Works of Historic Journalism

Paolo’s Awakening • While the dread and uncertainty grew, a messenger ran up, out of breath. There had been a collision. The last train had run into the one preceding it, in the fog. Paolo’s Awakening By Jacob Riis PAOLO sat cross-legged on his bench, stitching away for dear life. He pursed his lips and screwed…

Rover’s Last Fight • The house of Gabriel Dodge, a well-to-do farmer, had been sacked by thieves, who left in their trail the farmer’s murdered dog. Rover’s Last Fight By Jacob Riis From Out of Mulberry Street THE little village of Valley Stream nestles peacefully among the woods and meadows of Long Island. The days and…

The Kid • It all happened so quickly that only a confused picture of it is in my mind till this day. A sudden start, a leap, and a warning cry, and the Kid had wrenched himself loose. The Kid By Jacob Riis He was an every-day tough, bull-necked, square-jawed, red of face, and with…

The Overworked President • According to White House rules, the President must open his house “daily, Sundays excepted, for the inspection of visitors.” No other citizen’s home has to be open for inspection. The Overworked President By Lincoln Steffens McClure’s, April, 1902 There is in America a concern much greater than the United States Steel…

A Deserted Command • The force I saw was not strong enough to hold the ground over which it was sprinkled. A squad was expected to perform the duties of a company. A Deserted Command By Richard Harding Davis The New York Times, January 23, 1916 An Episode on the Serbian Frontier, Where Two Boys…