Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-05-29
his ability to make or mar. You may
think am advocating provinciallsm.
Let me tell YOU


men. have giddy fear of being con-
idered trivial, and SO too often think
hey must write sparingly of LEGAL
lffairs and put it in nonpareil type,
;et solid, that they may have room
or loaded editorials, in long-primer
,r small plea, Oh the tariff, or ssme
topic of kindred and soporific mo-
uent. That is all error, and weak
ness. Nothing is trivial that affects
80 much of the earth as q county, un-
less the editors want of skill makes
II so nothing is trivial that concerns
the hearts or pockets of n thousand
l suppose that every
editor here present has at least q
thousand Subscribers, and no chromos
furnished. A paper gains popularity
and becomes Influential exactly in
proportion to the service it renders
and the satisfaction it gives to those
who buy it and take it home with
them. Gail it provincialism, II you
will know that is the way to win,
and success is what we are after.
Stick to the people who sustain you.
Take hold first of the things that lie
nearest you, aud reach out only as
YOUR subscription list coaxes and de-
mands. Your laber will be engrossed
enough, never doubt; your field will
expand fast enough, warrant you.
Aud ii happily you shall show that
YOU are superior to it all, the world
will find it out; remember that the
folks down at st. Leuis are always
looking for somebody who can run
the Globe Democrat and the Republic
can better than the clever gentlemen
who now conduct them.
am not claiming that the editor
| should sink his individuality Or for
felt his independence. Far from 1t.
Because man restricts himself it
does not follow that he must dwarf
| himself. A newspaper should have
a personality of its own, beyond the
| reach of fluctuation or copying; an
| editors work should reflect himself
like photograph. And at every
sacrifice ought the journalist to hold
fast to his independence, for
INDEpENDENCE is A RELIGION,
a shield and a saving grace, and when
| he parts with that he has little left
that is worth keeping. He can serve
every good cause, advance every
sound enterprise, not less, but more
by maintaining his right and his duty
to speak his honest thoughts. Not
always will he be correct in his views
and policies, of course, for even an
editor is not infallible; but he will
always be sincere, and consistent sln-
cerity, though sometimes at fault and
! defeated, is better than duplicity aud
, vascillation, though they should tri-
unph nine times out of ten.
There is closely allied TO indePen-
: dence and sincerity, another editorial
1 virtue which should be assiduously
owned and cultivated. allude to
fairness. No newspaper ever yet
Q gained any but transient and bslit-
: tling advantage by intolerance and
t misrepresentation. There are two
e sides to everything, Except our
: 'patent outsides, ~ and the other side
e Of anything Is always good to know.
= This is all age Of inquiry, of compass
It testing and weighing in the balances.
t We cannot at all times be sure We
t are right. sit is seldom safe," says
5 one OF the most sapient modern wrl-
i ters, ito use a stronger term than
Q probably" If we are really right,
e we risk nothing by fairly setting
!, forth the opposite opinions If we
II are wrong, the sooner we discover 1t
: The better. l know of no more eff
b tectual way to expose a.fallacy or up
l. root q pernicious doctrine than by
q frankly stating all that can be said In
its favor the best may ever be trust
y ell to beat the worst, ana to do it
IL openly and squarely.
y 1t follows almost without saying
e that fairness should be supplemented
q by good nature. Indeed there can
IL be no fairness without good nature
?. which is
- THE GOLDEN RULE OF JoURNALISM
n BY good nature, do not mean thai
,e easy-going aud profigate style o.
v thing winch eau smile on one sids
: while being kicked on the other.
n. mean rational chesrfulness, grounded
v upon self-respect aud a courage that
X is silken glove to hand that cal
ga smite as we'll as caress. 1t is the
devil of "pure cussedness" that
would have exercised and cast out.
ri the extirpation OF spleen aud preju
I'd dice, aud the cultivation of thing
3. that make labor pleasure and every
I'd day holiday, Or all people in thu
IT. world editors should be upon bes
ed terms with one another; of all force
TO for good in the world, newspaper
nv should most industriously preact
An the gospel of lenience and blitheness
Nv aud strive to "push humankind lit
m tie further into tho sunshine"
an There are particular and command
r. ing reasons why such should be tn,
le policy of the press here in the vale,
IL OF the Missouri. Our people, as
v. nave insisted, are one people, with
lie out regard to geographical mete
of and mountaineering in common
I'D direction toward a common destiny
al There must be peace among them
Ill aud kinduess, and fellowship. The
to do not want, they cannot afford, sni
th mostly and arrangement. Thei
Al. differences are of the surface only. q
ey breezes that rufile morning sea
is. underneath flows a single current
o. profound, tar-reaching and irresisti
or Ole. The newspapers alone can sti
CIV contention among these people or re
ed tard their progress and so, too, tn
is newspapers can do most to strengthe
rk the popular friendship, forward tn
r. public welfare and ensure the wanin
re greatness which will crown thes
he Of the sisterhOod.
M And thus come back to the poiu
its of starting, and say thanks and homo
So. to Charless for tie little Gazette {
oh 1908, which 'having the light, hand
III ed it over" Thus l point you t
, a the field that lies before you, tn
nd chances that wait for you, and charg
is- you as fellow-craftsman aud
a. neighbor, to be, above all thing,
re faithful. Let the light shine. kee
fe- the torch trimmed aud burning, al
us all aglow with good things well done
wv and as Missouri was first to light il
so may she lead in this great work
es is the thought l leave with you 9
IN parting as my bsst wish, and m
BIS werd of goodbye.
lse
III We must emphaticaLky say that no po litic
IL communications can hereafter appear In OIL
ey columns unless ttey ars handed an By Fedne
'es day eCeuiHg We are crowded with them
st- such All extent that we are forced to lea
~ cut advertisements, valuable TO us, and
~, cut down the reading matter to which oI
| loI mt To In