Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-05-25
AAssAs JoUsAL1sM.
ID ia -, FaHacics Snnd Foibles -Ad-
mess rIivered by Noble L. Prentis
Usfore&h KANSAS EdttOrs' and Pub.
49, Ia fio1s2af WIu0eld.

- r. -. Fshacics and Foibles -Ad-
4 U<ess WeIfvored BY Noble L. Prentis
usrore me kansas lzdttOrss and Pub.
Itsherss Asses iationsat Winfield.
- IL hardy necessary tos1nform a company
80 well posted on the classics as .n, .;, COM
story have socked with old Socrates, and
ripped With old Euripides-Nhht the Roman
>a,igurs xcre accustomed, when pursuing their
butcher-shop Investigations, and pretending
to farteH future ert Ms, to grimm each others
faces. unseen by the PROSTATE, adoring and
credulous multitude.
While we are not supposed to be quiteleaual
to the. duplicity OF these ancicnt Roman sooth-
savers, we may as wei understand that TINS
being n confidential assembly, and there be-
ing no strangers in the gallery, we are at lib
erty to indulge in some mutual revelations
which we are not accustomed to display In
newspapers. The last of tho sheep and goats
have been offered up; the fire has gone ont;
the multitude. lett thesemp,e, ana the
dulgfng in a little quiet professional talcabout
the real merits. the actual refrigerated facts
OF the sacrifice business.
These annual meetings of ours have been
usually devoted, as far as the orations went,
to the gloriflcstion of our order. Several of
the orators hayctoldme beforehand that they
knew better. but on reaching tho fostrdm
they Invariably weakened audwent nasafere'
time about the .bulwark of freedem." and
the old palladium and the sleEer that
moves the world" Perhaps had been given
more time fordeliberation might have done
the same thing; but being obliged on about
have been led by sheer desperation to tell the
truth.
In the old times the man who ran a newspa-
per-who wrote the editorials, was called
printer, and the popular and generally
correct idea was that he was master of
trade--an art-and not or profession. All
the talk about Journalism as a prufrssion is
modern and new IL was unknown fifty years
ago. a profession iupics-prcpaT ration. Doc
tors, lawyers and preachers, couptcd ais pro-
fCSSlODll SlInnOSpd tO have
where, somehow, and at some time, Qualified
| themselves for their duties; and here comes
IN the FIRST of the popular decisions or w hich
someof ourselves are simple enough, TO in
dulge-that we are actually profess0Hs-pro-
fessors of journalism. II SO. when did we
study At what school did we qualify our
selves? When, where and when did-we gain
the ability to instruct our fellow-citizensY
When were ordained to the ministry of
public enlightenment? Who called us to
Echo answers, I'VE give itup." We are neither
better nor worse than the average of the mass
of fairly intelligent people. We may have
our opinions like others; but there is nothing
IN our natural faculties, or acquired learning,
| or experience, to authorize us to pose as era
| Giles, and consequently when gentleman
| says, Lam by profession a Journalist, = il im-
| pnes no more than IL he said he wasa profess
| s0r of toe-carpentry, usually called chropO-
| dist; or that he was poet because he wrote
the advertisements of ST. Jacobs Oil.
Lisborirg under misapprehcnsion as TO
who We are, we are also guilty of an enor-
nous characterization as to how much we
amount to. favorito cut think it is lying
somewhere in every printing ofiice-is that OF
an Old-fashioncd hand press with flashes of
| lightning emanating from its old bed, illtni
mating not only the tympan-shcet, but the
piece of wood known as the devils tail. -
| This is supposed to represent figuratively,
the influence of the newspaper lighting up
| the world, strengthening truth by its direct
| ing illumination, and blasting error Wy its
| binding exposure; and brethren is it not
enough to make us go round behind the Office
and laugh when we think of ourselves as the
linn
send that old cut to the foundry il we really
suppose it means anything.
