The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-06-27

that tho West ought ID be spec;aily salected
| = the held of ! rsn;dIv hastea,;ns A ,ne,;al
catastrophe. IT, rreatest urearure expeeEii.
enoed it ST. Louis. Tor insfanc,A =. "a,
buildings to live and do busfneas In. WI
need here, Il this moment, 10 Fthousand
more dwelling houses than Ne have, ct rents
varying from e0OO to 1890 year. We re-
peat then, that We sec ne signs Of the over.
done speculation which produced the catas.
trophe of 1887. and believe We shall see
no recurrence Of it for MANY = long veal
hence.
We would especially commend the fol
lowing article. which re Gin from the Da.
vonrort N.,.. = tho ...ef.i .on.;a....;a,
- = - -. !. ..:.,s.:..',
y newspaper 'ioaAolS ~ 'n'S l"'l'u 'liJ
Newspapers.
The human mr. is 90 constituted a. to
fit every man f0rthe Editorial chair. Nc
matter what may be the character Of his in.
tellectual organization, no matter how mar
row his yiews--no matter how limited his
information, no matter how defective hil
education, nature intended every male men,
Der Of the human family for brilliant lu-
minary in the armament of journalism.
A third-rate lawyer who has been beaten on
the only case he ever tried, is sure that II
he had but conseerated his talents to the
press he would have surpassed Bennett,
Greeley and Raymond, as much as he falls
below Pinkney, Marshall or Webster. A
dull Drained house carpenter who never got
beyond planning pine boards, feels it in his
bones that he could write like Jules Janin;
and even those raced handles, the counter
jumpers, pity the world which sleeps in ig-
norance Of talents which if directed to the
press would elevate its character and illu-
inmate at once the columns Of the newspa-
per and society at large.
These absurd notions are not confined to
those whom the world calls ssconceited
fools," but is shared by men Of whom bet
ter things might be expected, and we are in
donht whether In attrihute them To vanitv.
which is after all the principal ingredient in
the human composition, or to the hallucina-
ton which generally prevails that Of all en-
pigments in the work., Editing is the most
easy and simple-so Ample indeed that the
humblcst abilities are equal to it. Be that
as it may, it is fact within the expe-
rience of every man that newspapers are
criticised with severity, and editors are
excoriated with tirulence never exhibited
towards other productions and other men.
A leader which is the product Of much re-
lection and extensive investigation, COM
bined with no common literary ability, is
pronounced stupid By an individual who in
his lcftiest flights could not soar to the COM
prehension Of single proposition it con-
tains; and an editor, respectable for his
talents even in his arduous profession, is
adjudged block-head by tribunal of self
satisfied critics, not one Of whom has brains
enough for decent printers devil.
1t really makes one feel proud Of human
nature to see such brilliant critical powers
possessed by SO large proportion Of man.
kind, and confirms our faith in the wisdom
of Byron's couplet, which tells US that
"Men must serve their time at every trade
Save critics-eritics are already made"
If any were inclined to doubt the facts,
we would suggest method of exposing the
deficiencies of journalism, and of display
ing the superior abilities of their censors:
] ct editors and readers change places-let
the reader mount the tripod and the editor
take the lash-let each party have one
weeks trial Of its new vocation, and we pre-
dict that during those seven DAYS, from Pu-
gets Sound to Penobscot Bay, the newspa-
pers would pour a food Of light on eyery
subject, from the building of a town pump
to the solution Of problems of international
law, that would dazzle the literat, of sue
ceeding generations, and render criticism
impossible!
The West is the greatest patron of the
press in the world. In no other portion of
A., 81. =.
paper country, are there so many journals
well supported; and we see the result of this
enlightened support in the superior intelli.
gencc and shrewdness of the Western peo-
pie.
Davenport is noted, even in the West, for
her liberal encouragement to newspaper en-.
terprise. While an Eastern city. with a pop
ulation of 5000 or 10000 would afford a
bare living to diminutive sheet, Daven-
port supports four dailies, every one of
which is a self-sustaining, paying institu-
ton. The newspapers of Davenport are the
largest in Iowa, and We think we may
say, too, that they are undoubtedly the best;
and yet the remark is often made there is
not a journal in the city worthy of the
State. In what respect the press is SO Ia
mentally deGciens, those who assert its in
feriority are not disposed to specify, but
general charge is made that there is no abil-
ty in the ranks of the editorial profession.
1t is true that now and then few object to
the style of the city press, and urge that our
newspapers ought to model themselves after
the three great Metropolitan dailies; that
others declare that too much attention is
paid to national politics al, the expense of
local interest; but yet the summing up of
all these charges is that there is little or no
talent among the editors of lewa.
Now, We are one Of the editorial frater-
nifty, it is true, and one of those whose dull
ness is the source of so much lamentation
to the wiseacres Of our city, but notyith-
standing that, we think we can Judge be-
tween the abilities of our contyeres and
those of eastern journalism. We have read
as many newspapers, perhaps. as any of
our readers, and we give as our opinion that
the press of Iowa is as well conducted as
the press in any smaller cities of the east.
We make no extravagant assertion-we do
not claim that we have any paper in the
State which any where approaches the New
York Herald, the Boston Traveller, or the
Pennsylvania, but our claim
is that the journals Of Iowa are inferior IN
no respect whatever to the newspapers of
Maine. New Hampshire. Vermont. or thu