Richland beacon., 1881-03-26

type To form line. There Is about his
work nothing ofthatIuick, uncrring nip
which marks the fingers of a modern
composition. a. they fly among the type
and SEIZE the very letter wanted in a
tricc. With quiet and steady pace and
many a thoughtful pause, his fingers
travel through their task. The master
printer in his furred gown moves through
tn" room, directs the wcdging of Il page
or sheet. and then resumes his high
stool to complete the reading Of Il proof
pulled freshly from the press.
l. it Necessary that | should draw the
parallel of such Il master and such Il
printing establishment in our own day
in order TO impress upon Your minds
what progress has been made in journal
ism? Must ] follow up the small semi
occasional publications until the issues
become monthly. semi-mOnthly.w weekly,
semi and trl-wcekly, and finally culmi-
nate in grand establishments under the
direction ofintcllcctUal giants. each with
scores of associates and rclortorial sub
ordinateS Shall | follow the steady
development of the profession until the
newspaper mcIsurably supplants the
forum, and takes under its SUPERVISION
and care the instruction and guidance of
the world i'll government. in literature.
science and commerce? But | am adj
dressing professional journalists. to
whom the procession If journalistic OK
ccllrncc is familiar, and | may therefore
bc allowed TO pass on 10 other matters.
SO many grand events mark the pro-
grcss made in journalism that the
thoughtful writer must pause. appalled,
at the responsibilities of his Office
The persistent and partisan arguments
of the press have famed differences into
desOlating wars; its emphatic assertions
have enthroned some as kings. while the
sting of its bitter retort has caused the
degradation of otht rs, and at all times il
has been the instrument Of peace. the
engine of war. the defender Of the rights
and the avcngcr of the wrongs of man,
| the sword of nations and the pulse OF
the people.
If I were called upon to provide n
motto or monitory tablet, to he placed
over the desk OF every journalist, /
would take these words from Periclcs:
"Ialsume the lists.
Nor aak advice Of any other thought.
But fa!thfulness and courage"
The journalist is the historian OF yes
terday with an alert ear for the Fremont
| tons of the morrow "a monarch of
opinion if he dkscrown not himself His
realm is the best on earth if he sways it
Alright, for he addresses the best i'm
pulses and staidest judgment of his
readers. His utterances may not always
be welcome, but if they disclose u virile
motive and Just solicitude for social
interests they are certain to command
! respect.
The greater the expenditure Of truth
| by the journalist, the more he enriches
himself with n capacity for truth. and
| the more certain his value to the public
aS training hardenS the muscles of an
athlete. WolSeV, ShOrn of his hOnOrs
and cOntrite for his errors, contributes
the best of admonitions to the journalist
B Just ard fear not
L. en- he encs thou ,-i!,s't at DC thy country's
Thy G DDS and truths"
| The American press may well excite
wonder for its compass and resources
Like a huge spider its web spans ocean.
and enmcshes events like tiles which ar,
dragged into its covert, puncturcd Will
pens and sucked dry.
GladStoneS frOwn, BiSmarck's war,
smile. the new Irish or Indian ferment
are rehcarsed to us the next morning al
Reality AS the street brawl on our mex
block. The whole enlightened world i
constraincdtob e candid. The telegraph
abolishes leagues, makes Us Jostl'
elbows, imposes upon the statesman
responsibility not limited To his -Owi
country, and quickens all civilization L
n stern police-pOwer over all men wh'
stand upon forums, who seize the helm,
of State or lead revolutionary vans witt
an avOwed purpose TO serve it. The da,
has come when the newspaper is more
than u political tract, or a statements
speech, or any other single agency o.
communicating thought great journal
is all this; it is the difference between
an occasional hammer and a trip ham
mer that persistently smites This is a
great service. Cromwell dispersed par
Lament; the press has shattered doze ms
on both sides of the Atlantic. Vast
numbers Of men in mischievOus civic OF
military organizations find more effec-
tual check in newspapers than in artil.
lery, because the newspapers are gener-
ally loaded with a just public opinion
And just so long as the press rightly
interprets and vindicates that instinct
of Justice and fair play which is rooted
in every mans nature, just SO long will
it be a stout, growing oak, drawing nur-
ture from the moral soil in which il is
planted; its foliage and fruit will always
be grateful and wholesome boons.
| There is an evil in journalism, some
! people would call it a minor one, but
which is all too prevalent. L refer to the
cOwardice of some journalists whose
policy sits above conscience;" who
write with an askant eye upon the ad-
vertising columns and coin their Opin-
ions to suit popular prejudices. A
journalist worthy Of the name is a
teacher whose calling it is to express
what he cOnceives to be the best opinions
in the public interests. If he borrows
/ opinions and is mere echo of his
patrons, he is rccreant to his trust
''Taffeta phrases, silken terms precise, -
go for little. There must be the fibre
! of conviction in editorial matter. as if il
were written, not with fiaccid hand,
but with resOlute fist. Truth deserves
candid avowal, and the journalist that
falters subtracts from it.
And yet there is another vice-another
need and place for progress. A journal,
as | have said, that so largely discharges
its functions as tract and speech, should
be strictly mindful its literary method
Its sentences should be arrows. moi
clumsy clubs. There is a too frequent
excess of verbiagc in our newspaper
columns, by reason Of which the purpose
conveyed plays a sort of bo- peep with
the re+der. 1t is something like the
wind-swept snow, which drifts here and
Isfa h. Il,