I joined Chuo University in April 1957. I remember I paid up a total of 37,700 yen, including 8,000 yen in admission fee, 20,000 yen in annual tuition and some more in various expenses, upon my enrollment.

 

Shortly after I began attending school, I came across Naoji Shimada, three years senior in my high school, in the yard of the Surugadai campus. “How nice to see you again,” said Shimada-san. “Come and follow me!” He took me to the semi-underground room of the English Speaking Society (ESS). There, he told me, “No excuse, young man! Just put down your name here to become a member.” That was the start of my association with Hakumon Herald, the English tabloid published by the club.

 

The English Newspaper Association had not been founded yet. Hakumon Herald was published as part of the ESS activities. Members were engaged in segments they were interested in, such as conversion, composition, speech and debating. I didn’t need to worry over where I should join. “You must help Hakumon Herald,” Shimada-san said to me. That determined what I should do at the ESS.It was nearly half a year after the birth of the newspaper. Its publication was already on the right track. My seniors like Shimada, Kazo Yamada, Yoshihiro Nomura and Susumu Hiyama were all preoccupied with putting the paper’s financial base in better shape. “You newcomer are too early to write a story,” Shimada-san snapped at me. “You can go out and sell ads to get some money.” His opening blow roundly dashed my enthusiasm to write a news story for the paper. As advertisers, most major city banks flourishing in those days had already been tapped by Shimada-san and Yamada-san. They handed me a list of “Top 100 Ginza Shops,” suggesting I make a round of visits to those shops and sell ad spaces for fees ranging from 1,000 yen to 3,000 yen.

 

I visited the posh Ginza shops one after another, somewhat hesitantly yet filled with passion and a sense of mission. But it took little time before I ran into a thick wall. In those days, making an appointment before meeting a person was not in fashion yet. Most shops I visited without prior arrangements turned me away at the door. I had difficulties simply meeting a person in charge. When I could meet some, few of them would listen to me even halfway. I was almost daunted. But I said to myself how I could give it up? I changed my tactics to one that would make me known to the shop managers so that we could be on nodding terms with each other. I frequented some of the promising shops. Before very long, some managers began reacting favorably, saying, “Hello, it’s you again,” or “You’re a good student. I’ll do business with you.” I can still remember how I felt relieved when two shops gave me the go signal partly in sympathy. I found later on those familiar coffee shops and mahjong parlors near the school were much easier to deal with as compared to those established Ginza shops.

 

By and by, I had more chances to write stories. When I became a junior, I was assigned to serve concurrently as reporter and circulation manager. My latter duty continued from the 18th to 30th editions. Here again, I hit a wall. Each time an edition came out, I organized a couple of teams which would put up a booth in the campus yard and work in shifts to sell copies. “Ten yen a copy!” we yelled. But the outcome was not very much encouraging. I gather that students in those days, particularly those at Chuo, were much less familiar to English than young people these days. Their biggest concern then was the school’s proposed tuition hike and revision of the Japan-U.S. security treaty. I was firmly resolved at the time that I would never take up a job as painful as ad and newspaper sales after my graduation. (Ironically enough, I joined a securities company upon leaving school and had to do a similar stint throughout my career.)

 

Looking back at my experiences with Hakumon Herald, my joy and delight of writing news stories stay deeper in my memory than the agony of canvassing for ad sales. Sports was my main coverage. I had no difficulties fishing for topics to write about. Chuo sent out a number of good wrestlers, boxers and swimmers to the Olympic Games. Chuo runners were perpetual winners in the annual New Year Tokyo-Hakone-Tokyo relay races. I also covered the school’s annual athletic meet where Indonesian President Sukarno made a speech as special guest.

