The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-03

man of such vast influence and occupies so
distinguished position in society, journalism
can hardly be called profession, and the art
is yet in its infancy. They manage things bet
ter, not only in France, but in England. Our
system of journalism is a cross between the
two, and partakes of the vices of both without
their advantages. Journalism in France is
purely personal. The publisher, the editor,
and the writer is each responsible for his
own work. The publisher must be known, and
furnish security for the proper conduct of his
journal, before he Is allowed to issue copy of
1t. The name Of the editor-in-chief must also be
known, that the Government may know whom
to punish If he permits any outrages on public
deeency in his paper. The name of each
writer must be appended to his article, as a
further security to the public against anony-
nous articles. The advantages Of this svstem
are manifest. 1t is not an infringement in the
least degree on the freedom of the press. IL
only compels each individual writer to as
sumo the responsibility of his own acts. and IL
secures to him also the benefits which NAV
accrue from them. Hence the journalists of
France are men of renown, and the Intellectual
tone OF the French press is greatly superior to
that of England or the United States. Jour
nalism in Paris is not only an art which is cul-
tivated by men of the best intellect but il is
profession which leads to honorable position.
The youngest member of the French Academy
10 honSpdpoI WElCoIJ WIN Bdlu6u MS lofty
honor solely by means of his journalistic pro-
ductions. Such man in England or the
United States would probably have remained
in hopeless obscurity, unless he could have
gained reputation by some means outside of a
newspaper.
The English system of journalism is the
direct opposite of the French. In England
the journal is impersonal. Only the name
of the publisher is given to the public. ALI
ia ~ Tba Cd sc
London newspaper is a myth. The Times,
which arrogantly claims to be the leading
journal of Europe, never published the
name Of its editor, nor any of its writers
or correspondents except once, when it
magnanimously acknowledged what all the
world knew, that its Crimean war corres-
pondent was Doctor Russell. The Times
made ferocious attack on Carlyle for
having disclosed the fact in his life of John
Stirling, that Captain Stirling had been a
writer of the leaders which first gained it
the name of "The Thunderer." Genera
tion after generation of brilliant young men
have gone up to London and written leaders in
the Times, until they have written themselves
into imbecility, and been snuffed out, without
their readers ever knowing whose light it was
that had been shining on their pathway. The
advantages of this system all accrue to the
journal, which is built and formed into a tre-
mendous engine of concrete intellectual force
Men enough are found who are willing. for
pay, to sacrifice their individualities and their
intellectual gifts into common mass for the
benefit OF remorseless impersonality. All
British journals, from the ponderous QuarterEy
RevieW down to Mr.. Punch's hebdomadal. are
published after the plan of the Times, and the
British public have the satisfaction of being
led by leaders whom they never see never
know, and rarely are permitted even to sur
mise the names of.
Our system of journalism is hybrid. and
like all hybrids has a constant tendency to
deterioration. 1t needs reform badly; and.
if journalism were an honorable profession.
or an art worthy of cultivation under the
conditions imposed upon it, journalists
themselves would very speedily bring about
a reform. The American journal is gene
rally, the property of its publisher, who
also assumes the credit of its editorship,
He and his paper are one; he permits no
name beside his own to appear in it, and his
assistants, who do all the labor for him.
work under the degrading consciousness
that whatever they may accomplish, all
their brilliance of style, all their industry,
their learning, their observation and expe-
rience of the world, go to build up false
reputation for another, and to increase the
value of a property which can never belong to
themselves. Such journalism as this can
never be profession-it is merely make
shift; for what man of respeetability and
talent will ever consent to bind himself to an
engrossing occupation in which all the fruits
OF his labor go to enrich and to elevate
another Such journalism can never become
an art, except to those who study the art of
extracting as much pay for as little labor as
they are capable Of performing. But still the
calling of a journalist is one of the noblect
and most enticing in which an ingenious intel
lect can be employed, and we think there are
indications that it is gradually becoming
better worth the attention of undetermined
men than it has been heretofore.