Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1879-11-11
LECTURE OF HON. D. B. LUCAS.

The second Lecture of the course adyer-
tissd to be. delivered in Charlestown during
the fall and winter. under the auspices of the
Independent Order Of Good Templars, was
given US on Monday evening of last week,
in. Washington Hall. by Hon. Daniel B.
Lucas, of our county. The subject
"Schools for Journalism" was at once
novel and interesting, and was treated with
on ability and eloquencc which the public
had arightto expect from Mr. Lucass we'll.
established reputation for talents and as
public speaker.
Aswe propose torgive an extract from the
lecture itself, we will not have the space to
criticise it as fully as we should like, and as
the importance. of the subject, and the mas
terly manner in which it was handled, cer-
tainly merit. The lecturer having shown
the immense influence of the Press, urged
that those who welded that influence should
be qualified for their important position by
previous education and training. Lawyers
could not practice their profession without
cert ificate from tho court of the county in
which they reside, that they were men of
good moral characters, and that certificate
had to be supplemented by license signed
by number of Judges that the applicant
had been exam ined by them as to his legal
attainments, and had been found qualified.
Doctors were not allowed license "to cure
aud kill' until they, too, had been examined
and had been found to possess the requisite
20 &c r.
Gospel in some of the States, at least, are re-
quired to give bond and security for the
faithful discharge of some of the important
duties of their vocation. But journalists
alone, whose duties are just as responsible,
whose power for good and evil are simply
immense, ARE allowed to take their seats upon
their tripods in their sanctun,s, and critcise
the regulations of men and women, and tho
grayest questions of eivil~polity, religion and
constitutional law, without ever having given
the public any guarantee that they possess
the requisite qualifications, moral or intellec-
tual, for position of such commanding in.
fuence. The lecturer desired to see Journals
ism raised to the rank of one of the learned
professions, instead of being lowered to that
of mere trade. Some of his illustrations
were strong and beautiful. We append
short extract from his conclusion
To resume, then, what have said upon this
occasion, and to conclude: Journa lism in Amcri-
ca should be redeemed from the rank of trade
and elevated to the platform of learned protts.
sions To accomplish this, Schools of Journalism
should be organized and established as depart
menk of professional educa ton.
from q censorship of the press, whereby license
is prohibited and just order secured, in this
country could be attained, consistently with
the genius of our Democratic institutions, by
Schools of Journalism. t-r,.
Such schools would go far to correct not only
the defects of our Press. but also it's moral def
ciencies. The Editorial chair militant would be
abolished. The yicioasaess of what has boon
called personal Journalists would be abandoned.
Tie corruption and venality of the Piess could
thus be ameiiorated and measurably corrected.
TIE conservative power OF the Press to combat
the increasing influence of wealth:-com bina-
tio1s, which more and more menace our FREQ in
situations. would by such schools be enhanced
and indefinitely multiplied.
And in conclusion, 1 will say that when re-
feet upon the responsibility which attaches to
this public profession: upon the influence of the
daily, weekly and monthly journals: upon the
fact that, than all the other countries Of the
world combined, perhaps. we print moro news
papers: upon their rapid increase in proportion
to our population that one hundred years ago,
had but hi'ty-ssrsn papers, while now
have overnight housand npon the ever-iEcreas-
ing pos:r of the Press as a mora eocial and po-
iitical engine: upon its volcanic fires. burning
with white intensity. beneath the very crust of
our civilization: upon it's Titanic FORCES, with
out iutermission. through evil and through
good report. i'll season and out of season, thuE-
derins away with ceaseless energy ,smiring upon
the anyils of the popular heart, aud forging
weapons for the mon UfSthe future, who are to
control our Institutions. upon the lowering
clouds which are wont to overriding those insti-
buttons of the Union, and of tue several Repub-
lies which compose it:-And then ask myself,
into whose hands we have delivered the CON
duct and control of this almost godlike power,
tremble for the answer; trouble for the couu-
try: tremble for the future, and shrink not
from the duty of urging upon my countrymen
the paramount Importance of establishing
Schools of Journalism
Hon. D. b. LuoAs.-A correspondent
writing from Clarksburg in the Wheeling
Register, says:
have heard but little said of late about can
d1dates III this State for the Offices to be filed
next year. recently called the attention of a |
prominent gentleman and Democrat from Graf |
ton to the necessity of the Second Congressional
District having arepresenative i'll Congress !
that necessity. and that it seemed to ifn1 that
MIR. Lucas. of Charlestown. was the coming
man. he seemed to think that the gentleman
representing the secoud District stands no pos
slble show for a third term.
There seems to be a purpose on the part |