Omaha daily bee., 1885-04-21
"0NLY A REPORTER"
A Class of Men Less Estimated and
More UDappreciated Than Any
Others OF Society.

community" was the expression q BEE
man heard On yesterday while a group Ct
persons, Of whom he was one, were stand.
Ing "out of the rain" in the friendly
shelter of o Douglas street bnilding.
A nation becomes embroiled with an
other and war Is declared; she calls for
men to fight for the national honor and
interests; the preparations for the con-
flct are ordered and hurried forward;
homes are left with one, two, three va
cant chairs, while amid tears of wives
and mothers the dear ones hurry off to
diel Who Is II that sends words Of
cheer to the lonely; words of comfort to
the sorrowipg; words of good meaning
to the anxlousl Only a reporter!
Dilease, contsgion, suffering, death
and danger are abroad In the land;
grave after grave is opened and filled;
men and women fly from the destroyer,
leaving homes, property, loved ones, all
behind them. Who sends, In the eager
ly seized and anxiously read columns of
the daily paper, word of comfort or of
truth, of gladness or of doom to the
anxious walters and watchers for news
from the dreaded district Only q re-
porter.
A battle is fought; In every house, and
every fireslde, deep in every home sane
tuary throughout the loyslland, are faith
ers, mothers, sisters, wives tremblingly
asking for tidings of their absent ones.
Who is 1t that rides and walks amid the
shot and shell, stumbling here over a
mangled body, yonder lifting the form of
q dying hero and soothing his last hours
by taking and sending o message to his
household godsl Only a reporter.
There Is a festival or pleasure-psrty to
be given; the railroad cars are chartered,
the train put in place; the young and the
old, the best beloved and the brightest
of the jewels Of domestic life get upon
the train and speed away In search of
pleasure. A broken rail, o weakened
bridge; a cracked wheel and-a wreck!
Who is first there, ministering to the
wounded and helpless, and sending words
of good cheer to the anxious ones left be-
hind, who are wondering who are killed
or wounded2 Only a reporter.
A great public occasion is to be COM
memorated; the high, the learned, the
honored are assembled, and the exercises
and splendid ceremonies begin and end.
Who is 1t that tolls and works day and
night to gather these happenings, and
herald them to the millions of homes In
the land to entertain, instruct and amuse
his countrymen and countrywomen!
Only, a reporter.
A grand ball or wedding comes off.
The beautiful, the fashionable. the srtless
and the artful, gather there !; each with
purpose, hidden often beneath the gor.
geous ana glitterlpg splendors of apparel
and of pearls, and masked beneath the
smile that least BELTS who wears 1t most .
Who moves unnoticed, uncared for, al.
most snubbed, except by those who wish
to use his service, and goes off alone to
tell upon the morrow In words of praise
and compliment (Which too often should
blister his soul for ~fa'sehood) the charms
of some painted, powdered, dressed, up
woman In words that make her beautiful
and good2 Only a reporter.
A house is on fire: 1t /, filled with
helpless children or poor working girlt
whose worn and wearied frames are
stretched and packed in the aleeping
rooms, where rest is sought before to-
morrow's sui Gala them back to labor
The cry of danger Ia sounded; the flamel
leap high the crash of hurrying engines
and yelling men awaken not these poo,
labor restrained sleepers; the timbers he
gin to tremble and topple and fall, til
finally no human skill or courage cal
save or snatch them from the burning
Who Is it that Is first there, all the tim
there, hunting here and yonder, catchin
name in this place; asking In thai plac
who the Victim is; noting the burn Z @
one, the broken limb of another, dottln
down all the pregnant facts, that in tn
morning of the morrow the friends an
dear ones alike Of the survivors and tn
burned, bltstered and dead ones ms
read the tidings of truth, be they we
come or no.2 Only q reporter.
A murder is committed in III
city. The victim is taken t. tho hushe
and silent room, his slayer to tn
jail. The community Is a tip.toe to kno'
when, and how, and where and why
happened. Who is it thot watches th
unfortunate die, leans near to catch h
last gasp, stands by and preserves thslwoi
of witnesses, goes into the gloomy, darl
some dungeon, listens to the story of Il
accused and then places an intelligent a
count of the whole before a'curious, exac
Ing public? Only a reporter.
Who is 1t that watches and warns
danger2 Who is 1t that gathers in tt
silent hours of the night and In the HI
glare of the midday, while the world
asleep or in some roEnd of revelry ar
Joy, all of interest, Of use, of acciden
of entertainment and spreads it all befo
every man and woman 10 the commun
ty2 Only q reporter.
Who listens TO the story told by son
spiteful one that blackens the fair fan
Of the slaudersd, and, If repeated, W
stain forever the Immediate jewel
ones SOUL" and suppresses the ]
which, If given to the world, would new
be overtaken by truth and j~uatice2 On
a reporter.
Who hears the cry of the suferin
Who daily bends q sympathetic ear
the tales of misery, of deception,
blasted life, of desertion, misery al
coveted death, and repsyifg the con
dencs with b~rotherly counsel, Carl
these sacred secrets untold through
daily lifs2 Only q reporter.
Who hears most and says less; ikno'
secrets but has none of his own. anil