Not when the proprietor of an American paper will not hesitate to spend thousands of dollars to provide his readers with the minutest details about some great European event.
Not when an American paper will, at its own expense, send Henry M. Stanley to Africa in search of Livingstone.
Not so long as the American press is vigilant, and keeps its thousand eyes open on the interests of the American people.
.......
Midnight.
Dined this evening with Richard Mansfield at Delmonico’s. I sat between Mr. Charles A. Dana, the first of American journalists, and General Horace Porter, and had what my American friends would call “a mighty elegant time.” The host was delightful, the dinner excellent, the wine “extra dry,” the speeches quite the reverse. “Speeches” is rather a big word for what took place at dessert. Every one supplied an anecdote, a story, a reminiscence, and contributed to the general entertainment of the guests.
The Americans have too much humor to spoil their dinners with toasts to the President, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the army, the navy, the militia, the volunteers, and the reserved forces.
I once heard Mr. Chauncey M. Depew referring to the volunteers, at some English public dinner, as “men invincible—in peace, and invisible—in war.” After dinner I remarked to an English peer:
“You have heard to-night the great New York after-dinner speaker; what do you think of his speech?”
“Well,” he said, “it was witty; but I think his remark about our volunteers was not in very good taste.”