December 20, 1923, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
From Gauss and his Children
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GEORGE S. JOHNS' SERVICES AS EDITOR PRAISED AT DINNER.
His Personality and Civic Activity Furnished Games for Speakers, Friends of Many Years.
TESTIMONIAL EVENT ATTENDED BY 350
Clergy, and Professional Men Felicitate a Editor, 41 Years with Post-Dispatch
A personality and a page furnished the themes of speakers at the testimonial dinner to George S. Johns at Hotel Chase last night, attended by more than 350 men.
The speakers, who were Johns' friends of many years, told of instances in which his personality has overflowed the editorial page of the Post-Dispatch and to other parts of the paper, and has overflowed the wider bounds of print, into the field of civic activity. Instances which they mentioned were the Post-Dispatch Christmas Festival, aviation events, educational and artistic advancement in public improvement measures.
John's 41 years of service with the Post-Dispatch, the greater part of the time is editor of the editorial page, and his recent return from a European journey, where he saw participation of several nations in the 1920 international air races, furnish the occasion of the testimonial dinner, which was notable among events of this character.
Scriptural argument.
With the personality and work of the editor as a central topic, the remarks of the speakers in the toastmasters circled out rather widely. Theological discussion is rife now, and early in the evening to toast master, Frederick W. Lehmann, became involved in this virtual argument with Chancellor Hadley of Washington University, the first speaker.
Lehmann, in his opening remarks, said that it was generally true that "a prophet is not without honor save in his own country." Chancellor Hadley begged to differ as to this, and said that he had observed that St. Louis was commendably willing to honor its own citizens, who had deserved recognition.
"Chancellor Hadley has questioned the statement that a prophet is not without honor save in his own country." Lehman said. Double quote in reply to him, I will state my authority, Mark, sixth chapter, fourth verse."
This exhibition of biblical knowledge -- for the chapter and verse were correctly stated -- astonished the gathering, and not least the several clergyman present. Archbishop Glennon, speaking soon afterward, advised Lehmann and Hadley to drop their controversy over Mark, and "go to the Twelfth and Olive where you can get Johns' Gospel."
Remarks on Politics.
Politics, too, could not be kept out altogether, and W. Frank Carter denounced "men in high office keeping a judgeship vacant for personal advantage," while the Reverend Dr. W. C. Bitting said: "This state's best products are George Johns and the Missouri Mule. To see his worst products, you must go to the United States Senate." The Rev., Dr. Leon Harrison said such men as Johns and Lehmann should be sent to the Senate, and that in European countries they would be. Lehmann replied that even European statesmanship and its results were not all, they might be.
The toastmasters spoke of Johns' first newspaper work, done in St. Charles, and said that St. Charles and "St. Louis, near St. Charles," had comprised the geography of Johns' professional experience, which had been intensive rather than extensive. He termed Johns, "the ambulatory embodiment of the spirit of journalism in St. Louis, and a man who has the genius of good fellowship."
Chancellor Hadley offered his complements and regards, as head of one great educational institution "to another great educational institution." Speaking of his experience as governor, he said:
"When I was responsible for the police, and excise, and election officials of St. Louis, I never felt that I could eat my evening meal until I knew what Mr. Johns thought. I used to read his editorials, sometimes, even before the baseball news."
Found Newspaper Fair.
He said he had found the St. Louis newspapers fair in presentation of fact and comment, energetic in attacks on wrongdoing, and mindful of the distinction between rightful exposure of evil and meager scandal-mongering. "The Post-Dispatch,", he said, "is a great newspaper founded by a great journalist on great principles of public service through publicity. Joseph Pulitzer's high ideals of public servihttp://www.gausschildren.org/genwiki/index.php/Special:SearchByProperty/Mentions::wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Bartow_Hawes +ce could not be continued, after his death, except by able, high minded and enthusiastic men, who shared his zeal for the public good. To the names of Schurz and Pretorius, McCullagh and King, Pulitzer and Reedy, 40 years' public service has now added the name of George S. Johns."
Frederick H. Britton of the editorial staff of the Globe-Democrat, a former office associate of Johns, spoke of the guest of honor is having a list of civic and find personal qualities, and said his faults were of an "occupational" sort. Such an occasion, he said, is unusual, as the public is usually willing to journalism should remain in personal and anonymous. "The newspaperman must take the vows of poverty and obedience," he said, "and all he usually gets in the way of public recognition is a nice group of pallbearers."
