Literary Master 1918: Starting with New Youth

October 28th, Monday evening.

Wu Zhu went to the rooftop to meet with Liang Shouming. After agreeing on the royalties for "The Bao Family Father and Son", he went to the 34th classroom to attend the meeting.

He attended the Journalism Research Association, which was officially founded on October 14th. He was quite busy at the time, and since he heard that Shao Zhenqing was not available, he simply did not attend.

But I couldn't keep putting off what I promised Shao Zhenqing. Today happened to be a lecture day, so I decided to come and clock in, as a way of fulfilling my promise from a few days ago.

The lecturer hadn't even arrived yet, but the hall was already full of people, whispering and talking, their eagerness to learn evident.

This is the kind of vitality Wu Zhu wanted, not someone drinking themselves into oblivion at home.

"Huh? Wu Zhu is here!"

"Hey! I've never seen anyone here before, but I finally get to see you today."

"Good evening!"

Wu Zhu wanted to keep a low profile, but he was spotted as soon as he entered the classroom, and was greeted with a chorus of greetings, leaving him no choice but to bow frantically.

Fame is a double-edged sword; it can be incredibly satisfying when you're feeling good, but it can also be incredibly annoying when you're feeling bad.

For example, right now, he desperately wishes he were just a passerby.

If this continues, I'll eventually develop a herniated lumbar disc...

"Brother Wu, come over here!"

A burst of excited Hunan dialect voices rang out.

Wu Zhu looked in the direction of the voice and saw Brother Li sitting in the third row on the right side of the podium, with an empty seat next to him. So he went straight over and sat down.

"You're here too!"

"I am very interested in journalism. If I want to awaken the people, I have to study it. When I go back to my hometown, I can start a newspaper to promote the latest ideas. So I borrowed money to pay the membership fee and come to class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, which does not interfere with my daily work."

"How much is the membership fee?"

"Six yuan, that's expensive! But based on my experience of taking a few classes, it's worth the price, and I've also made quite a few new friends."

Brother Li looked pained when he talked about the membership fee, after all, life is a bit difficult now, but what he learned is really practical, and it will definitely be enough to support him when he goes back to his hometown to start a newspaper.

Wu Zhu pressed for details and finally learned that the research association's members were divided into two categories: those within the university and those outside the university. The membership fees were also divided into two types: six yuan for those within the university and twelve yuan for those outside the university. The fees could be paid in three installments, but would not be refunded for any reason afterward.

Despite the membership fees being much higher than those of other student organizations at Peking University, the first batch still attracted more than thirty participants, which is enough to demonstrate the novelty of journalism.

Come to think of it, he hasn't even paid his membership fee.

Just as he was pondering whether to pay for it for free or wait until after class, he noticed that next to Brother Li was a thin young man wearing round-framed glasses. Their eyes met, and the young man nodded slightly to him as a greeting.

"Brother Li, who is this student?"

"Gao Shangde is a new friend of mine. You two can get to know each other and make more friends."

"Brother Wu, I have long admired your name."

Gao Shangde adjusted his glasses and respectfully cupped his hands in greeting.

Wu Zhu's eyes lit up, and he returned the greeting:

"Not at all, I've long admired your reputation. I look forward to your guidance in the future."

The three of them flattered each other for a while, and the classroom suddenly fell silent, followed by enthusiastic applause.

The newcomer had short, crew cut hair, a square face with strong features, and wore a long robe. Although he was only in his early twenties, he had a very composed demeanor.

Since Shao Zhenqing has not yet started teaching, Xu Baohuang is currently serving as the journalism lecturer, mainly teaching the principles of journalism.

Wu Zhu had only greeted him before, unlike Shao Piaoping, and had not had a detailed conversation with him, but she knew how extraordinary this man was.

Like Liang Shouming and Hu Shi, Xu Baohuang was appointed as a professor at Yenching University in his twenties, and also served as the secretary of the president's office and the director of the Yenching University Daily. He was later hailed as the "founding father of journalism", which is quite remarkable!

"The students are very enthusiastic, which gives me even more motivation to teach."

Xu Baohuang placed the lecture notes on the lectern and said with a smile.

"It's because of Mr. Xu's profound scholarship that we welcome you!"

"yes!"

"Master Xu, what will you be talking about today?"

The students chimed in with their praise, one after another.

Xu Baohuang was a little embarrassed, so he gestured for everyone to be quiet and announced that everyone should stand up to begin taking attendance.

"Cao Jie".

"arrive!"

"Yang Liangong".

"arrive!"

As the roll call was announced, the students sat down one by one.

Since Wu Zhu was not registered, in the end, he was left standing alone, looking embarrassed.

Xu Baohuang ticked off the last person's checklist, then glanced at the remaining person standing and looked up in confusion:

"Hmm? A student is eavesdropping today. Let me see who it is..."

"Wow! It's the famous Bamboo Gentleman! Everyone, let's give him a big round of applause!"

The students applauded enthusiastically, which felt somewhat like a public execution.

Wu Zhu wished she could cover her face and disappear into the ground, but forced herself to wave her hands in embarrassment:

"Stop! Stop it now... I'm going to pay my membership fee after class..."

The students took even more photos, deliberately teasing Wu Zhu. Brother Li next to him didn't give him any face either, laughing and clapping at the same time.

Finally, it was Xu Baohuang who, seeing Wu Zhu's embarrassed expression, signaled for the applause to stop.

"Alright, alright, let's call it a day and start the lesson... Wu Zhu, you sit down too."

Wu Zhu plopped down and said in a muffled voice to the person next to him:

"Why are you clapping too? Give me some face, will you...?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Wu, I'm about to start my lecture, so stop whispering down there."

Another burst of laughter filled the classroom, creating a joyful atmosphere.

Wu Zhu became obedient this time, sitting up straight and adopting a serious listening posture, even more attentive than a primary school student.

Xu Baohuang propped himself up on the podium with one hand, flipped through the lecture notes one after another, and finally picked up the chalk and wrote five big characters on the blackboard.

[Journalistic Ethics]

Although the students in the audience had questions, they did not disrupt the class and patiently waited for his explanation.

Xu Baohuang will throw down the chalk, clap his hands, and proclaim loudly:

"Class, today's lesson will mainly explore the ethics of journalists, that is, what kind of thoughts and morals should we have when participating in journalistic work."

The students quickly pulled out their pens and paper and began taking notes of his speech in their own individual ways.

"In my view, the first principle for journalists is to adhere to 'truthfulness'."

"This is neither hearsay nor a fabricated fantasy. Our primary responsibility as journalists is to inform our readers of events that have actually occurred, in their entirety. We must not add, omit, or distort the facts based on our own preferences; this is a grave taboo in our profession."

"However, how easy is it to achieve 'truth'?"

"The 'facts' presented by people with different positions, identities, and interests regarding the same event can be vastly different. Therefore, one should write like a historian, setting aside subjective likes and dislikes and striving for objectivity, as this is the foundation of professional ethics."

Xu Baohuang's voice was calm and unhurried, with clear enunciation, making it very pleasant to listen to.

Seeing that his classmates had almost finished taking notes, he posed a question:

"Nowadays, newspapers are mostly narrative and argumentative articles, mixing facts with commentary. What consequences will this have?"