Reporting

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

an important branch of journalism; the act, system, or practice of making reports of meetings, debates, or the like. Accounts of single speeches, and at times of entire debates in the English Parliament, having come down to us from a very early period. Sir Symonds d'Ewes edited the "Journals of Queen Elizabeth's Parliaments," and the Commons "Journals" contain notes of speeches in the Parliaments of James I. speech Rushworth, assistant clerk in the Long Parliament, 1640, took down in a species of shorthand any speech of importance; and his account of "Remarkable Proceedings in Five Parliaments" forms one of the most valuable portions of his "Historical Collections." In the reign of Queen Anne, a monthly pamphlet, called the "Political State," gave an outline of the debates in Parliament. In the reign of George I. the " Register, " published annually, of parliamentary an's speeches. The "Gentleman's began a monthly publication of the debates August, 1735. The Commons in 1588, and the Lords in 1698, passed resolutions declaring such privilege and publications a breach of punished that offenders would be severely . ap- The reports, notwithstanding, still disguise of "Depeared, but under the " in the bates in the Senate of Lilliput, Debates "Gentleman's Magazine," and " "London in the Political Club," in the Magazine." Dr. Samuel Johnson was of the "Genemployed by Cave, publisher the composition tleman's Maga Magazine," ," in , and the reof his parliamentary debates 1743 are held to have ports from 1740 to It was been entirely prepared by him. the parlianot till 30 years later that the mentary debates descended from . magazines to the newspapers The ever-memorable contest between Parliament and the press began at the close of the year 1770. The House of solemn Commons followed up another Lord threat by prompt action; and the Oliver Mayor of London and Alderman to were sent to the Tower for refusing the arrest some printers of reports on Wilkes warrant of the Speaker, John controtaking an active share in the versy. The city of London loudly proproceedings tested against the the arbitrary of the House, and the whole country power responded to the appeal. The ceased at the of Parliament to imprison end of the current session, and on the day of prorogation, July 23, the Lord Alderman Oliver marched Mayor and , and at out of the Tower in triumph illuminated. In the night the city was Commons next session the House of beaten. The tacitly acknowledged itself the House, continued to printers defied publish their proceedings, and withstanding, secure in their beds. In a conshort time the House of Lords also ceded the point, and the victory was com.. plete; though it is still in the power of any member, ember, who may call the Speaker's are attention to the fact that "strangers and represent," to exclude the public . porters from the House The old machinery of newspaper reimmense importing was susceptible of ( provement. One of the Woodfalls a had brother of the Woodfall of Junius) so retentive a memory that when editor of the "Morning Chronicle," he used to , and listen to a debate in the gallery of notes write it out next day, the taking His succesbeing at that time forbidden. sor established a corps of parliamentary debates of both reporters to attend the Historical Houses every night in succession. He thus brought out the night's debate on professed the following morning, anticipating his to give reports Magazine " rivals by 10 or 12 hours. The improvement in the reports of the debates from Revolution the period of the American till the year 1815 was but gradual. At the close of the French war, however, debates the publication of parliamentary importance, became an object of national and in the course of a few years as , detailed, and sumed its present full ac- Increased facilities curate character. for the discharge of their important and to time arduous duties were from time given to the reporters, who till then had Stranger's Galno means of entering the were common to lery except those which profesthe public generally. Among the of this sional parliamentary reporters conspicuperiod Charles Dickens was Morning ous. He was at work for the " of the Chronicle" in 1834, and was one . best reporters of his time The system of parliamentary reporting underwent a change of great importeletance about 1847, when the electric general use by graph was brought into procompanies formed to work it. They of London posed to supply papers out of parwith London news, and a report news liamentary debates was part of the rethus supplied. In order to get this adport the telegraph company obtained mission to the gallery for its reporters, monopoly which which the and thus broke the to that London daily newspapers had up time enjoyed. The methods of newspaper reporting developed in the United States have been to a degree of the greatest efficiency. the reporter to be a It is usual for as proficient in the art of stenography literary composiwell as in that of mere some of the tion. Further than this, in must also be large cities the reporter machine, in an operator on a typewriting slept, not - order that his " copy " may go to the compositor in its most legible shape. The reports of speeches, rapidity with which , are meetings, notable incidents, etc. is something furnished to the press almost incredible the uninitiated. The various press associations of the in the country are the principal factors results of rework of disseminating the portorial work, and greatly facilitate between the interchange of intelligence distant points. REPOUSSÉ, a term applied to a kind in reof ornamental metal work, formed lief by striking on the metal from behind the required with a punch or hammer till relief on forms are roughly produced in the surface; the work is then finished by The work of the process of chasing. Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1570), in this branch of art, is the most celebrated. Common work of this kind, as for tea or coffee pots, is executed in pewter and Britannia metal, and then electrotyped. This art, as practiced by the silversmith and artist, is almost entirely dependent on the manual dexterity of the operator. The kind of repoussé here suggested depends more on appliances than skill. It is not, however, assumed that any set of devices can be made to serve in lieu of taste and judgment. To carry out this method, a piece of heavy cotton lace, or heavy openwork fabric, or a piece of a basket may be glued to a block of hard wood to serve as a sort of die for producing the impression in the metal. The fabric or basket work is not only attached to the block by means of glue, but its finer interstices are filled with glue, so as to present a surface resembling the original fabric l fabric only in the most general way. When the glue is perfectly dry and h hard, the die is laid on a solid foundation, and a piece of very thin, soft copper or brass the is secured to the block so as to cover the lace. A piece of cork about one-quarter inch thick and about three inches wide and six or eight inches long is laid over the metal, and struck with a mallet. The cork yields sufficiently to push the metal down on the die, and cause it to take the pattern of the lace or whatever is used in forming the die. A piece of rather hard rubber packing will answer this purpose in nearly all respects as well as the cork. Designs may be cut from strong paper pasteboard and glued to or the block, or a stencil design may be sawed from hard wood. The lines and scrolls are discontinued in places, so as to cause the wood to hold together. If it is desired to render the lines continuous at these points, they may be run through with a V-tool. Dots are picked out with a small gouge or with the point of a revolving drill. In all these cases the metal is attached to the block and treated as above. be these are to be used in making frames, with vases, and various ornamental objects. If the metal is too thin for a certain carpet. case, it may be strengthened by flowing soft solder over the back of the plate by plate by means of a soldering iron. As to finish, any of the several well known methods of oxidizing or lacquering may be employed. Bas-reliefs may easily be made by a method which is a modification of the one described. To a wooden frame is fitted a board, on which is drawn in outline the sign which is to be produced in relief. The board may be of pine or any closegrained, soft wood for lead work; but for brass or copper, the wood should be hard. To the frame is attached the plate of metal by means of screws. The board is removed from the frame, and the portion of the design which is to form the most prominent feature of the relief is sawed out of the board, when the latter is replaced in the frame , and the metal is forced into the opening of the board by pressing on the surface of the lead oppo, site the hole in the board, or by pound. ing it by means of the mallet. As soon as this feature is complete, the next in order is sawed out of the board, and the operation is repeated till all of the general features are developed. The progress of the work can be observed at any time by removing the board. The features may be corrected or modified by working from either side of the plate by means of the convex mallet and the wooden punches and chisels. If a support is desired for any part while the work is progressing, ogressing, a stout bag filled with sand may be placed under the part. A few very small bags, say 1 inch or 1½ inches in diameter, will be found convenient. If desired, the drapery of the background may be chased by means of hard wood or metal punches , bearing the desired figures. The relief, if of lead, looks well with an antique finish. This may be secured by rubbing the prominent portions of the relief with fine emery cloth, then going over the formed of a small roll of cotton cloth entire surface with a swab swab being dipped in dilute nitric acid encircled by a coil of copper wire, the before application to the relief. The copper is dissolved and deposited on the bright right prominent portions, while a dark deposit is made in the hollows, which when dry has a green tinge. To give the work the appearance of antique iron the surface may be blackened by the application of a solution of Either panels or continuous strips may inent portions may be semi-polished sulphuret of potassium and the promembossed in the manner described, and by briskly rubbing the entire surface a piece of canvas or Brussels