The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1880-05-07

From the COrinth Record.

Prom the Coftnth Record.
Did it ever occur to You that
when men failed at everything else,
they often thought they could sue
cessfully run a newspaper 1t is
true the newspaper man who is
born such will rarely ever succeed
at anything else; but il he has that
natural tact aud gift for the bust.
ness, he will rarely postpone u trial
of it until he had tried and failed
everything else. OF all pursuits,
it does seem to me that the news
paper business is Oyerdone or not
done at all in this country more than
IN any other. How some papers are
kept up, is surprising to everybody.
You look in vain for any news OF
general interest, but you will find
the most trivial incidents in pri.
vate life paraded in the local col.
umns, and often is it the case that
the proprietorsagent will till a whole
column with the incidents of his
travel from place to place, stating
with whom he staid all night,
where he ate dinner, what beauti.
ful aud accomplished young ladies
he saw, how he swan creek, and
all such silly trash. Their readers
are easily pleased if such articles
please them. Again everybody
who calls is their sold friend' who
must have u puff. The average
reader regards such sheets as the
medium of expression of personal
feelings between the editor and his
friends. That locals are vital to
the success of the paper, will ad.
init. But they will be such items
as would not only interest the
readers of the locality but also the
general reader If possible. How
silly, how ridiculous is it to an.
n0unce that "our friend ---
looks happy this morniug-it's a
ten FOUNDER and a girl.' How
coarse it sounds, ,in the ears OF re.
tiued people! II may be that such
stuff pleases the majority OF the
readers of such sheets, but that
makes no difference. 1t is the mis-.
sion and duty OF a public journalist
to seek not only to inform, but to
elevate and refine his readers and
to write nothing, publish nothing,
that causes u blush to mantle the
cheek OF innocence or to excite dis
gust in any one. 1t does seem that
OF all people, editors should be most
careful and watchtul as to what
food they place before their read
ers. 1t is spread before the world,
old aud young, grey and gay, good
aud bad, and it makes no differ.
ence how well or how badly the pa
per is edited, it will exert an intlu-
ence on some minds, either tor good
or for evil, which perhaps will new
er be erJdicated while lite lasts.
AS tar as Que is able to judge, n
large majority of the editors have
made u similar mistake. Editors,
like poets, are born, not made, aud
it makes no difference what may be
a mans ed lcation, bis learning, his
information, his personal pOpulari-
ty, if he does not possess the Datu-
raj gift and tact of the born editor,
he will surely fail. A striking H.
lustration of tbis fact was seen in
Ohio many years ago. A learned
aud eminent judge of great popu-
larity was placed at the head of a
leading political paper, in the con-
hdent belief that it would prove a
success. But the result was 1t
proved a dead failure because the
editor was not born such. The
truth is that the press is u power
in the land and always will be, but
its influence has been sadly di
miaished by the manner in which
papers have been conducted. In
the end public opinion will rid.the
country of many OF these excres.
cences, and then good papers will
be sustained as they should be.
May the time soou come when the
tone aud temper and talent of the
press will he enlisted for the sole
purpose of impartiug correct infor-
nation, of upholding the right by
calm argument, and BY exposing
error in a spirit of fairness and
without bitterness, and at all times
give a reason for the faith that is
in them. CoM0s.