Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-04-27
from the Henderson, N. c., Index. ]

aNIED--A LEADING JOURNAL.
One of the great wants of the people
South of the Potomac is high toned, able
and practical daily newspaper, capable
of exerting an influence for good at home,
and of making favorable Impression for
our section ahroad-a newspaper with
circulation ditfused over not only the Sou
thern States but the whole country.
One of the principal impediments to the
immediate establishment of such a journal
is the impecunious condition of our people.
We suppose if a project was set on foot for
, publishing such paper as the New York
World or the National Intelligencer, there
would be the greatest difficulty attendant
upon finding the means to establish it upon
a safe iuuldation, indeed we suppose it
would be impossible to do so.
Another impeachment is the location. New
Orleans is too tar South; Charleston and
Columbia, though central, are cities ofnot
sufficient Importance, and Richmond is ra-
Their nearer Washington than would be sui-
table, and besides, the proper location nat
/ urally is great seaport. Such is Nor folk,
| and Norfolk is the place for it.
| The capital as yet is wanting, the loca-
ton we have, now let us see as to other re-
quisites. Talent is necessary, talent of a pc
| culiar kind. To be successful newspaper
! man does not necessarily imply extended
or deep learning. This is the popular idea,
but it is wrong. A conductor of a popular
journal must have some reading, it is true,
he must be intelligent and be able to COM
| prehend in a moment all the needs OF his
high calling, but above all he must be LIVE
| NAN. And we mean by a live man one
| who has appreciation of circumstances,
! quickness OF adaptation, executive power,
, and sympathy with what is going on in the
| world. He N ust not be too much of phi
losopher or he will fritter away point by
reasoning on it. Neither must he be too
hasty in his judgments or he will be con
stantly in error and be obliged to retrace
his steps. Too much culture would make
his paper review or magazine, so toe little
culture would bring it into contempt with
| educated readers. Good hard sense, rather
than the low arts of chicane, to beat out
path in politics, elegant taste to engraft the
exotics of literary eclecticism upon the
cough sturdy plants of home growth, enough
of the practical and material to meet the
wants of the farmer, mechanic and business
| man--ruese are the indispensables to first
c. ass news journal, such joarnal as we
| have never had, such one as we now stand
| in need Of at the South. Progression is
everywhere the motto now, why not in the
newspaper DusineSS /! w ny ChuuOG OUT
great port that is to be in very few years
| sustain such paper as we have described?
There is more literary talent at the South
than in any other section of the country,
though as we have seen literary require
ments are not the only ones. Our people
we believe would literally support such an
enterprise. We urge the establishment, at
| an early day as practicable, of a large eight
pager, to be we'll printed apd we'll edi ed,
and to be published in the city of Norfolk.
Won't you let down little on the 'Feight
pager" neighbor Index :? because il you
will there are quite number of our people
who are SO much pleased at the prospect of
the success Of the "new movement" and
the sagaeity o f the Day Book in originating
it, that they have determined to second our
long cherished object to afford Norfolk
first-class leading journal, by concentra-
ting sufficient influence and patronage on
this paper to enable US to give the Day
Book such form and substance as will ena-
BILE 1t to reflect honorably the feelings and
sentiments of the people who will be saved
from almost utter ruin and anarchy by its
''new movement"