underway. In retrospect it was like a resurrection. Canham writes that "Under Mr. Abbot's editorship, and with the support of the entire Christian Science movement, the Monitor's circulation began steadily to return to its pre-First World War figures, and ultimately ...excel them. By 1924, only two years after the paper had been returned to loyal hands, its circulation again exceeded 100,000. At the end of the decade it had reached 130,000." (see page 183.)
It is noteworthy that "the entire CS movement" was involved in this work of rebuilding and restoration.
Julie Swannell
Monday, 14 November 2016
Strangers and new friends
Page 366
has a favourite quote from Saville R Davis, who was, at the time of Canham's writing,
managing editor of the Monitor: “Strangers are just the friends you
haven't yet made.” He put this philosophy into effect in travelling and
reporting from “Japan, Taiwan, South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Hong Kong,
Thailand, Indonesia, Burma, India, and Afghanistan – with a briefer look at
Pakistan and the Middle East.” All in one year. These few pages are very
insightful about the East and its diverse peoples.
I used
that quote many years ago (though I wasn't able to quote it as being from Mr. Davis so I said
“a wise man”) when I was introducing Christian Science Lecturer John Wyndham. I was introducing the audience to their “new friend.”
As I
finish the book, I wonder how often current workers for the Monitor are
required to re-read it!
Joyce Voysey
Thursday, 10 November 2016
A daily paper...to give us accurate information
While reading Canham's story of The Christian Science Monitor's first 50 years, I found the following, from the archives of the Christian Science Sentinel:
We want a daily paper, a paper to give us accurate information,...
From the February 15, 1913 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
Sheffield (England) Guardian
JSH-Online is the official website of The Christian
Science Journal, Sentinel, and Herald.
Wednesday, 9 November 2016
The richer side of life
Chapter 22 of Commitment to Freedom is entitled The Monitor's Own Peace
Plan. On its first page I find a familiar place-name, the Ruhr district of
Germany, and am given a geography and a history lesson about my son-in-law's
place of growing up.
The
story is that in 1923 the Monitor printed an interview with Adolph
Hitler in which he said: “If I had been at the head of the Government, the Ruhr
district [which France had just reoccupied] would have been burned down as
Moscow was burned by the Russians. France would never have found a single tree
or a bridge there. Since the Ruhr district no longer belongs to us today, it
should vanish from the face of the earth” (p. 228). The Ruhr was a valuable coal mining
area; also an agricultural and industrial centre. It seems it wasn't till 1936
that Hitler took back this valuable area for Germany.
There is
quite some history to be gleaned in this story.
On the
second page of the chapter we are told that Winston Churchill had a signed
article printed in the same 1923 issue of The Christian Science Monitor. Canham records that “He was
recently out of office, with the fall of the Lloyd George government, and he
was filling in the odd hours with journalism. His article was a witty and
severe attack on H.G. Wells's socialist plans for the merging of the British
Empire into a world federation” (p. 229).
In those
1923 days there was much talk about the fortunes made by some through war, and
“Peace Plans” were being championed. The Monitor came up with its own plan which proposed a constitutional amendment which would "take the profits out of war. The proposed amendment was that:”In the event of a declaration of war, the property, equally with
the persons, lives, and liberties of all citizens shall be subject to conscription
for the defense of the Nation, and it shall be the duty of the President to
propose and of Congress to enact the legislation necessary to give effect to
this amendment” (p. 230).
Our book
says that this plan “...helped greatly to bring the Monitor to the attention of
the nation and the world” (p. 233). Many influential people were in favour, while, of
course, many others opposed the plan.
I have just finished the chapter which talks about The Richer Side of
Life. The beloved Home Forum and Family Features are recounted with
love. As they were accepted by the readers. The chapter (#32) speaks of the cultural
benefits a reader could gain from these pages. For instance, the opening paragraph recalls that “A woman on a remote mountain ranch in western Canada once wrote the
Monitor, and in simple but touching terms told how its pages had brought to her
the rich flow of the world's cultural life and heritage. It had obliterated her
isolation and made her one of the company of cultivated persons the world over,
and timelessly” (p. 351).
Canham,
I think, modestly, finishes the chapter by mentioning two features which (I
think) were his own “things” - “Mail Bag” and “Youth Round Table” (p. 362). This is where
I found my American pen-pals through Canham's wish to encourage international
friendships.
Joyce Voysey
Wednesday, 2 November 2016
Renewing our subscription
As we launch into our second month of reading Erwin Canham's "Commitment to Freedom - the Story of The Christian Science Monitor", book-clubbers will be interested (I think) in a thoughtful article by journalist Christa Case Bryant.
The Christian Science Journal, November 2016:
http://journal.christianscience.com/issues/2016/11/134-11/the-privilege-of-subscribing-to-the-christian-science-monitor
Happy reading.
The Christian Science Journal, November 2016:
http://journal.christianscience.com/issues/2016/11/134-11/the-privilege-of-subscribing-to-the-christian-science-monitor
Happy reading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)