 

It’s more than half a century since I left school. Turning 75 now, I relish the pleasure of having shared with my colleagues something to which we devoted much of our young energy and passion in our school days. (The writer graduated in 1961)

 

 

 

「銀座百店会」名店を飛び込み訪問

―門前払いにもめげず―

宮島 徹

私は昭和32年(1957年)4月に中央大学に入学した。入学金8000 円、年間授業料20、000円、その他設備費など、合計で3万7700円を 納めたのを記憶している。

 

入学後間もないある日、駿河台校舎の中庭で、同じ高校の3年先輩だった島田直治さんに偶然出会った。彼は「いい所で会った。俺について来い」と言って、私を地下の英語学会(ESS)部室に案内してくれた。そこで島田さんか ら「黙って名前を書いて入部しろ」と言われたのが私と白門ヘラルドとの縁の 始まりだった。

当時、英字新聞学会はまだ設立されておらず、白門ヘラルドはESSの活動 の一部だった。私以外の部員は会話、作文、スピーチ・コンテスト、ディベー ティングなど、それぞれ興味のある部門に参加していた。どこに参加するか迷う必要はなかった。「白門ヘラルドを手伝え」との島田さんの一言で私の所属 が決まったからだ。

 

ヘラルドの創刊から半年過ぎた頃で、新聞発行はすでに軌道に乗っていた。 だが、島田、山田和夫、野村宜弘、飛山将さんなど先輩たちは編集、財政両面 の基盤固めに奔走していた。島田さんから「新人は記事を書くのはまだ早い」と言われ、「まずは資金集めのために広告を取ってこい」と指示された。記事を書こうとの私の意気込み は、このオープニング・ブロー1発でもろくもくじかれた。広告主としては、 当時羽振りのよかった主要都市銀行などは山田、島田さんたちがすでに開拓済 みだった。私には「銀座百店会」の名簿が渡され、会員会社や商店を飛び込み 訪問して広告料1000~3000円をお願する役目が回ってきた。

 

い気後れしながらも使命感に燃えて銀座界隈の有名店を手当たり次第に訪問し た。だが、すぐに壁に突き当たってしまった。当時、日本では事前にアポイン トメントを取るやり方がまだ一般的でなかった。いきなり訪ねた店のほとんど は門前払いで、担当者に会うだけでも大いに苦労した。たまたま会えた担当者 には用件の半分も聞いてもらえない日が続いた。くじけそうになったが、簡単 にギブアップするわけにはいかない。私はまず担当者に顔を覚えてもらう作戦 に切り替えた。3度、4度と訪ねているうちに「やあ、また君か」と好意的な 反応を示してくれる担当者が出だした。「学生さんだからお付き合いしましょう」と、同情半分で2件の広告が取れ、思わずほっとした日のこと今でも覚え ている。銀座の名店に比べれば、学校近くのなじみの喫茶店やマージャン屋などから広告を取るのは楽だと思えるようになった。

 

私はやがて記事を書くチャンスが増えるようになり、3年生になると記者と 販売部長を兼務することになった。販売部長役はヘラルド18号から30号まで続いたが、ここでも壁に突き当たった。新しい号が発行されるたびに私たち はチームを作り、校庭の中庭に机を出して交代で販売に当たった。「1部10 円!」と声を張り上げたが、売れ行きは一向に芳しくなかった。当時の学生、 とくに中大生は、今の若者に比べると英語へのなじみが薄かったように思う。 学生たちの最大の関心事は学費値上げと日米安保条約改定だった。この時、私 は世の中に出ても、広告や新聞販売のような苦労の多い職業を絶対に選ぶまい

と決意した。(だが、卒業と同時に証券会社に就職し、同じ苦労を定年まで体験することになったのは皮肉としか言いようがない。)

 

ヘラルドでの経験を振り返ると、広告取りの辛さより記事を書いたときの楽 しさ、喜びのほうがずっと鮮明に記憶に残っている。私はおもにスポーツを担当したが、記事の題材探しに苦労したことはなかった。中央はレスリング、ボ クシング、水泳などにオリンピック選手を多数送り出し、毎年正月の大学箱根 駅伝では常勝だった。大学の体育祭でスカルノ・インドネシア大統領が来賓と して演説したこともあった。

 

学生時代に白門ヘラルド発行という青春の情熱を傾けた対象物を、多くの仲 間たちと共有できた幸せを、半世紀過ぎて75歳になった今、強く噛みしめて いる。(昭和36年卒)