Fascinating Old News Archives
I was doing some research on the Internet when I came upon a treasure load of archives from Time Magazine. Wow!! I never knew that you could actually read old news articles in Time Magazine, all the way back to the early 20th century. Imagine the research value, not to mention how fascinating it is to be able to see how people think all the way back to the 1930s!
The way news was reported in Time Magazine then is so unlike how it is reported now. It was a lot more colorful and humorous back then. Time Magazine in our times seems so staid and boring in comparison. Take for example, an excerpt from an article from Time Magazine on 28 Dec 1931 titled "Strong Policy":
(Some background has to be given here -- back in Sep 1931, Imperial Japan had invaded and wrested Manchuria from China on a rather flimsy pretext.)
Poor General Yung Chen! Hopefully he will meet kinder journalists in future.
My curiosity piqued by the actions of General Ma, I searched for the Nov 30, 1931 article and finally found it, aptly titled Rout of Ma. So this is what happened to good General Ma:
In the same article, General Honjo, in his attempt to justify the presence of Japanese soldiers in Manchuria:
Hahaha, what subtle humour! Or another example, the manner in which the words of Ki Inukai, the Japanese premier in the 1930s were recorded:
I wish our leaders would go "Hee hee hee" and "heh heh" in the news. Makes them look more human. I think the Japanese premier is a funny guy! Somehow along the way, either our leaders or the people who report about them have lost their sense of humour.
Now, why don't reporters write like this anymore ???
The way news was reported in Time Magazine then is so unlike how it is reported now. It was a lot more colorful and humorous back then. Time Magazine in our times seems so staid and boring in comparison. Take for example, an excerpt from an article from Time Magazine on 28 Dec 1931 titled "Strong Policy":
(Some background has to be given here -- back in Sep 1931, Imperial Japan had invaded and wrested Manchuria from China on a rather flimsy pretext.)
Within 72 hours a new Japanese offensive was launched in Manchuria, characteristically at 4 a. m. and unquestionably under direct control of the Sublime Emperor represented by Field Marshal Prince Kanin. From Mukden, the Japanese base in Manchuria, brigade after brigade advanced southward in the dead of night, to be followed at 9 a. m. by roaring squadrons of Japanese bombing planes. Clearly the Japanese objective was to force the Chinese Army to evacuate Chinchow, the only major stronghold in Manchuria not already held by Japanese.
"We will fight to the Death!" General Yung Chen told correspondents. They, remembering the recent headlong flight of Chinese General Ma after he promised to fight to the Death (TIME, Nov. 30), skeptically remarked to each other, "Oh. yeah?"
Poor General Yung Chen! Hopefully he will meet kinder journalists in future.
My curiosity piqued by the actions of General Ma, I searched for the Nov 30, 1931 article and finally found it, aptly titled Rout of Ma. So this is what happened to good General Ma:
The panting retreaters threw away their rifles, coats, hats, canteens, valuable extra pairs of officers' high boots, to run the faster. In the utter Chinese rout General Ma, who had begun the day by promising " I will fight so long as one Chinese stands by my side!" ended it safely some 30 miles ahead of the main retreat.
In the same article, General Honjo, in his attempt to justify the presence of Japanese soldiers in Manchuria:
To demonstrate the independence of these Chinese regimes General Honjo called attention to the fact that the Chinese Government of Southern Manchuria at Mukden had just adopted a budget of their own diligent devising. When correspondents asked the puppet Chinese for a copy of this budget they were told, "Come back tomorrow and you can have it. It has not yet been translated out of Japanese."
Hahaha, what subtle humour! Or another example, the manner in which the words of Ki Inukai, the Japanese premier in the 1930s were recorded:
...... the first interview granted to Tokyo correspondents last week by Premier Ki ("Old Fox") Inukai lost much of its quaint, cackling obscurity, became significant and fairly clear. With a bony forefinger the white-bearded Premier traced an imaginary map of Manchuria on the jade-green cover of the table behind which he sat.
"Manchuria!" he chuckled. "Hee, hee. hee—why, we wouldn't take Manchuria as a gift! We'd have to look after all those 30,000,000 Chinese and feed them, heh. heh. Now the Chinese are a peaceful people. They're not warriors by any means and they really hate to fight. I know the Chinese well. Anyone who knows China's long history, the characteristics of the race, the vastness of the country, must realize that for Japan or any other nation to try to wrest from them any part of their territory would be an impossible task ...... It is the war lords there who have caused all this trouble. The greedy war lords are one of China's greatest drawbacks."
I wish our leaders would go "Hee hee hee" and "heh heh" in the news. Makes them look more human. I think the Japanese premier is a funny guy! Somehow along the way, either our leaders or the people who report about them have lost their sense of humour.
Now, why don't reporters write like this anymore ???
