Stylites

St. Simeon Stylites was a Syrian hermit who lived for 30 years atop a 60-ft. column, preaching to his disciples. Last week in California another St. Simeon perched atop a column. From San Simeon, his fabulous estate near San Luis Obispo, 76-year-old William Randolph Hearst wrote a daily column for the Hearst press.

First inkling that the Old Man had turned columnist reached the offices of the Hearst Examiners (Los Angeles and San Francisco) one day last fortnight when a lengthy editorial came in over the wire from San Simeon, with directions to run it on page 1, column 1. Under the title, In The News, it appeared anonymously next morning in the same space once occupied by Arthur Brisbane's Today.

Until he died on Christmas Day three years ago, Editor Brisbane had composed his columns seven days a week for 39 years, dictating in his car, on trains, occasionally at his office. Along with odd facts that he stored up in his mind, he filled Today with Hearst's own ideas, reflected in primer-clear prose. After Brisbane's death Hearst let the column lapse, partly as a tribute, partly because he despaired of finding a successor.

Not so pithy as Brisbane, nor yet so banal, Columnist Hearst wrote last week a solemn, simple prose that sounded a little like Brisbane's earlier work. Sometimes he wandered off on long historical excursions. But the old publisher also made his points.

Said he apropos of a Third Term: "Mr. Roosevelt . . . rightly declares that his foreign policy is popular. . . . Whether in the end it will be more beneficial or even more disastrous . . . depends mainly upon whether Mr. Roosevelt keeps America out of war or not. Mr. Roosevelt says he will do so, but Confucius say: 'Depending on the word of a politician is like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. . . .' '

Some observations he seasoned with anecdotes. Sample: An Irishman lay on his death bed, his wife on one side, a priest on the other. "Remember," said Murphy, "that the Caseys owe us $100." Said Mrs. Murphy: "Oh, Father, isn't it wonderful? He is sensible to the last." "Remember, too," Murphy added, "that we owe the Duffys $200." Cried Mrs. Murphy: "Isn't it terrible! His mind is wandering." And of death, exploding a newspaper legend (that death must not be mentioned in his presence), Hearst wrote: "The hand of death is ofttimes gentle, the touch of death kind. . . ."

Last week Hearst sent In The News to the New York Journal & American, Chicago Her aid-American, prepared to feed it to the rest of his chain. Using a dozen outlets, with a total circulation of some 2,500,000, Columnist Hearst will still be far behind Columnist Brisbane's record audience of 200 daily newspapers (besides Hearst's) with an estimated 30,000,000 readers. From San Simeon, in answer to TIME'S query, Publisher Hearst replied:

"Yes, I write the column, and it is nothing to be especially proud of. I am not a columnist exactly. I have always written my stuff as editorials; but a column gives one a freer style. ... I do not think my column compares with Brisbane's, nor do I expect it to. I do not use a byline because I do not know how long I will continue the column. ... I have never written a column before. This is my first offense. I urge that in extenuation.

W. R. Hearst."

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