Excerpt

Excerpt from Editorials from the Hearst Newspapers, by Arthur Brisbane

EDITORIALS from the HEARST NEWSPAPERS

CONTENTS
Why Are All Men Gamblers?
No Man Understands Iron
We Long for Immortal Imperfection--We Can't Have It.
Three Water-Drops Converse
Did We Once Live on the Moon?
William Henry Channing's Symphony
The Existence of God--Parable of the Blind Kittens
Have the Animals Souls?
Jesus' Attitude Toward Children
Study of the Character of God
The Fascinating Problem of Immortality
Discontent the Motive Power of Progress
The Automobile Will Make Us More Human
Let Us Be Thankful
The Harm That Is Done by Our Friends
Shall We Tame and Chain the Invisible Microbe As We Now Chain
Niagara?
The Elephant That Will Not Move Has Better Excuses Than We Have
for Folly Displayed
Let Us Be Thankful
What Will 999 Years Mean to the Human Race?
The Azores--A Small Lost World in a Universe of Water
No Napoleonic Chess Player on an Air Cushion
A Girl's Face in the Gaslight
The "Criminal" Class
The Wonderful Magnet
Who Is Independent? Nobody
When We Begin Using Land Under the Oceans
Where Your Body Came From
How Marriage Began
Man's Willingness to Work
The Human Brain Beats the Coal Mines
How the Other Planets Will Talk to Us
Shall We Do Without Sleep Some Day?
The Three Best Things in the World
The Value of Solitude
There Should Be a Monument to Time
A Mother's Work and Her Hopes
Your Work Is Your Brain's Gymnasium
The Steeple, Moving Like the Hand of a Clock
Cultivate Thought-Teach Your Brain to Work Early
The Wind Does Not Rule Your Destiny
One of the Many Corpses in the Johnstown Mine
"Limiting the Amount of a Day's Work"
Catching a Red-Hot Bolt
The Trusts and the Union--How Do They Differ?
France Has Learned Her Lesson
Union Men as Slave Owners
Again the Limited Day's Work
To the Merchants
What About the Chinese, Kind Sir?
150 against 150,000--We Favor the 150,000
To-day's World-Struggle
White-Rabbit Millionaires and Other Things
No Happiness Save in Mental and Physical Activity
The Owner of a Golden Mountain
The Human Weeds in Prison
Crime Is Dying Out
The Value of Poverty to the World
600 Teachers Now, 600,000 Good Americans in the Future
Education--The First Duty of Government
Poverty Is the Father of Vice, Crime and Failure
The Importance of Education Proved in Lincoln's Case
Knowledge Is Growth
A Whiskey Bottle
Those Who Laugh at a Drunken Man
Law Cannot Stop Drunkenness--Education Can
The Drunkard's Side of It
Drink a Slow Poison
To Those Who Drink Hard--You Have Slipped the Belt
Try Whiskey on Your Friend's Eyeball
What Are the Ten Best Books?
The Marvelous Balance of the Universe--A Lesson in the Texas Flood
The Earth Is Only a Front Yard
Last Week's Baby Will Surely Talk Some Day
The Good That Is Done by the Trusts
Trusts and the Senate
The Promising Toad's Head
Trusts Will Drive Labor Unions Into Politics
The Trusts Are National School Teachers
A Woman to Be Pitied
When Will Woman's Mental Life Begin?
The Cow That Kicks Her Weaned Calf Is All Heart
Respectable Women Who Listen to "Faust"
Why Women Should Vote
Astronomy- Woman's Future Work
Woman's Vanity Is Useful
To Editorial Writers--Adopt Ruskin's Main Idea
Imagination Without Dreaming the Secret of Material Success
The One Who Needs No Statue
The Vast Importance of Sleep
Woman Sustains, Guides and Controls the World
The Story of the Complaining Diamond
Don't Be in a Hurry, Young Gentlemen
hen the Baby Changed Into a Fourteen-year-old
The Eye That Weighs a Ton
What Animal Controls Your Spirit?
From Mammoths to Mosquitoes--From Murder to Hypocrisy
The Monkey and the Snake Fight
Too Little and Too Much
Do You Feel Discouraged?
Two Kinds of Discontent
What the Bartender Sees
What Should Be a Man's Object in Life?
Cruel Frightening of Children
It Is Natural for Children to Be Cruel
Two Thin Little Babies Are Left
A Baby Can Educate a Man

The articles in this book were published originally in the
editorial columns of the various Hearst newspapers throughout the
country.

