Journalism at the Crossroads

(Continued From Page One.)

community being much interested in the doings and sayings of such public men as Roosevelt, Wilson, Taft, Bryan and other prominent figures.

Familiar Faces.

The pictures of these men, and others, appear in the Japanese dailies almost as frequently as they do in the American dailies. What congress is doing is also of absorbing interest. The probability of a reduction in the sugar tariff is viewed this way and that by the Japanese editors. No item of world’s news is neglected and everything that especially affects Hawaii is “played up” in true journalistic fashion.

Locally the field is covered pretty thoroughly. Illustrations are freely used, though this is expensive. When one enterprising paper started this feature the others simply had to follow in order to keep up with the pace. As on the American dailies, the sporting editor is one of the exalted personages, baseball being especially popular with the Japanese.

The Busy Type-Setter.

The mechanical department of a Japanese newspaper is an interesting place to visit. Side by side with modern presses, operated by electricity, are to be found the long cases of ideograph characters that no linotype can produce.

In the daily issue of the Japanese papers of Honolulu five thousand characters are used in each office. The compositor works in a long alley, on either side of which are the “cases.” In the setting of a stickful of type it is necessary for him  to walk back and forth the length of the alley, now standing on tiptoes that he may reach a character near the top of the case, now down on his knees to reach another near the floor. The Japanese typesetter is therefore a very busy individual and has no time to watch the clock.

In 1910 the two Portuguese newspapers then published in this city, the O Luso and A Liberdade, were consolidated under the name of the former and Mr. Silva became its editor and general manager. After six months he was called upon for the third time to assist Mr. Campbell in European emigration work. Upon his return last April and the distribution of the Harpalion party, he bought the controlling interest of the O Luso and resumed the editorship and management of the newspaper on the first of September, 1912.

Four Japanese Dailies.

In the Japanese community there are four enterprising dailies—the Hawaii Shinpo, Chronicle, Nippu Jiji and Hochi. The competition is keen and each newspaper is alert, eager as any American journal to “get the first” and beat competitors in printing the latest happenings—world’s news or just local happenings.

From Japan special cablegrams come from their correspondents when some important occurrence has there taken place. The news from the United States and other parts of the world is gleaned by close scrutiny of the American dailies in this city, the Japanese

Japanese Editors Men of Genius.

Besides being the editor of the Hawaii Shinpo, Mr. Sheba is undoubtedly one of the most public-spirited men in Hawaii. For more than twenty years he has resided in the Islands and has risen to the front rank among his own people and to an honored place in the community.

Mr. Sheba was born in 1871 of a Samurai family at Iyo, Japan, and at the age of five entered a primary school of his native district. At the age of twelve he entered the Middle School at Matsuyama, from which he graduated at eighteen. Then he went to Tokio and entered Aoyama College, which school was established by, and is under the supervision of the Methodist Episcopal Mission.

He stayed there three years and studied English. After he left Tokio he went to Kobe, where he acted as interpreter for missionaries, and as English teacher in private Japanese schools.

In 1891, Mr. Sheba came to Hawaii and worked in the store owned by the late C. H. Bishop at Lihue, Kauai. He was given charge of the branch store at Hanamaulu and remained in the service of Mr. Bishop for eleven years. In 1902 he began his journalistic life and started the “Garden Island,” the first newspaper on Kauai, which paper was then printed in both the Japanese and English languages.

Coming to Honolulu in 1907 he bought an evening paper in the Japanese language, but within a year he secured controlling interest in the Hawaii Shinpo, of which paper he is editor and president of the company.

Forceful Writers.

Editor Soga, of the Nippu Jiji, has been writer for the Japanese press in this city for many years, first as an assistant editor of the Hawaii Shinpo and later as the editor of the Yamato Shinbun, the present Nippu Jiji. He is a quiet man, though his pen is forceful and effective.

At the Chronicle office the editorial pen of T. Onodera is busily occupied in writing the bright and snappy articles that have made his paper so popular in the Japanese community. Mr. Onodera was born in Tokio. For a number of years he was employed at his uncle’s gold mine in Formosa, but left there in 1903 to come to Hawaii to become assistant editor of the Shinpo. After five years he joined the Chronicle staff, where he has remained ever since.

The latest newspaper to enter the local field is the Hawaii Hochi, owned by Fred Makino, well known in the community. It has shown a great deal of enterprise since it was started and has gained a large circulation. Mr. Makino has other interests in Honolulu, being the proprietor of the drug store at Hotel and Nuuanu streets. He intends to make his one of the leading newspapers in the Islands and certainly has made a good beginning.

Chinese Press Is Alert.

With over twenty thousand people of their race to cater to, four newspapers in the Chinese language occupy an important place in the journalism of Hawaii. The Sun Kwock Bo is particularly influential. It was established about thirteen years ago by Liang Chi Cho, of the reform party in China, who was forced to flee from his native land with a price of $30,000 on his head. He therefore put in his time to good use in reform and newspaper work here and in the United States. Now he is back in Pekin editing the Yung Yin Bo.

Dr. K. F. Li has been editor of the Sun Chung Kwock Bo for about ten years and is also president of the reform party organization here—the Kwock Min Society. He is an excellent writer and is ably supported by the active news gatherers.

In the medical profession Doctor Li is also prominent, having assisted the board of health in several notable instances, discovering the first plague case in the 1900 and reporting the first cholera case in 1911.

Stepping Stones to Greatness.

The Wah Hing Bo was established about four years ago by Chung Chuck Lai, who is now secretary to the Chinese consul in British Columbia. Ko Kau Sun, present editor, has resided in Honolulu for twenty years and is popular in the community. Ho Fon is general manager of the paper.

About five years ago the Chee Yow Shin Bo, or Liberty News, was started through the influence of Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s revolutionary party. The first editor was Lu Sen, now senator for Pekin. He was succeeded by Won Fun Fee, now secretary for the city of Canton. Ja Wha Kwock, now secretary to the governor of Canton, followed him, and he in turn was succeeded by Ong Wing Sing, who came here about a year ago and is winning praise for his editorial work.

Editor Lau Ye Ling, of the Hon Mun Bo, was formerly secretary to Wu Ting Fang, China’s minister to the United States. Coming from China about three months ago, he has already entered vigorously upon his editorial duties and is making many friends in the Chinese community. Lum H. Chee is general manager of this paper.

Koreans Close Readers.

Everything has to be “just so” in the Korean newspapers, for their people are exceptionally critical readers and apt to present vigorous “kicks” at the slightest difference of opinion. Editorial policies must therefore be formulated with great discretion, to guard against hurting anyone’s feelings.

The most recent addition to the corps of Korean writers in Hawaii is Young M. Park, who came from Nebraska last December to edit the United Korean News. For the past eight years, Mr. Park had been a resident of the United States, graduating from the University of Nebraska with honors, and afterward devoting a great deal of time and energy in the development of the Young Korean Military School at Hastings, Nebraska, of which he was the founder.

In newspaper work, Mr. Park had made a name for himself by editing the New Korean News at San Francisco, being an accomplished writer both in the Korean and English languages. He is regarded as one of the leaders among his countrymen in the United States.

(Sunday Advertiser, 2/16/1913, p. 5)