The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1879-02-09
oBERLY BEFORE THE PRESS GANG.

CURRENT or PUBLIC OPINION
In his address of welcome to the Illinois
Press Association that met in Springfield,
on Thursday last Col, Harlow employed
the following language:
1t is my opinion that the avocation of an
editor, be his sphere limited or extended,
is vastly more effective, so far as mould
ing public opinion is concerned than that
OF the school teacher or the preacher Of the
gospel, and capable Of sowing more good
or evil seed that will spring up, bud bios
som and bear good or evil fruit than that
Of any other profession or calling on earth"
During an address which Mr.. John H.
Obcry delivered before the convention on
the following day, he said
do not believe with my friend that the
newspaper forms public opinion and in
this convention find the proper place to
give few Of my reasons for this peculiar
belief.
After referring to the presence of the
Doctors Of Medicine, and the Agricultural
lists who had recently convened in Spring
field-how they had claimed that without
men to follow the ayocations to which they
respectively belonged, the world would
have been failure, how they had set up
the claim that they We're the best Of the
land, and that upon them should descend
the favor5 Of the gods and men, Mr., Obcrly
proceeded as follows
And now the Press Association is here
ready to prove that the newspaper editor is
the great figure Of the times Each o. you
has II praisng trumpet by his sidc-not
2 visible to the natural eye, but there never
: thelcss-and he is ready to blow it long
and loud, procaiming that we are the lead
: ers of men. used to wear trumpet eG
a that kind, but took it off and threw it
/ away sometime ago. Certain truths got
a into my mind and therein worked disillu-
t. sion drove out of it the egotism that had
induced me to believe that the newspaper
0 editor was Archimedes, with lever and full
crum. moving society. And, now, that we
are the moders of public sentiment-the
creators of public opinions one OF the
things don't know about printing.
But pray you 10 not understand me as
" implying any disparagement of the Press.
&c appreciate too highly its great import
* ance as a factor in the development OF the
II, capabilities Of the human race. 1t is a
- blessing to the world. Ii is often the voice
III of wrongs crying for redress and of rights
n demanding recognition. It's the tongue of
d every interest Of mankind, With it we
Il can
>" Summon from the shadowy past
or The forms that once have been
De 1t is mirror that reflects to the eye the
,h present scenes OF every part of the busting
a world. 1t is mountain of prophecy into
q which we may 20 and hear whisperings Of
e. the wonderful to be. 1t is the wire Of q
IT, weird telephone connecting the past with
he the present. and of which books are the
81 ear-peces. Take up this or that volume
~ and the great men Of the past will speak
NC you. Across the ocean of centuries that
lie are gone you may hear orators philosophers,
b. statesmen and retormcrs speaking as they
:, spoke in the flesh--may hear in the rude
'' cabins of the West, as well as in the grand
o. palaces OF the East, for the telephone of
Il the press runs from the past to everywhere
as in the present that books are.
is The press is indeed great Instrumental
-. ity in human development. do not take
10 issue with the poet that calls it ''the second
n ark But it is powerful only because it
gives to great minds seeking utterance the
opportunity to speak to great audiences. In
6. Itself 1t has nopOwer. 1t cannot, in the
~ hands Of unthinking, be made to utter
he thought. Under the control of the weak,
n, it is as feeble as child;o the fearful, as
ID cowardly as Falstaff; of the corrupt, as
:. treacherous as Judas. Unfortunately, the
y great thinkers OF the time do not reach the
IL public through what is known as the news
n. paper press; and it is lamentably true that
too many newspaper editors areethcr weak,
cowardly, corrupt or ignorant, and that
some are all OF these aggregated into amass
u OF unnamcabIe immortality. Ofcourse, there
n is much great ability, sterling honesty and
" answering moral bravery among ncwspa-
~ per editors; but nevertheless, the fact re-
mains that the newspaper is not what my
friend, COL Harlow, asserts it to be, the
leader OF public sentiment--the creator of
is popular opinion,
n The littic great man goes to the little
editor in his sanctum, and says Don't;
W the party will not tolerate such express
he sions." And the little editor obcys.
The really great man goes to the really
/. great editor, and says: Don't; rho party
=. will not tolerate such expressions And
u the great editor obeys.
l. The voice of the public says to the indie,
l. pendent editor, great or little Don't; the
people will not tolerate such expressions"
-. And the independent editor obeys.
y The fact is, the newspaper is the channel
H. through which popular opinion pours its
rd great floods, and the editors floating in
TO their little boats OF self conceit, padding
u with their small oars, tondly believe they
~ are making the mighty current run. To
the man on shore looking at them, they ap
pear MS ludicrous as Mrs. Darlington was
Is when she attempted to sweep back with
lie her broom the swelling waves of the Allan
n tic ocean.
" The newspaper press is to popular opin-
ion what his three dogs were to the prn-
., ces rescuing youth OF the fairy tale.
-" The giants Of the mountains had carried