258 A SAGA OF THE SEAS 
mind Field of his years of ocean vigils, was one of the con- 
soling factors of his later years. No. 1 Broadway was a desir- 
able address. 
The position that Field occupied in financial and political 
circles brought him the ambition to own a New York news- 
paper and to demonstrate an improved news service by a more 
generous use of cables and telegraphs. His fortune was sufh- 
cient to enable him to acquire the New York Evening Express 
and The Mail, and to combine them into The Mail and Ex- 
press. During six years of the middle eighties, he directed 
the policy of this paper. At first, his enterprise and liberal 
views made the enterprise seem promising, and he enhanced 
his following among readers of the metropolitan district. 
He gradually learned, however, as have many other wealthy 
men, that running a daily newspaper in a large city is a com- 
plicated and highly-specialized job. A liberal policy and a 
generous purse in such an undertaking lead to suspicion and 
abuse. People do not understand a man who is exceptionally 
truthful and quixotic. American journalism of less idealistic 
and broad-minded views has usually succeeded better and 
survived the years longer. 
Field himself did not possess any particular literary ability 
and was never a talented writer. Like most men who talk 
easily and persuasively, he was less convincing when address- 
ing an unseen audience. His special gift lay in winning over 
a small group whom he could inspire with his personal energy 
and magnetism. 
As the years went by, he realized that he was not so inter- 
ested as he had imagined in controlling a metropolitan news- 
paper. Competition in the field was sharp and recriminations 
violent. ‘There was small satisfaction in courting criticism, 
misinterpretation, and slander. It is interesting to note in this 
connection that Field was one of the comparatively few 
Americans successful in recovering a large sum from a New 
York newspaper for libel. He sued James Gordon Bennett, 
