Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-10-27
WALHALLA, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY ocroBEn oz lss

IL IohoDhf3 oCiUBEA III, 1881.
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ment of tho Journal is tho ronorting, that
Is, the special reporting us distinguished
nom tho moro general ucws gathering. J.
mean the reports of proceedings in Con
gross, Conventions, Assemblies and Con.
fercnoes, public conversations, lectures,
sermons, Investigations, law trials. and
occurrences of all sorts that rise into ccnc,
raj importance. These reports arc tho basi.
of our knowledge aud opinions. If thcy
arc talse or exaggerated we are ignorant OF
what is 'akiug place and misled. It is Of
Infinite more Importance that they should
be absolutely trustworthy than that The
editorial commcnts should 5e sound and
wise. There should be sharp line drawn
between tho report and tho editorial. De.
tore speaking Of the reasons fvr the public
distrust in rcpolts it is proper to put ia one
qualification. The public itself, and no,
the newspapers, is the factory of baseless
'umo's and untru'hs. Although tho news.
paper gives currency to sumo of .hcse.
1t is the great coircctor of pupular ru-
mos.
Intelligent and honest reporting OF wha;.
ever interests The public is the sound basj,
OF all journalism. And yet so careless
have editors been Of all lis, that re-
porter has Decn sent to attend ,ae sessions
of pathological convention who ha,; not
the least linguistic Knowledge, having always
ocen employed on murine disasters. Another
reporter who was assigned 10 inform, The
puolIc OF the results OF a difficult q, chcolo-
s'oa! investigation, i,ankly confessed his
inability TO understand what was going on,
ior MS oioinary business, he said, was cal.
tie A story is tolG Of metropolitan
journal, which illustrates another difficulty
.ho public has in keeping upits confidence
in newspaper infaIli5ility. Il u,ay not bc
true for history, but answers for an illustla.
'lon. The annu'l November mecvrs wc,c
expected on certain night. ne journal
prepared an elaborate article several col
umns IN length on mctcoric displays in
general and on the display of that nioi,t ip
particular, giving in detail The appearance
OF Tie heavens from the metropolitan roofs
IN various parts of the city, tho Shooting
OF the metcois amid the bluzing constela-
tlons, the size aud times of flight Of the
merry bodlcs-in short most vivid and
sclen''iic account Of The lofty fireworks
Unfortunately The highs was CLOUDY. The
article WAS in type aud ready, but the
clouds woulV not break She last uuyncnt
Tor going 10 press arrived, there was
D'obabil!'v,, AhnL.. The clouGs would lift be-
risk. The uticlc that appeared wai ye.y
Interesting, but its scientific value was
Impaired by HE fact hat the heavens were
obscurcd The whole night, ana the nclcms,
it any arrived, we've invisible 'j'he
reasonable excuse of Inc editor would be
that he could not control the elcmcnts.
TIE EDITORIAL PAGE.
The editorials of our journals seem TO
me better than formerly, improved ia tone,
in courtesy, in self-rcspcct-tho you
may not have to go far or search long for
tic provincial note and Tho easy grace Of
HE fronicr-aud they are bette, w,iiten.
This is because the newspaper has become
mo,e profitable aud is able to pay for talent
and has attracted to IL educated young incn.
There is II sort Of editorial ability, of
facility, Of force, that can only be acquired
by practice, and in tho newspaper office; no
school can ever teach il; but the young
Cdlior who has broad basis of general
education, Of Information in history, politi-
cal economy, the classics aud polite liiera-
ture, has an imrucnsc advantage over the
man who has merely practical experience.
For the editorial, if II is to hold i,s place,
must be more and moro The product Of
infol nation, culture anu reflection, as we'll
as of saeacity and alertncss. Ignorance Of
foreign affairs, and of economic science,
the American people have in times past
winkcd at, but they vii! not always wink
at il.
NEWSPAPER INFLUENCE.
"Thc power of the prcss"-as something
to be feared or admircd-is lavor,c
theme Of dinncr-tabe orators and clergy
men. l should say il is n medium Of force
rather than toico itself. [ confess that
am oftcncr impressed with The powerlcss.
ness Of the press than otherwise, its slight
influence in bringing about any ,eform or
in inducing the public to do what is for its
own good aud what it is disinclincG to do.
Talk about the power of the press, say in
legislature, when once it is suspicious that
somebody is trying to influence it, and see
how it will retire, with what grace it can,
before an invincitlc and virtuous lobby.
Tie fear of the combination of the press
for any improper purpose or long for any
proper purpose, is chinerical. Whoever
the newspapers agree with they do not
agree with each other. Tho public itself
never takes so many conflicting views on