The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-06-15

quart r1nto pint measure, and Its
achievement can only be Appropriated
by condensation.
In all the century of foe writing on
the subject that has followed it, we
have nothing surprising Cowper's terse
description Of the newpaper:
a map Of bus, life,
Its fluctuations and its vast conceras,"
and, as in the map dot stands for the
greatest of cities, and thread line re-
pesents the widest of rivers, so in our
papers, a paragraph must say all we
can say Of events that augment them
selves into histories, tragedies or come
dies.
1t is interesting to watch the crystali-
cation of the news, as it percolates
through tho different grades Of papers ;
bow thel lfall.paged account in the New
York daily, Of the occupation Of Paris
by h conqaering German armies, be-
comes two-column leader in Chicago
paper, a quarter column telegraphic
dispatch, with column of comments,
In those farther west, and in the next
issue of a frontier weekly is precipita-
ted into brief announcement that
"The Germans entered Paris" on such
day.
Surely there Is in the duties incident
to the editorship Of the local paper
sufficient to crafty any rational am
bition.
In its opportunities Of influence, ours
will compare favorably with any Of the
other professions. The lawyer haran.
CUES jury Of twelve and wrans]es with
a bench of but one individual; ); the
doctor goes into scarcely fau,ily that
the paper has not gone into ahead
of bim-and what family would be
willing to endure regular weekly visits,
the year around, from the doctor? the
teacher has in his scholars only single
class Of the whole community whom
the family newspaper educates; the
preacher is delighted if he can get a
congregation qualt'r the number Of
the newspapers subscription list; and
all of them, the lawyer, the doctor, the
teacher and the preacher, as we well
know, "<eek the bubble reputation" at
the papers mouth.
If, under these circumstances, the
editor falls in rank behind the other
professions the fault is not in the 9th or
professions but in himself.
The necessary result of newspaper
development is to make the press all
that the pulpit and the forum have been.
The powers that were welded by the
priests in those dark days when the
church was the protector OF tho people
| against tyranny, and that making,
moulding, and controlling Of public
opinion which inhered in oratory when
the populace could listen so much more
conveniently that they could read, have
been bequeathed by an age that has
forever passed away, to the press, and
all the priest and the orator once were
the editor now may be.
do not say is, but, may be. The
Office Of editor is like the spectrum that
Can be used either in furnishing a
magic lantern for the amusement of
children, or ia analyzipg the elements
Of which the universe is composed, and
discovering to learned men tho secrets
of Omnipotence itself.
An editor is not necessarily power,
for tits ouly "beneath the rule Of men
entirely great" that the pen (or scissors)
is "mig ghtier the sword" But there
is in the profession capability
Of influence that cannot be over estima.
ted.
Yet, there is, perhaps, no profession
that has done 10 much to establish TO,
itself a low place in the popular ebtima
ton, or to rank itself below the others
as has ours.
No other profession advertises its
own worst faults or is SO sure publish al
a good thing, any sort of joke on
itself. And not few Of the public, &C
i cepting its own lowest cstimate of itself
7 have formed an ideal of the profession
that is much more amusing than accu.
rate.
The ideal country editor is popular
myth Of an established identity as the
stage Yankee or the artificial negro Of
the travelling minstrel bosrds; and, ]
am sorry t. eay, like them and all other
exapgerations, is founded on fact.
If Shakespeare had not created his
VOL dcrful character long before the gos.
sip was developed into the local editor,
he would have found in the ideal coun.
try editor of to-day more than rival Of
his impecunious and despised apothe-
cary of Mantua-a wretch whose power
ty against his will is constantly consent
in .
There has grown up, somehow, in
the popular mind, an opinion, not
catually believed, that he whose living
is to be made by furnishing the people
with paper, engages in business
having about it-no business principles !;
that he Is happy -eo-Iucky louDeer and
toiler by turns, with no higher aim than
to be acknowledged as sort of semi
respectable pauper, to whom pay is
charity and support is patronage; a
modern Daniel condemned to see all