Abraham Kuyper, journalist among journalists

Summary: Journalist among journalists Two major themes dominated the life of Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920): theology and politics. These interests led him to mainly publish, and in this he was unique, in two specific print media. As a politician, Kuyper primarily voiced his ideas in his own daily newspaper, De Standaard, and as a theologian he wrote first and foremost for his own weekly magazine, De Heraut. He literally worked seven days a week alternately on this daily and weekly. His total production for the weekly was not much less than that for his daily, because he supplied more columns for De Heraut. His main articles appeared in De Standaard on fixed days: on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. His output for De Heraut usually amounted to three or four different articles and was also accomplished during the week. He invariably wrote the meditation on Sunday mornings when the rest of his family was in church, or when he was having a day of rest during his travels. For more than half a century, from July 1869 to December 1919, Kuyper worked as a journalist in this way. Most of the time he combined his journalistic work with his other public duties, as a pastor and professor at his own Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, a Member of Parliament and chairman of the ARP, the Anti-Revolutionary Party. Even as Prime Minister (1901-1905), he continued to covertly supply copy for De Standaard in which, among other things, he commented on his fellow ministers, both in editorials and three-stars (i.e. brief commentaries announced by three little stars). However, in retrospect it is no longer possible to determine with certainty what was his own work and what was the work of others on the editorial staff. For about as long, from 1870 to 1920, he was editor-in-chief: first of the weekly De Heraut, then from 1872 of the daily De Standaard. From December 1877, moreover, he formally led a weekly and a Sunday paper, again to be called De Heraut (but with a more theological content). Only in the years of his premiership and subsequent trip around the Mediterranean Sea, from 1901 to 1906, did he not formally function as editor-in-chief, although he did supply some copy from time to time. During his nine months’ travel around the Mediterranean, he is even said to have supplied an editorial for every Saturday. For half a century, journalism formed the basis of Kuyper’s public appearance. He launched the ideas that also guided his political and public life mainly in his own newspaper. This is where he also fought his many opponents. His editorials and three-stars were read by his opponents as well as by his anti-revolutionary followers: precisely as a journalist and a publicist, Kuyper enjoyed a wide reputation, not only among journalists. The fact that he took position and expressed his own anti-revolutionary sound did not deviate from the equally clear position held by liberal and certainly socialist journalists alongside him. Political outspokenness was a widely recognized feature of Dutch journalism around 1900.