We are fond of saying that we lead, mould
ana direct public opinion. Are We surcf OF
, that! Have we not got the horse behind the
vehicle, instead of inserting him between the
shafts; Is it not the vague infiuence known
| ss public opiEion that mOulds us?s Before we
go into town and set up that wonderful
hand press, with its bed flashing lightning
both forkcd and sheet, do we not take Puins TO
ascertain the existing public opinion and how
u will materialize in the shape of subscrip-
ton, advertising and job work? 1t is great,
my friends, to ride the whirlwind apd direct
the storm. 1t is proud thing TO mould the
| minds of ncn-to shape them as the potter
fashions the clay; hut it is also sweet to get
the Sheriff s sales and tax list. 'Tis sad, my
friends, TO admit it; but I-thnk we stick up
with more foritudc for the county printing
at full legal rates than we do to the work of
moulding an obduratc and hostile public
Is An illustration of this moulding business ia
supposed to he afforded by the early history of
| Kansas. The press it is said, made Kansas
Tree; and, 10y the way, more persons are cred
tied with making Kansas free than partici-
pated in the murder, and what many news
1 papers persist in calling the funeral obsc-
quics of Cock Robin. Undoubtedly the press
did Its part; but does this mean,that a print
ing Office, In addition TO being the birthplace
Of newspaper and the temple of art from
| whence issue both plain and fancy job print
ing, is also tho chosen citadel of frcedoms is
o 5fe bnan hnrH and ne Sd IA the friend
that the press of Missouri did not make that
state free? Why did not the papers on the
different sides of that sweet stream the placid
| and pellucid Missouri join in the great work
of establishing liberty? We know very well
they did not. We know very well that while
The Kansas editor was using his shOoting-stick
10 lock up columns breathing the invinciblc
spirit of freedom, the Missouri editor was
<irding on his sbooting-iron to come over the
| border and blow the whole top of the head of
| Of the first Abolitionist he met; which is one
| way of moulding public opinion" -
Ii Is not so common now as formerly, but IL
| was once the custom to head papers with
| some motto. The weekly edition of the paper
IN which your orator does his "mOulding'
bears at its head the saying of Henry Clay, al
had rather be right than President" Mr.
Giay, YOU will remember, was so right that ne
got lett. Others were accustomed TO nail to
the masthead: " Fearless and free" "Inde-
pendent IN all things, neutral in nothing
me oid-fashioncd paper announced with, the
| date-linc, that II dared the peoples right
maintain, nnawcd by influence and uabribcd
by gam We do not see much of this as
| formerly. The motto has gone into thc~ hell
| box, and in itsplacc is substituted some casual
passing notice about two dollars aySar in
| ADVANCE" This is Il symptom on dawnng rea.
| son. 1t is descent in the direction of bed
! rock IL is quiet resignation in part of un-
! Garrantable assumptions. Let the goodswork
go on: We already sec ourselves as others see
rs; Let MS own up. ---&--ss
Another fallacy INDUCED in by us-by some
Of us at 1east-is, the belief that the ''profcs-
| uonof Journalism, If must use that hum
/ bug expression, gives us some social osftjon
~ I harr
! known adnong the scum of newspapcrdom
/ some very impudcnt presumption. i have
4 known men to be invited, through a species
| Of terrorism, TO homes whore the family
would not have allowed them had il not been
I Tor their newspaper connection, TO sleep in
the kennel with the housc-dog: but the gaItcr.
native 10 the family was, -"lnvite .me to- yo,ir
4 party, or ! viii abuse yon." Such instances
are rare, and never have been brought to tho
long ago have revised his opinion to tho
non-existencc OF place of future punisiii
lshment. An editor stands on. tho same plane
or should, as any other man The possession
of steel pen. several fonts OF typo, and a
press, either hand or power, docs not give
him any. special rights or privileges. In no
manly, courteous intciligcnt|ff Re contrib n <
ates hiss share to the public; entertainment,
refinement, or instruction-he should be
credited with IL; otherwise, not. Under this
head comes, the whole question of dead
headisn." An editor who is recognized in
who received kintincsses on that account or
who gives value received, no mattsryilat the
Obligation. Is not a dead-dead. JheAeditor
who asks favors which he does not expect TO
reciprocatc i'm any manner, hut merely be-
cause he a. an editor real or alleged, is dead
head And If nc accompanies his request with
threat as to what he viii do If he is refused,
he is something worse than a dead-hcad; he
Is black-maiing scoundrel.
Withall our professions OF truthfulncss. be-
loved brethren. for all that pailadi-
UNI, and a "butwark" and torch of civiliza-
ton" we have very well established rcpu-
tation for insincerty. / regret tto say that
this reputation is gaining on us. The word
liar is used in unpleasant proximity 10 the
Games of the family Journals which we con-
duct. AS fhe Southern orator said, they
~cast asparagus" on us; but this reputation
extends, think, more to the local than the
editorial page-pcrhaps because the latter is
necessarily original, while the former is fire.
quently stolen; but, indeed, we have scanty
Justice done us. In law the Intention is every
thing, and believe there are very few editors
who deliberately utter malicious falschoods
with the design of injuring their fellows. No.
the greater part of our evasions, our little
economies Of the truth, are the result of our
| CrpOd nature. of desire anarp the