Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1883-05-24
BY NOBLE l.. PRENTIs ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF
THE CHAMPION

IL is hardly necessary to inform a COM
pany - well posted on the classics as this
company who, in the language of time
worn story, have socked with old Socrates,
and ripped with old Euripides that the
Roman augurs were accustomed, when pur-
SUNG their butcher-shop Investigations. and
pretending to foretell future events, to grin
IN each others faces, unseen by the pros
tTate, adorng and credulous multitude
While we are not supposed to be quite
equal to the dupliclty of these ancient Rom
an sooihsayers, We NAV as well understand
that this being confidential assembly, and
there being no strangers ia the gallery, We
are at liberty TO indulge in some mutual rev
ealions which We are not accustomed 10 dis
play IN full-face caps IN the columns Of our
respective newspapers. The last Of the
sheep and goats have been offered up; the
fire has gone out the multitude has left the
temple and the priests are supposed to be
standing abou, lndulglng in a little quiet,
professional talk about the real merits, the
actual refrigerated facts OF the sacrifice bus
iness.
Fhese annual meetings Of ours have been
usually devoted. as far a. the ura,iuns went,
TO the glorhcation Of our order Several
OF the orators have told me before hand that
they knew better. but on reaching the ros
trum thes invariably weakened and went in
a. atoretlme abou, the "buwark Of freedom. ="
the old palladium" and the "le,er that
moves the world" Perhaps had been ri,
en- NOR. time for deliberation NIGH, have
done the same thing but being Obliged on
about tvent, four hours notice 10 "a, some
thing, have been led BY sheer desperation
10 tell the truth.
In the old times. the man sho ran a news
papcr-who wrote the edliorial.-was called
aprntrr, and the popular and gen, rally cor
rect idea was, that he vas the n I.ier Of 4
trade 40 art-not Of a profession All the
talk about journalism as a profession is
modern and new. IL was unknown fft,
,rar- ago 4 profession implies prepara-
uon. Doctors, lawyers and preachers. count
90 a. pToie>sionh men. are supposed to have
somewhere, somehow and at some time,
qualified themselves for their duties and
here comes ~ The hrst Of the popular delu-
sions IN which some Of ourselves are simple
enough To indulge that We are actual,
professors s-pruir-surs Of journalism. II -,
when did We study r Al what school iId We
qualify ourselves When, where and hoa
did We gam The ability 10 instruct our fr.-
io1 citizens When ucre We ordained Ia
the ministry Of public enlightenment ,
q" called "a. 70 preach ia long primer. hr.-
,lrr or nonparcii1 Echo answers. I'VE
give IL up. We are neither better nor
worse than the average OF the mas. of far
y Intelligent people. We ma, have our
opinion, lAc Others but there j. nothing 10
our natural faculties. or acquired irarnius
or experience. 10 authorize Il, To pose As
ora,ir>, ana consequent, ahcn gentleman
say. Il am b, ITpf,su"a a JotirnIll,f." II
lmp.lrs nu more than Il he had sand tina, ht
sas professor ~ tut-cArprntr,, usually
called oh,ropodI,t or that he va, a poet
because he wrote the advertisements, Of St
jacobs Oh.
laboring under misapprehension a, to
Who We are We are also guilty of an enor-
nous misca!culaiion as 70 how much Ne
amount TO- iaSuritr cut. | think It u |,
ihs somewhere p every printing office. !,
that " Az old-iashionrd hand press, With
ha>hes 81 llghtning emanatlng from IT, Old
bcd, illuminating not ont, the iynpan-~ sheet.
but the piece Of wood known A. the devils
tail. his il supposed 10 represent, tigur-
atiNely. the influence Of the Newspaper light
n. up The world, ngthening truth by Ill.
directing illumination. and blasting error b,
It, binding exposure and, brethren, is il
not enough TO make u, ~ round behind the
otiice and laugh. when We think Of our.el, IS
as the .lluminators of the world We had
better send that old cut to the foundry, If We
really .uppp>e Il means ANYTHING.
We are fond of saving that We lead
mould and dlrec, pubic opinion. Are We
sur- VI this ? Have we not got the horse
behind the vehicle. instead Of inserting him
between the shafts l. IL not the vague IN
furuCr known a. psslIc opinion that mould I,
as Before We 90 into a town and set up
that wonderful hand press. with il, bed
flashing lightning. both forked and sheet, do
We not take pains 10 ascertain the existing
public opinion. and how it will ma,eria!ize
~ ihe shape Of subscription, advertising and
JOB work II Is great, my friends. TO ride
the whlTlwlnd and direct the storm. |, is a
proud thing to mould the mind- Of men 10
shape them a, the potter fashions the clay !;
but II is also sweet To get the sherltf-s sale,
and tax list. lis sad, my friends, to admit
IL; but think We stick up with more forti-
tude for the county printing at full legal
rates, than We do to the work of moulding
an obdurate and hostile public opinion.
An illustration of this moulding business
is supposed to be afforded BY the early his
tory OF h ansas. The press. II is said made
Kansas free; and bytheway. more persons
are credited with making Kansas free than
participated IN the murder. and what many
newspapers persist in calling the "funeral
obsequies" of Cock Robin. Undoubtedly
the press did its part, but does this mean
that printing office, in addition to being
the birthplace of a newspaper. and the tenn
pie OF art from whence issue both plain and
fancy job printing, IS also the chosen cita-
del of Freedom Is the press naturally
and inevitably the friend of human libert, ?
If %, how did it happen that the press Of
Missouri did not make that State free /?
Why did not the papers on the different sides
Of the sweet stream, the placid and pellucid
Missouri JOIN in the great work Of estab-
llshlng liberty? We know very we'll they
did not. We know very well that while the
Kansas editor was using hi, shooting stick
To lock up columns breathing the n,lnclble
spirit Of freedom. the Missouri editor vas
girdng on his shooting iron to come over
the border and blow the whole top of the
head off the first abolitionist he met which
10 phe VI "iNHau''iS PubIiS OpiIiiuu
1t is not common as formerly, but il
was once the custom To head papers With
some motto. The weekly edition of the pa
per in which your orator does his mould
ing" bears at its head the saying of Henry
Clay, 81 had rather be right than President"
Mr.. Clay. you will remember, was 80 right
thar he got left Others were accustomed
to nail to the masthead Fearless and free" :"
"lndependent in all things, neutral in moth
ing The old-fashioned paper announced
with the date line, that il dared the peoples
rights to maintain, unawed BY influence and
unbrihed by gain. We do not see as much
of this as formerly. The motto has gone
into the hell-box. and in its place is substi-
tuted some casual reference to .offical pa
per Of the county," or passing notice about
"two dollars year in advance" This is a
symptom Of dawning reason. 1t is q de-
scent in the direction Of bedrock. 1t is a
quie, resignation in part Of unwarrantable
assumptions. Let the good work 10 on.
We already see ourselves as others zee rs !;
let US own up.
Another fallacy INDUCED in by us-by