W. Frank Carter prefaced his own remarks are reading a telegram from Harry B. Hawes kept in Washington by complications attending the organizing of Congress. Cost spoke of Johns as "not afraid of special interests; not subject to cajolery by friends; teacher of real democracy; the Santa Claus of St. Louis at Christmas time."
Attack on Bloc System.
Carter's remarks were an attack on the bloc system of legislative manipulation, and a discussion of press methods, which in their modern expansion, he believed, have tended to lose some of the personal and human touch.
"Mr. Carter doesn't like blocs," Archbishop Glennon said in his talk, "but our guest is honored in the block of Twelfth and Olive. We usually are taught to speak only good of the dead, but here we are dealing with the quick, with a lively citizen.
"The editor must stand, like Macbeth's witches, by the boiling cauldron of passion, selfishness and greed, the sorrows and the trials of the world. It is his duty to see hope there, to be sane in a world gone mad. He must speak where prophets have failed; he must walk where angels fear to tread; he must make his decisions quickly; in fact he must be a futurist."
The Archbishop speculated as to the political ideals with which Johns might have been infected in the different European countries he has visited lately, but added: "we exaggerate the dangers of propaganda. Mr. Johns has been a propagandist of the faith of equal rights and civic righteousness. Making the distinction between objective, or absolute truth, and subjective truth, that which appears true to the speaker, I believe Mr. Johns' utterances have always been subjectively true."
Rabbi Harrison's Remarks.
Rabbi Harrison spoke of John's as "the type of the scholar in journalism." He said the journalist. "Must lay an egg every day," and must keep the quality up. "He is a tribune of the people, speaking urbi et orbi to the city and the world with millions listening in."
Dr. Bitting defined Johns as, "a man who knows what he wants -- not an artist of ambiguity." He made a facetious comparison of the editor's garments with that of the clergy, saying that both might have worn their trousers' seats shiny, but that the editor was more likely to have his trousers more neatly creased at the knees. "We have to pray for strength to read some of the editorials," the minister said.
Clark McAdams of the Post-Dispatch editorial staff, told of John's is standing his ground against importunities which beset an editor. He told of a former member of the staff whom he visited on his deathbed, and whose last words to him more: "don't argue with Johns." The tenor of these remarks of McAdams seem to point to him as author of the song, which was sung earlier in the evening from printed slips, and the refrain of which was the editorial refusal, "yes, we'll do nothing for you today."
Will Listen to Anyone
Johns, the last speaker, said after the words he had heard, he felt constrained to confess, "I have made mistakes." He said the years had taught him to beware of cocksureness and of the feeling of editorial infallibility. "Now," he said, "I will listen to anyone, even to the serious arguments of a humorist."
"I have had a bully time in these 41 years," he said. "I have worked in an atmosphere of freedom. I have had no injunction from Joseph Pulitzer, the elder or from his son and successor, but to do what is right, follow conscience and judgment, and make the paper more useful to the public."
Johns spoke of the advancement in the material and cultural life of St. Louis and 41 years, and of the changes in the newspapers, which have lost some of the former personal and individual note, while becoming great institutions for the public service.
He then told up his recent visit to European capitals, in the interest of next year's air races, and predicted that France and Italy would be represented in those events. He discussed political conditions in those countries, particularly England and France, and said that Europe is at the brink of a volcano. But, he said, all is not well in America, either.
"We have our own hells of hate," he said. "Are we fit to lead the world to peace and security when we have neither ourselves?" He pleaded for the virtue of toleration.
Besides the speakers, those at the speakers' table were the Reverend Dr. Ivan Lee Holt, who offered the invocation; Dr. J. C. Jones, former president of the University of Missouri; former Gov. Gardner, Mayor Keel, President Clarkson of the Chamber of Commerce; W. J. Edwards, president of the Merchant's Exchange; Joseph Pulitzer, editor of the Post-Dispatch, E. D. Nims Breckinridge Jones and James E. Smith.
Source
Clipping from Skip & Winston Johns collection. Transcription by Susan D. Chambless, 2008.
