The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1871-10-07
What Editors Should Be.

In the PhrcnOlOgIcal Journal tor
July appears an article with the
caption IA Rule for Editors
What they Should be-" in which
the writer strongly urges that
those who have the editorial man.
agement Of the press should be
men of the largest brains and the
greatest knowledge The propo-
sition is advanced at the outs set
that "the strength OF u people may
alwavs be accurately measured by
the character Of their editors,' and
from this basis the article proceeds
to demon strate that the mind be-
ing the power which controls the
movements, forces and efforts Of
the entire human machinery, to the
extent to which we cultivate mind
and develop thought the people
grow in strength and expand all
their forces. Hence the necessity
for none but the best minds as
teachers. So important does this
appear to .he writer in the Journal,
tlat he declares 1T is a subject
Of national interest and Of impor-
tance enough to command the at
tenlion Of Governm ments-not in
the sense of prescribing censor
ship for the press, but only in the
sense of securing. through the
operation Of the law, none but the
best talent for editorial positions.
1t should, in every country, be a
privilege Of license such is its
Importance, and no man should be
allowed to fill the position unless
he could first pass the scrutinizing
criticism Of the most learned
boards of judges" Of course
there is much in all this that is alb.
surd from a practical point Of view,
but so far as it is an estimate OF
the importantance Of the editorial
office it may be regarded as moi
excessive. We make the follow
ing extracts from the article:
"The commercial character O.
the prsss in our own country, and
to certain extent in every ooun-
try. does not compr rehend the value
of the rule, which we have here
laid down. In the rule upon
which the press OF this country
particularly, is established, intel
ligence is held to be only com
mcrcial commodity, and therefor
is not shaped of the highest quail
ity, but of that ordinary materia
which is supposed to suit the mil
lions of the masses best Indeed
looking to its aims and objects, ap'
to its primal value as an elemen
and instrument Of strength. i
should not be treated as a com
mercial commodity at all, but rath
er as a something as valuable q
life itself
"Whatever is noble in peopl
must be developed through thei
intelligence and literature
whether political or social, whicI
panders, as does ours too much, t
the vitiated tastes Of people, will
|, enervate their minds and weake
!, their bodies to degree of whic
+, the common mind has very littl
conception. This dangerous US
of intelligence shows that it ough
not to be held as a eommercis
, comm odity, to be fashioned &C
o cording to the tastes Of the larges
!, number who make 4 demand for
but that it should rather (accor(
+ ing to some system which will sul
port such use be used as an III
: proving instrumentalitY of tn
r. minds of the masses, who by OF
= press are now understood, and al
furnished with quality OF mcnt
q food below what their present me-
A tal appetites really call for; thi
a oo,under wrong commercial sy
". TEN in literature which has gor
# upon the principle of giving tt
people nothing higher than Il
range Of their own minds, VIII
there is in every human mind
aspiration for something above
a individual status"