Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-06-07
pEAp-HEAb EXCURSIONS.

sions. when the rural and sometimes the
city Bohemian gathers his family about
him, tells them to do the best they can;
that he is invited to 60 to Put-iR-Bsy on
q free ticket, and must be of for the ben
eft Of his failing health. Like the an
cient apostle in one respect only, he
takes neither scrip nor slaves northought
for what be shall say or eat on the NOR
row. They assemble in fragmentary
crowds at some central point in the
State, and usually fall into the hands of
some gentlemanly passenger agent who
provides for their temporal and spiritu-
Gus wants during the excursion, and is
sure to return with the rank of Major or
Colonel. Such trips are projected by
some tender.hearted railroad official who
sympathizes with these oyerworked pub
lie servants, and desires to give them
a chance to see and write up the fairest
portion of the country. Thirty-ihres of
these gentlemen from Alabama and a
railroad passenger agent passed through
Nashville one day last weeke IN route for
Niagara Falls and other points East.
They will have o jolly time no doubt,
pay but few bills, aud write home some
touching descriptions Of the country,
and especially of the condition Of GER
tain railroads, the luxurious seats,
smooth tracks, polite conductors, and
general advantages Of the route. Ger
tain partial illusions will also be made
to certain hotels. 1t will be a second
edition Of Picturesque America only
in 3 more gushing style. The amount
of valuable information accumulated by
these argus eyed tourists is utterly amsz-
ing, and fully repsys the public for the
customary lack Of editorial matter.
But ii somehow happens that we
never heard of such e crowd as James
Gordon Bennett, Whitelaw Reid, Norton
Marble, ]. W. Forney, Murat Halstead,
Henry Watterson, Wilbur f. Storey,
and George Alfred Townsend getting to.
gether on one Of these free lunch jun
ketings. Such men as these, even in
their younger days, had something better
to do, or could not be spared from bust
ness at home. 1t would be about as sin
gular to see a bod Of lawyers, bankers
or merchants on a free excursion to some
watering place as any great number Of
influential journalists on such a trip.
The Woodworking professional journalist
often receives free tickets, bat seldom
has time or inclination to use them.
How many Of our leading cotton men
could afford to ride a thousand miles on
a free pass in the business season. How
many doctors could 90 off in a sickly
season, or how many lawyers Of any
practice. while the courts are in session?
Well, the editors business season, his
rush Of patients and clients, is all the
year round. If he is much needed at
home he Cannot be long spared abroad,
and if he can be excused long at a time
the suspicion arises that he might be
spared much longer without inconve-
nience. These excursions are the order
of the day. We have read Of a dozen
in two weeks. The legitimate pro.
fession should keep out Of them
and frown them down. When the
editor or proprietor Of a paper permits
the credit Of his paper to be abused by a
half paid subordinate or an i~mpecunious
relative he helps to practice an imposi-
ton on the public and the profession.
What respect can the public have for tie
so-called editorial excursions that 70
r~ollickiug around the country about
twice a year? It is well enough for each
State to maintain its own local press
association. Every member is known,
and their meetings promote unity Of
purpose, harmonious action and stima,
late the public good. We aIlude to these
dead.head epidemics that break out in
the spring thicker than g~rasshoppeti
in Kansas these conversations of gen.
tlemea dressed in long linen dust
ers, with specimens Of their native
soil beneath long hoger nails anc
a powerful talent for roast bee
who are heralded from afar as editors O.
such and such a State. 1t is remarkable
but true, that the same crowd is neyer
urged to visit the same place a secon,
time. The press is a great institution
but its boundaries are so vaguely de
fined, its duties so poorly understood
and its privileges so abused by editoria
guerillas that the status Of the calling j
yet a debatable question with the outsid
world.
As soon as it was discovered tina
grasshopper soup had a delicious musL