The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-11-14

IhteiiISent people, ana particularly
journalists, who are the most instru-
mental of all men in giving publicity
to the merits of place, are accustom-
ed now to judge of the enterprise, de-
gree of civilization and business thrift
ofa community solely by the patron
age or support the community gives its
local press.
We venture to say that the HERALD
has done more to make known the adj
vantages of north Texas, ,and particular
ly of Dallas, than any fifty men in this
section. The attention of emigrants and
capitalists has been riveted upon our
city, as much through the press as
through individual effort. 1t must be
borne in mind, however, that the
sums coming into our cash drawer are
small in themselves, still in the aggre-
gate the amount received and dsburs-
ed is considerable. To publish even
so small paper as the HERALD re-
quires an expenditure of a thousand
dollars month-a much larger sum
than many large houses are run for
Every business man, then, will see the
necessity of paying promptly his
printing and advertising bills,
There are a class of people who will
beat railroad, hotel, or newspa-
per, whenever they can, and do not
consider themselves swindlers either,
only ''smart' or "cute." Now jour-
nalism is as much profession as law
or medicine, and the publishing of a
newspaper quite as legitimate busi-'
ness as merchandising, planting or
banking. 1t requires more general in
formation, as much patience and is
more exacting than any of them. 1t
must not suffer itself to be beaten.
The profession of journalism, like
that of law, is cursed with its "shys-
ters." Fellows who have no local
habitation or name, dissolute creatures
who haunt bar-rooms, ten pin alleys
and shows, and prostitute their preca-
rious and irresponsible connection
with some disreputable sheet for
drinks, hats, dinners, suppers, free
rides on railways and free lodgings at
hotels-bummers whose highest ambi-
ton is an excursion and the ephemeral
association with decent people and re-
spectacle city authorities. But it would
be as unjust to judge gentlemen of edu-
cation aud position engaged in jour
nalism by such standard, as it would
be to compare the average city police
court "shyster" with men like Charles
O'Connor, or Reverdy johnson. Let
us judge men rather by themselves, by
their work, their lives, their talents.
We have heard journalists sneered at
by business men for not being "good
business men," This depends, how
ever, upon whether they succeed or
not. Success is never sneered at. 1t
is always invested with business capac-
ity, whether it has it or not That
journalists are not generally "business
men," is owing to the fact that most
professional men are not as methodi-
cal, exact and grasping as persons en-
gagged in trade. and whose minds are
never occupied with anything but bus
iness and money getting. All profess
sions requiring intellectual efiort.and
culture have the effect of making men
careless about money matters, and
the routine of a counting house stand
ard of work. The journalist, however,
can, and does display as much mere
business capacity, and administrative
talent, at the head of large city daily,
as the lawyer with his multifarious
cases, the physician with his long list
of different cures, the broker with his
financial ramifications, or the mer-
chant with his array Of clerks, and