The Phoenix herald., 1880-09-17
Personal and EmpcrsOnaI JOur-
 naIisul.

The permanent and important par
 of newspaper is it's opinions. Who
 expresses them or who ceases or be
 gins to express them is Of little con
 cern. It is of concern to the owners
 just as the qualities of any expert
 agent are. From the newspaper
 point of view it is inariistic and un-
 businesshle to parade the names and
 changes of editors. The newspaper
 is an institution .kat speaks for itself
 or that ought to speak for itself
 alone. As an institution of this
 kind, no Individuality ought to shine through it, build on it or play round it. It should absorb anu eclipse any individuality in is service Those with business to transact with it should always be able to find the right pcg.7-i= H"i esic. - 4ss3i tor, but the way Tn which. so to speak, it does it's business with itself or within itself is none of the pub lies concern. There is gain as well as modesty in newspaper keeping it's internal administration from pub lie knowledge and from proclama- ton. Ii cheapens journalism for it 10 exhibit it's machinery as well as its results. It makes every reader a self constituted editor of editors.
 There Is great real and great apparent difference between the opinion of newspaper and the opin- ion of nan on the streets, be he an editor or q reader. as great as there is between the gossip of a Judge out of Court and his decision on the bench. The real difference is that the newspaper speaks with an instI- tutional responsibility; the apparent difference is that those speaking in it should sink selfhOod and be pos sessed hv the sense of that institu- tional possibility referred to- \ journalist is q representative put in trust If principles and causes. They control his paper. lis paper controls him. The work speaks. The worker cnly speaks through his work.
 This is the case with all papers called great and admitted ly influential. Such papers ill the respect indicated are the models t0 go by. They have no disiOcatI0ns or panics. They move with the certainty and celerity and system oi If there arc internal troubles they are settled quietly. If men are taken on or taken off the profession knows of it, but the public is not bothered about it. The precision, gravity and institution ality, instead of the individuality, of the system prevent precipitate ad- vance to obnoxious or untenable | positions requiring a precipiiate re- treat from them. There is no beat | ing on the t0m-tom of cards, eXplan- 1 lti0ns and announcements. No i temple has 10 be burned down to | roast pig. No boiler has U be eX- pl0dcd 10 elicc; or proclaim d | change of engineers. The engineers ! are changed, but the engineering | roes on without haste, noise CT rest. |
 Not merely to the paper but to the | editor is this by far the better way. It makes him more of an editor and | ess of anything else. It fills him ] with his profession, and not with aims or activities outside of 1t. l. keeps him above the trading political lass, and he is neither appa- 'ently their oracle nor really heir errand boy He is able to be and serene in his office, and lOesnot fritter or scatter his energies n alien avOcatiOns. lie can be the .ritic and needs not be the crOny of partisan schcmers or jObbers. He is party's censor and not its servant. Ie can concentrate his powers on lis work and not weaken them or .hcapen 1t by lending his time and oil 10 those who would use him and lOut him when done with him. He an serve his paper wholly, and never ieed divided duty or interest dis ract him. The course commended $ journalism. The course con- Iemned is not. Journalism will en- orce itself on journals and journal sts, whether they will have it so or lOt. It will run over them if they To not rud with il. Journalism is a profession of persons trained to work and effective in pro- portion as they do so and ineffective n proportion as they do not The .ditor who edits passes his life into iis work and 10 the common cause md credit of his calling. Who does ess dissipates his pow,rs, his oppor- unItiCs. and coufOunds q losing and Vasting pursuit of outside phautOms with the true mission and scope of he most eXacting and not the least lonorabie oc cupatiOn known among nen Albany Argus.
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