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Explanation

Arthur Brisbane’s Editorials from the Hearst Newspapers (1912) is a collection of short, provocative essays originally published in newspapers owned by media mogul William Randolph Hearst. Brisbane, a prominent journalist and editor, was known for his punchy, aphoristic style, blending social commentary, philosophical musings, and populist rhetoric. His editorials often tackled contemporary issues (labor, education, technology, gender) while weaving in broader reflections on human nature, progress, and morality. The titles alone reveal his eclectic range—from whimsical parables ("Three Water-Drops Converse") to fiery social critiques ("The 'Criminal' Class") to speculative futurism ("How the Other Planets Will Talk to Us").

Given the breadth of the collection, a detailed analysis would require focusing on a specific excerpt. Since none is provided, I’ll instead break down the thematic and stylistic patterns evident in the titles and framing of the work, then explore how these reflect Brisbane’s worldview and the early 20th-century American zeitgeist. This will serve as a template for how one might analyze any individual editorial from the collection.

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1. Context: Brisbane, Hearst, and the Era

• Arthur Brisbane (1864–1936): A journalist who pioneered "human interest" storytelling and sensationalist yet thoughtful editorials. He believed newspapers should educate and provoke, not just inform.
• William Randolph Hearst’s Empire: Brisbane’s editorials appeared in Hearst’s chain of newspapers (e.g., New York Journal, San Francisco Examiner), which were known for "yellow journalism" but also for progressive advocacy (e.g., labor rights, women’s suffrage).
• Historical Moment (1900s–1910s):
  • Industrialization & Labor Struggles: The rise of trusts (monopolies), unions, and debates over working conditions (e.g., "Limiting the Amount of a Day’s Work").
  • Scientific & Technological Optimism: Fascinations with automation ("The Automobile Will Make Us More Human"), space ("Did We Once Live on the Moon?"), and medicine ("Shall We Tame and Chain the Invisible Microbe?").
  • Social Reform: Progressive Era concerns about poverty ("Poverty Is the Father of Vice"), education ("Education—The First Duty of Government"), and women’s rights ("Why Women Should Vote").
  • Philosophical Uncertainty: Darwinism, existential questions ("The Existence of God"), and the tension between tradition and modernity.

Brisbane’s editorials mirror these tensions, oscillating between pragmatic reformism and metaphysical wonder.

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2. Themes in the Collection

The titles reveal several recurring themes, often framed as paradoxes or questions to engage readers:

A. Human Nature & Psychology

• Gambling as Innate: "Why Are All Men Gamblers?" suggests risk-taking is fundamental to human behavior, linking it to ambition, progress, or even biological drives.
• Discontent as Progress: "Discontent the Motive Power of Progress" reflects a Progressive Era belief that dissatisfaction fuels innovation (contrasting with later 20th-century critiques of consumerist discontent).
• Childhood & Cruelty: "It Is Natural for Children to Be Cruel" and "Cruel Frightening of Children" explore taboo ideas about innate human aggression, possibly influenced by early Freudian or Darwinian thought.
• Work & Identity: "Your Work Is Your Brain’s Gymnasium" and "Man’s Willingness to Work" frame labor as both a burden and a source of meaning, a tension central to industrial society.

B. Science, Technology, and Futurism

• Technological Utopianism: "The Automobile Will Make Us More Human" (a counterintuitive claim) and "When We Begin Using Land Under the Oceans" reflect faith in technology to expand human potential.
• Cosmic Perspective: "The Earth Is Only a Front Yard" and "How the Other Planets Will Talk to Us" reveal a fascination with astronomy and humanity’s place in the universe, anticipating later sci-fi tropes.
• Medical & Biological Speculation: "Shall We Do Without Sleep Some Day?" and "The Human Brain Beats the Coal Mines" (a metaphor for mental labor’s power) show interest in physiological limits and transcendence.

C. Social Critique & Reform

• Labor & Capital: "The Trusts and the Union—How Do They Differ?" and "Trusts Will Drive Labor Unions Into Politics" engage with the era’s defining economic battles. Brisbane often takes a populist but not radical stance, critiquing monopolies while advocating for gradual reform.
• Poverty & Crime: "Poverty Is the Father of Vice, Crime and Failure" and "The Human Weeds in Prison" reflect Progressive Era beliefs in environmental determinants of behavior (cf. Jacob Riis’ How the Other Half Lives).
• Education as Salvation: "Knowledge Is Growth" and "600 Teachers Now, 600,000 Good Americans in the Future" emphasize education as the key to social mobility, a common reformist trope.

