The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-05-30
EDIrORIAL CONVENTION.
Paper Read by DR.. Z. WI. Ellis.

The tendency of the age is to COM
bination. All trades, all professions,
find therein the elements of strength,
learns wisdom from the brutes OF the
field and from the creeping insect.
The beavers dam is not the work of
a single animal, nor the aDt-hill of a
solitary artificer; combined strength
and united effort have alone been
sufficient for their successful achieve
ment.
And so man, weak, powerless and
feeble as he may be individually,
finds his ability to accomplish mighty
results IN combination. The old ia
BILE conveyed great practical truth.
The single faggot could be snapped
asunder by the grasp of child-the
bundle could not be broken by the
strength of a man. No one under
stands the power of combination bet
ter than the politician, and often no
one uses it for more unworthy pur-
poses. The guerilla, who wages war
fare against a national foe, may ex-
hibit rare qualities of courage. pluck
and endurance, may here and there
pick off an isolated victim, but in the
solid phalanx of an organized army
alone is victory. The individual may
combat error single handed with the
consciousness of truth, justice and
humanity upon his side, but his voice
Is powerless unless he can rally mum
bers to his side
Aud this holds true in this Editori-
al Association. While each man pur-
sues the even tenor of his own way,
conscious of rectitude, and inspired
with lofty ambition to accomplish
much good for himself and the world,
he learns to feel how powerless is a
single pen; what feebleness, if it have
no other support, In his own good
right arm. He feels the necessity of
combination, and from this feeling
has resulted, as l apprehend, this or
ganization; and though we may not
accomplish all that is desirable, we
have at least taken the first step to-
wards success. Is there an abuse to
be rectifed, an error to be over
thrown, a prejudice to be demolished,
an injurious custom to be abated, or
a measure to be adopted for the CON-
mon veal Of the craft, herein is our
strength and the assurance of victo
~. This is the one powerful, su-
preme, and controlling purpose of the
organization.
But, to enter into detail, let me say
further, that one great instrumental
ity necessary to insure this success, is
the extension of personal aequaint-
anee among the members of the craft.
The members of no profession have
SO little personal intercourse as
ours. We are scattered over the
State, separated by long and weary
miles, and the occasions for recoeni-
ton, even, are rare enough. We
know each other by name-we hold
converse through the press-we form
our attachments and our prejudices,
often indeed by so small a circum-
stance as the dress of the paper, or
the appearance of its type. Some
times our hearts go out to each other
with the tenderest sympathy, aud we
form friendships as lasting as earth
for men we shall never meet. And
again. we wage almost mortal combat
with an entire stranger, whose high
sounding words make him in our
Imagination Goliah in statue, with
countenance bristling all over with
ferocity. We meet him. and he is a
gentle youth, with a pleasant blue
eye and a sweet mOustache.
4" AS mild a hammered gentleman
AS ever cut a throat"