Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-04
THB CITY.
THE PRESS ENTERTAINMENT.
Meeting of Tennessee Editors at the
Capitol.
Grafton of Col. A. j. Kellar, of the
Memphis Avalanche.
Poem by DIR. II. l.. C. White, of the
Lebanon Herald.

| FOen ny LIE. ESs Il. Cs W n11eS Oh thf
Lebanon Herald.
The Tennessee Press Association. com
posed of representatives from various
newspapers throughout the State, held ite
regular meetings yesterday at the Msxwell
House, the details of which are given in
another column.
At night, an intellectual entertainment
was given in the Hall of the House OF
Representatives, at which some very able
and eloquent addresses were presented.
We may here state, that this session of
the Association was one of the most inter
esting that has yet been held in this city,
the press of Tennessee being largely repre-
| scented.
The members of the Association met at
the capitol last night en- Dsasse, and the
meeting having been called to order by
| G. E. Purvis, ESQ, of the Nashville Ban
| 7aer and President of the Association, that
| officer introduced Col. Kellar, of Memphis,
as the orator of the evening.
GRAFTON OF COL. A. ]. KELLAR
Ladies' and gentlemen: In response to
| request made upon me by the members
OF the Tennessee Press Association, to
deliver an address upon this occasion,
appear before you with an apology in nv
| mouth, regret to say. I am not here as
teacher in journalism, but as pupil. 1
am not here as a master, but as follow
er; and if can say anything in the course
of my address to you that shall throw any
light on the duties Of journalism, it will
be the carnations OF one who does not
stand in the sanctuary, but one who walks
in IfQ nTtQr And if
Sc netting of the spirit and inspiration of
the temple, want to impart it to those
who, in common with us, belong to a pro-
fession whose duties and whose response
bilities to each other and to the
public are not thoroughly understood
What is it that gives power to the press?
This is question which we ask every day,
and which we ought to be able to answer
truthfully and correctly. 1 must beg to
appease criticism, or at least to take away
the poison of its sting, for the manner in
which shall give uttersnce to my views
and opinions; because fresh from the
daily labors of newspaper, which gives
very little spare time to prepare an ora
ton, l shall impart and give to you those
ideas and those thoughts which are the
growth and development of q busy news
paper life.
The writing a daily OBSCURE and the
preaching daily sermon but give to the
public the history of every day life, and
leaves no leisure for oratory on the stump
or for a finished lecture in the academy.
What is it that gives power to the press?
According to my conception, there are two
things, without which the press can never
achieve marked influence. These are in
tegrity of thought, and an earnest and
broad sympathy with the people. There
is class of newspaper men who teach two
maxims; one, that a paper never does
wrong, and the other that the truth, for its
own sake cannot be published. These
maxims have been adopted by the old
school of journalists, and by the school
which is known as the partisan school of
Journalists, that a newspaper never does
wrong, and that the truth, for its own
sake, cannot be published This class of
journalists are rapid passing away under
the recognition of the truth that integrity
of thought, inspired by a broad sym
psthy for the people, has had
growth, within the last ten years, to which
not even the most blind and venal partisan
can shut his eyes. The old class or order
Of journalists, gentlemen of the press, who
inculcate these maxims, like the caucus
system, has passed away. And it is be-
cause the press is not the organ of the few,
but the organ of the people. Newspapers
are not published for the benefit of the
privileged few, but for the great body of
the people There are other elements
which enter into the establishment of the
successful newspaper enterprise,
judgment and money. The old order of
journalism was the organ of the man; it
was the image of the editor; it was de-
signed for no other purpose but
to give expression to the opin-
ions, whatever they might be, of
the proprietor or the editor of the paper.
Under that system of journalism, when
the printer or the editor walked the streets,
he was the newspaper. When he went
from his residence to his printing Office,
there walked the editor Of the Thunder
bolt He was the Thunderbolt. His sub
scribers were personally known to him.
They read and they took his paper be-
cause they were known to him. He did
not publish news, but simply his own in
dividual opinions. Compare, if ouplesse,
q copy of the TIGttIer or the AdDertJser, in
which Junius Numbered his investives
against the British minister, to copy of
the London Times of to-day, and see what
progress journalism has made. Compare,
in your own minds, the early papers of this
country with those of the present day. If
a man would undertake to publish daily
paper now, without Geographic dispatches,
no matter what amount of money he might
invest in it, it would fail; so that,
no matter how much intellectual
power the editor may infuse into his own
productions, that, of itself, will not make
a successful paper at the present day, be-
cause the press Of to day is not the organ
of the man, or of any one set of men; and
until we come up to the height of this argu-
ment. the press will never acl ieVe that
power which is within its grasp.
Newspaper men are more thoroughly
misrepresented than perhaps are those of
any other avocation in this life-much
more abused than lawyers; but newspaper
men are indebted for this misrepresenta-
ton to themselves alone. 1t is because
they have nos proper conception of their
duties and of their aspirations. 1t IS be-
cause they do not assert their own in
dependence; because they have not always,
and on all occasions, a thorough
integrity of thought, which, added
to a broad sympathy with aud
for the people, will give them more
power in the political world than ever the
caucus or the convention system pos
sessed. Now, between the old system of
conducting the press, and the new order
of things, has arisen contest. 1t is going
on to-day; and that is the fight which we
are to make, which we are compelled to
make, in order to achieve that power
without which we can do no good to the
people. 1 understand by integrity of
thought, to be true to your convictions of
what you believe to be right, AMI to have
the courage to give utterance, not only to
your own opinions, but to allow the same
freedom of utterance to your neighbor who
may differ from you. 1t is to communi-
cate every ray of light to the public mind,
in order that they may understand public
questions. 1t is to publish all facts
that are connected with any sub
ject. 1t is to withhold nothing, and
to do this in a spirit which sympathizes
with the great masses of The people. The
privileged few care nothing for a newspa-
per any more than they do for the great
body of the people, and they speak of
newspaper men with the same sort of tone
ond cnaar which thew hava for tho nassaa