D. Morality, Religion, and Existential Questions

• God & Doubt: "The Existence of God—Parable of the Blind Kittens" (likely a fable about limited human perception) and "Study of the Character of God" suggest Brisbane’s engagement with theological debates, possibly influenced by liberal Protestantism or secular humanism.
• Immortality & Imperfection: "We Long for Immortal Imperfection—We Can’t Have It" hints at a melancholic acceptance of human limitations, a theme resonant with fin-de-siècle existentialism.
• Alcohol & Vice: The cluster of anti-drinking editorials ("A Whiskey Bottle," "Drink a Slow Poison") reflects the temperance movement’s influence, though Brisbane’s approach is psychological ("The Drunkard’s Side of It") rather than purely moralistic.

E. Gender & Domestic Life

• Women’s Roles: "Woman Sustains, Guides and Controls the World" (a bold claim) and "When Will Woman’s Mental Life Begin?" engage with suffrage and the "New Woman" debate. Brisbane’s views seem progressive for the era but still framed in traditional terms (e.g., "Woman’s Vanity Is Useful").
• Motherhood & Childhood: "A Baby Can Educate a Man" and "The Cow That Kicks Her Weaned Calf Is All Heart" use domestic metaphors to explore emotional and ethical lessons.

F. Whimsy & Parable

• Anthropomorphism: "Three Water-Drops Converse" and "The Story of the Complaining Diamond" employ fables to convey moral or philosophical points, a technique reminiscent of Aesop or George Ade.
• Absurdist Humor: "The Elephant That Will Not Move Has Better Excuses Than We Have for Folly Displayed" uses animal allegory to critique human irrationality.

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3. Literary Devices & Style

Brisbane’s editorials are short, punchy, and rhetorical, designed for mass appeal. Key devices include:

A. Provocative Titles as Hooks

• Many titles are questions ("Did We Once Live on the Moon?") or paradoxes ("No Happiness Save in Mental and Physical Activity"), forcing readers to engage.
• Some are metaphors ("The Human Brain Beats the Coal Mines") or hyperbolic ("Woman Sustains, Guides and Controls the World").

B. Anecdote & Parable

• Brisbane frequently uses mini-narratives (e.g., the blind kittens, the complaining diamond) to illustrate abstract ideas, making philosophy accessible.
• Example: "The Parable of the Blind Kittens" likely uses the image of kittens groping in the dark to discuss human limitations in understanding God—a classic allegory.

C. Contrast & Juxtaposition

• "The Three Best Things in the World" vs. "The Harm That Is Done by Our Friends"—Brisbane pairs optimism with cynicism to create tension.
• "The Value of Poverty" vs. "Poverty Is the Father of Vice"—he explores both sides of an issue, a journalistic technique to appear balanced.

D. Personification & Anthropomorphism

• "Three Water-Drops Converse" and "The Monkey and the Snake Fight" give agency to non-human entities to comment on human folly.
• "The Steeple, Moving Like the Hand of a Clock" turns architecture into a symbol of time’s passage.

E. Direct Address & Imperatives

• "Let Us Be Thankful" (repeated twice) and "Cultivate Thought" use second-person commands to involve the reader, a common technique in persuasive writing.
• "To the Merchants" and "To Those Who Drink Hard" target specific audiences, creating a sense of intimacy.

F. Scientific & Statistical Rhetoric

• "150 against 150,000—We Favor the 150,000" uses numbers for dramatic effect, appealing to democratic sentiment.
• "From Mammoths to Mosquitoes—From Murder to Hypocrisy" employs scaling to highlight the breadth of human (and animal) behavior.

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4. Significance & Legacy

A. Journalism as Public Philosophy

Brisbane’s editorials exemplify how early 20th-century newspapers served as platforms for public intellectualism. Unlike today’s op-eds, which are often partisan or niche, Brisbane’s pieces were generalist, didactic, and aspirational, aiming to elevate the masses.

B. Progressive Era Optimism & Anxiety

His work captures the duality of the Progressive Era:

• Faith in Progress: Belief in education, technology, and reform to solve social ills ("Education—The First Duty of Government").
• Existential Unease: Questions about God, mortality, and human nature ("The Fascinating Problem of Immortality") reveal underlying anxieties about modernity.

