Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-03-07
AFTER THE coSrEsF-wHAr YHEH,

SA0e4ou away Abo "ouhueu VI poso S'eSS
receive the assistance and sympathy Of
friend and honorable enemy. We commend
to the wounded of both sides q perusAl Of
the following article on American journal
ism, written by "Loungsr" for the Chicago
Post:
Are. Caesar, Imperator, mOrit,Ti te salat' |
ant.
Ii was with this cry, "Hsll, Emperor
Caesar, ssluliug thee We die" that the old |
Roman gladiatorE de6led past the imperial
box, to punch each others pericardis with
spears, and slit each others weassnda with
swords, and batter each others skulls with
clubs, and entangle each other In nets pre-
pArStory TO impAiing each other on pitch
forks. With . similar salutation, day after
day that noble army of martyrs, the journal
lists, greet the public as they march down
into the arena terribly to maui each other
journalism does not, it IL almost needless TO
remark, consist exclusively in being alluded
to as ''Our esteemed contemporary" and
getting free tickets to the theatre. 1t is not
that ones existence is particularly embltler-
ed or materially shortened by the Acrimoni
oas contro Versies in which one hnds ones
self EN- broiled. To the crediI and Disgrace
Of modern American journalism be it said
that animosities are rarely carried into pri
vate life, nor are We supposed TO care for vigs
orous personal abuse more than the proven
bial ducks back for the proverbial SHOPPER
The Lounger considers this both q credit
aud . disgrace. Its pleasant and proder
that honorable antagonists supposed each to
be attached to different banner should
pepper away a. each other during the battle.
But when the days encounter is over, ard
the pickets are posted pot-shooilng at a
brother-eneny, who is enjoying rest and
washing the CRIME OF the powder out Of his
eyes is not the fair thing. Ii bstter bshooVes
gallant foes 10 come down to the little
stream between the two armies, aud swap
tobacco for newspapers, ard chat each
other AmicAbly. Next moment the bugle
may bloS aud the battle begin again. On
the other hand, 1t seems a lack OF consistency
IN brilliant aud unsPsring Journalists, who
pass their days in belsboring each other, TO
/ play Damon aud Pythiss 10 the evenings.
| There is no incompAtibility of necessity ce-
tween ones duties as a journalist and one =
friendships as mao, or there need be none,
when the journalist devotes himself TO al
tSoking principles aiono. But in these
degenerate days the public demands thti
cayenne be AbundAntiy aprinkled upon iSs
cream -tArts, and Bedreddeen must obey
People want slssbing articles, brilliant writ
ing, powerful inveetive, whitening sarcasm
Seven newspaper readers out of ten csano
appreciate an Atsck, however powerful
which is directed at al abstract cause They
want personalities. There are some folk,
who believe thalall the,,'igh'ening in thun
der storm is wasted and powerless, excep'
that particular stroke which kills neigh
Dor. So it is in journalism. The demand
tor this sort of natter creates the supply
| Men come TO be famous for their forty ash
wife power of abuse, indulge In il as e sheer
matter of business, aud see consistency
IN fsJing an opponsnt in the morning aud
dining with him At uigh;. Thence a 6rst
/ evil. The public, who are before the foot
! lights, see this and straightwSy consider the
miilennisl state OF things existing between
TWO enthusiastic foes 20 bsioken lAoh OF
/ proker spirit on oCe side and be q coEfes
sion Of lnslncerity on the other. SO ihey
come to read briilsnt editorials rs one reads
a novel or = poem, sud pay 90 attention 10
them. Thence, also, arises another evi,,
/ The professional journalist, dependent upon
/ his pen for his dSIiy bread and boot leather
If he makes reputation by attacking a
cause or parry, IS pretty sure to be engaged
| by that came party at an increased salary &c
defend the very principles he has been op
| posing. He tur1s true soldier OF fortune
and fights brsvelv under any flag, advocates
with equsl effect and esrnestness all princi
pies, and believes, in none. 1t is strong
nature which con go through five years o.
busy jouru alism and come out with faith il
sGy man, or respect for any party or prIR
ciples Whatsoever. The moral Of ell this il
that & good journalist should do one Of two
things Coudne himself strictly TO egiti
mate journalism sGd abstain from persona
! lisies, or, if he must indulge in vigorou,
writing, have no personal friendships, which
are as the half Of Bottom face seen tbroug b
the hons neck.
! 1t is not, as the Louncer said half col
/ umn ago, the anImOsiIles and acrImonIes oil
( journalistic life which shorten mans ex
istencs and suck al the Juice out of his
orange 10 fifteen or twenty years, 1t is the
feeling akin 20 tBsI Of the horse on the
tread mill which pervRdes one, or perhaps
some such reflection as may have nightly
come 20 the children Of Israel in Egypt, the
thought that bricks have 10 be made on the
( morrow, and that one is not very certain
where the straw is to come from. good
and bard working journalist turns out III.
two columns day, year IN and yeal
out, or say about i've volumes of 5Ot
pages each year. And the space Is moi
the only consideration. In writing book
or o magazine srIicle there is from start tc
finish thread OF plot or line Of srgu mem
to follow incident leads to incident, thought
suggests thought, and the work is compare
lively easy. Bot the writer for the daily
press does not enjoy this advantage. He
knows not what day may bring forth, but
goes to his desk ignorant as to whether he
IS to write about Forney's resignation, the
Coresn war, the Alabama claims, the re-
peal Of the tea and coffee dnies, the East
ern question, the FIRE investigation, the New
York Custom House, or the S< Leke i'm
broglio. No matter what lie may draw in
the lottery of subjects, he must know al
about his theme, apprehend in fash the
particular views which the policy of bis pa
per demands, create the skeleton of his ar
tiole in q breath, and swiftly and surely
clothe the dry bones with flesh. He la thus
obliged to do vast amount Of reading to
keep abreast of the times, to have a mem
DRY al once reten,ive and orderly, and to
possess the power of rapidly combining and
clearly expressing facts. Like the forty
wArders Of BrAnksome.
He puts of his Armor bright
Neitherby day nor YET By night;
He lies down TO rest 10 helmet laced,
Pillowed on buckler cold and hard,
he oArves at his meal with gloves of steel
And drinks the red wine through his visor
barred.
1t is this oeaseless activity Of the bra1
and steady drain on the intellect which wesl
out man ere his prime and send him dowr
to the grave grizzed about the brows
though vihou. a white hair on his chin"
NlooL, BURR & Co OF PEoRtA.-Th,
manufacture of steam engines, and mill anC
distilery machinery is one which required
not only capital and every facility afforded
by we'll ordered mandatory isted NJ