Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1883-05-12

~ OGIltuClAI.
/ will not linger here over the rels
q tive influence with the public Of new
and editorial matter. Each has il
sphere. The news should be copious
D fresh, and above all, exact. Espeo
ally, may / say, should all reports @
n interviews with individuals he truth
fully given. The reporter who woul
put words into the mouth of anothe
which were never uttered should b
treated as an outlaw, as disreputable il
, journalism as Bashibazouk is held t,
be in soldiery. The editorial articl
should have its place. Upon eyer,
topic of sufficient general interest th
editor should express an opinion
This his better opportunities for obser
vation and gathering extended infor
nation, renders valuable to his read
ers. 1t is unnecessary to say tina
this opinion should be an honest one, a.
free from prejudice or passion as ina,
be. Above all it should rise superior
to demagogism for party purposes
either in church or state. The editol
should learn very early in his career, i
he is not honest from higher motive
that honesty is the best policy. Iti.
very great mistake to reckon the peO
pie who read, especially the people lOhe
read newspapers, las fools. They
must be held as little better if false rea
soning is. consciously put upon them
with the avowed purpose of deceivina
them through their passions. Party
newspapers in any field can make nc
greater mistake than this. Not only
do they weaken their influence but
they break down cause which from
their very writings it is to be inferred
has no reason for existing. As to
long and short editorials there is this
to say. Redundancy in language is
fatguing and obsculing, hence the
shorter all article is the better; the
fewer words are used to convey the
necessary idea or information the more
readers the article will have; but il
does not necessarily follow that long
editorials should never be written. II
a subject is Of great Importance, upper
most in the minds of the people at the
time, necessary to be treated immedi-
ately, and it takes a three column editor
ial to do 1t properly, the three column
editorial should be given. If it is
not, the editor will have neglected a
duty. The idle and the careless may
not read the long article, but the pru-
dent and thoughtful will, and it is quite
] as important to merit the appreciation
of the latter as it is to win the applause
of the former. .r 80 - .z
The = 1sirv as necessary. once
eheW an editor who was a man of edu-
cation. He was graduate of one of
the best eastern colleges. He was full
of information. His conversation
was instructive and exceedingly inter-
esting. He possessed the mental
training necessary to have made a mark
in the profession, but he was indolent.
As one of his associates in business said
of him, he could talk the prettiest ima-
ginable editorials, but he was too lazy to
write them, or to write them. in time.
His failure was inevitable. He gave
up journalism, and went to other ave-
nues of life where the demands upon
his vital energies were not SO exacting.
1t may be safely said, indeed it is so
/ true as to be automatic, that success in
! journalism comes from mental energy
properly applied to the field nearest at
hand.
If speak of religion in connection
with journalism l hope I shall not be
considered Pharisaic. 1t is not be-
cause l feel myself better than nv
brother, but that regard as most ex-
alted the duties as well as the oppor-
tunitiesof journalism. We allspeak
| of the press as the greatest teacher of
| modern times. 1t is true. The
| village newspaper has an audience ten
| times as great as the most popular
preacher of the neighborhood; the met
ropolitan nnewspaperonee even OF greater
proportion. The newspaper is more
read than books. Indeed it enters
very many dwellings where books are
almost strangers. suppose that if
| were to catechize this association
would find nine-1enths of its members
| Christian men and women, at least per
sons who believe i'm the Christian reli-
gion and think that its tenets should be
taught, and that being taught they are
| beneficial. Upon them are founded
the common law and our statutes, state
and national. Bv them are men
weighed and judged. even in a worldly
point of view. And yet nothing is
more common in the press than a levitv
and want of reverence regardingsacred
| things which must sooner or laterif they
continue undermine religion. The
preacher holds up the gospel; the news
paper too often with flippant Jest un
does his work, for "who can refute a
sneer!" arrogate no virtue to nv
self in speaking of it. plead guilty
to the fault with others, but it has
nevertheless been true in the past. l
rejoice to say that as we recede from
the demoralizing tendencies of the civil
war our journals are improving i'll this
respect. That at one time in avoiding
the heaviness of the English press they
went to an extreme i'll the opposite di-
rection i'll imitation of the Partisan.
there can be no doubt. The sooner
they entirely retrace their steps the
better. Not that | would exclude
humor, fun, life. On the contrary
believe that all these, in purity, are
conducive 10 morality. None but
the ascetic can fall in love with
any system which is forbidding
and repulsive. If l understand
the mission of the Nazarene it was to
bring joy, not sorrow, into the world i.
as we WIN our newspapers are grad
ually and steadily superseding the book
maker the encroachnent deyolves upon
us high order of work if we would
not render type an injury rather thai, a
blessing to mankind.
Why do we immortalize and revere
George Washington Napoleon was
greater general; Alexander fought
greater battles; even Semiramis,
woman, commanded armies to which
those OF the revolution would scarcely
have made respectable outpost.
Pitt was more profound statesman;
Richelieu more finished diplomatist.
Why is it, then, that men of every
country when they visit Mount Vernon
reverently uncover when they stand
before the tomb of Washington 1t
is. because he was great as a
man.. Not only equal to all
occasions as a soldier, and never
At loss as a statesman, but
because of his self-abnegation and his
love for his fellow-men. More than
this, his public, as well as his private
life, was lived with the love and fear of
bis God held boldly before his country