C. Influence on Later Writers

• H.L. Mencken: Brisbane’s provocative style and skeptical humor prefigure Mencken’s satirical essays.
• Science Fiction: His speculative pieces ("How the Other Planets Will Talk to Us") anticipate the "sense of wonder" in pulp sci-fi.
• Self-Help Genre: Editorials like "Your Work Is Your Brain’s Gymnasium" foreshadow the productivity gospel of later motivational writing.

D. Criticisms & Limitations

• Populist Simplification: Some pieces reduce complex issues (e.g., poverty, crime) to moral or individualistic explanations, ignoring systemic factors.
• Gender Essentialism: While progressive on women’s rights, Brisbane sometimes reinforces stereotypes (e.g., "Woman’s Vanity Is Useful").
• Technological Naivety: His uncritical optimism about technology ("The Automobile Will Make Us More Human") contrasts with later critiques of industrialization (e.g., Lewis Mumford).

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5. How to Analyze a Specific Editorial

If you were to analyze one of these editorials, here’s a step-by-step approach:

1. Close Reading of the Title:

   • Is it a question, paradox, or metaphor? What does it promise or provoke?
   • Example: "No Man Understands Iron"—why iron? Is it literal (industrialization) or symbolic (strength, coldness)?

2. Identify the Central Argument or Story:

   • Is it a fable (Three Water-Drops), a social critique (The "Criminal" Class), or a speculative essay (Did We Once Live on the Moon?)?
   • What is the thesis? (E.g., "Discontent the Motive Power of Progress" argues that dissatisfaction drives innovation.)

3. Examine Literary Devices:

   • Does it use allegory (blind kittens), irony (trusts as "national school teachers"), or hyperbole?
   • How does the tone shift? (E.g., from whimsical to serious in "Three Water-Drops Converse"?)

4. Contextualize Historically:

   • What debates was Brisbane engaging with? (E.g., "The Trusts and the Union" reflects early 20th-century labor battles.)
   • How does it reflect Progressive Era values (faith in education, fear of monopolies, temperance)?

5. Evaluate the Rhetorical Strategy:

   • Who is the intended audience? (Workers? Women? Businessmen?)
   • What emotions does it appeal to? (Guilt in "Cruel Frightening of Children", hope in "600 Teachers Now...")

6. Assess Significance:

   • Does it challenge or reinforce contemporary norms?
   • How does it compare to modern views on the same topic? (E.g., "The Automobile Will Make Us More Human" vs. today’s critiques of car culture.)

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Example Analysis: "The Automobile Will Make Us More Human"

(Hypothetical breakdown, as the full text isn’t provided)

1. Title Analysis:

   • Paradox: Cars are machines, yet they’ll make us more human? Challenges the idea that technology dehumanizes.
   • Optimism: Reflects early 20th-century faith in progress.

2. Likely Argument:

   • Brisbane might argue that automobiles expand human freedom (travel, connection) and democratize experience (no longer limited by geography).
   • Could contrast with horse-drawn carriages (symbolizing the past) to emphasize modernity’s liberating potential.

3. Literary Devices:

   • Metaphor: The car as an extension of human will.
   • Contrast: "More human" vs. the mechanical nature of the automobile.
   • Anecdote: Possibly a story of a farmer or worker whose life is transformed by a car.

4. Historical Context:

   • Early 1900s: Cars were still novel (Ford’s Model T debuted in 1908). Brisbane’s claim reflects the excitement of the machine age.
   • Progressive Era: Technology seen as a tool for social leveling (cf. "The Human Brain Beats the Coal Mines").

5. Rhetorical Strategy:

   • Audience: Middle-class readers who might afford cars; workers who aspire to mobility.
   • Appeal to Aspiration: Links car ownership to human potential.

6. Critique:

   • Naivety: Ignores environmental costs, urban sprawl, or class divides in access to technology.
   • Contrast with Today: Modern critiques (e.g., car dependency, climate change) would reject Brisbane’s optimism.

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Conclusion

Arthur Brisbane’s Editorials from the Hearst Newspapers is a time capsule of early 20th-century thought, blending social critique, philosophical inquiry, and populist rhetoric. His work reflects the optimism and anxieties of an era undergoing rapid change—industrialization, urbanization, and scientific discovery. While some of his ideas may seem quaint or simplistic today, his style—direct, imaginative, and provocative—remains influential in journalism and essay writing.

To fully grasp any single editorial, one must:

1. Dissect its language and devices.
2. Place it in its historical moment.
3. Compare it to contemporary and modern perspectives.

Would you like a deep dive into a specific editorial from the list? If you provide the text, I can offer a detailed line-by-line analysis.