Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-05-15


When n subscriber pays for his news
paper the editor enters into Il tacit con-
tract with him to furnish him with re-
liable news, and with honest comment
upon all questions of sufficient impor
tance TO demand it. The physician may
visit Il patient or not as he chooses ,and
his professional standing is not impair
ed. Not SO with the editor. Whether
or not his private taste or inclination
impels him to silence upon Il certain
public question he must speak. 1t is
in the bond; il is his duty to express
his honest sentiment, and he cannot
shirk this duty without damage to
his journal. A lawyer may take a
fee upon either side of a cause and he
Is none the less thought of. Not SO the
newspaper. II must always advocate
the i%hi, or al least what it thinks is
the right, and if it takes fee at all,
even to do battle for a just cause or a
clean man it is forever disgraced.
This may upon the face of il look hard.
A surgeon or an advocate NAV by his
skill or eloquence command i'll one
case princely wage, whereas the
journalist must cXpend his best efforts
without bias Of money, of place or of
amy other recOmpensc. But this is
Just. The contract with the subscriber
is, that the editorial utterance shall be
honest, fair, free and impartial, and
the editor who sells his editorial col
umns, or shacklcs them at the behest
of II politician or Speculation, ,betrays his
trust, violates the confidence rcpOsed
i'll hun by his constituency, and dis
graces his profession. 1t used to be in
the early days of our country that
newspapers were the eXpOnents of the
views of certain big men OF the vicinity.
Their editorial articles were under
stood to be inspired, and to be in reali
ty the utterances OF some Colonel
Blundcrbuss. 1t was a common thing
i'll those times tor a candidate for con-
gress to start Il newspaper to be his
organ, and later Oh it was not uncom-
mon for speculative gentlemen to pro-
vide themselves with the same eXpen-
sive weapon. Thank God! the days of
such subserviency for the press are
over; and that the better educated Sen-
Limemt in America has rendered such
ventures impossible of fruition.
Altogether aside from theology, or
controversial differences of opinion,
Religion tends to morality. morality 10
cleanliness and obedience to the law.
Hence every journal owes it TO human
ity. to the family and the state to up
mold the dignity and the influence Of
religion. The duty of the editor in
this direction. once much neglected, is
now more and more recognized. Only
the other day famous pulpit orator
compared the newspaper OF to-day to
''lhe flying rOll' in Zachariah, and
among other things said:-''I declare
that the newspaper printing press is to
be the mighty agent by which the Cos
pei is to be preached, crime extirpated,
oppression dethroned, the world raised,
heaven rejoiced, and God glOritied." :"
This is very different estimate of
the press from that which has general
ly been formed by our clerical breth
rem, and that it can be made at all
from that direction shows healthy ad-
vance from both sides.
The editor owes duty to the fami-
ly, the main stay OF organized society.
In few instances does he fail i'll this
regard. The sanctity of the marriage
relation, the beauty of the united
home, she love of parents for children
and children for parents are generally
incnlcated.
AS to his guardianship of the state,
if any fault exists il is, that he devOies
too much of his time and space to
political subjects. These should not be
ignored. The exercise of the power
to tax is most sacredly to be scrutiniz
ed and held to accountability, aud the
execution of the laws and the expendi-
lure of the public revenue is most
jealously to be guarded. In these lie
much of human happiness. Wisely
conducted government secures happy
people; and OF the highest among
human aspirations is that which leads
minds like those of Jefferson and
Gladstone into craftsmanship, the
grandest OF all imstrnmentalities for
The ameliOration of the condition of the
human race. Still | cannot but feel
that many of our journals devote too
much space to political questions; in
deed, have in mind papers which
come to my table with little else in
| them but politics and crime, and the
| kind of politics which is usually so
served mp Is not itself much removed
from criminality. The fact that the
newspaper has so far supplanted books
makes this an evil, in that it entail.
upon the editor the duty to furnish
other and more wholesome mental
| pabulum. lie must bear in mind thai
to some homes his journal is the only
mental light. Here is IL responsibility
that to be appreciated has but tC
be stated. Ii suggests AS a necessity
an ecleCticism which but rarely obtains
do not by any means intend by this
statement to convey the idea that at
editor should attempt to cover all fields
Far from it. AS much as we NAV de
light to revel amid literary feasts o
| love, and flowers, ne " mOWn hay and
daffodils; rs greatly as the specialist
may enjoy his hobby; as gleefnlly "a.
the child may clap its hands and sina
over the mental pictures which it.
mind can grasp, no newspaper caI
cover all of these fields. First of all il
is Il newspaper TO record in stereOscop-
ic procession the events of the day
but if he is to properly inform tt,e reader
ofhis newspaper it is obvious That the
editor must have more than two sub
iects." III doth not live by bread only,
neither intellectually caa he live on
political tactiOnal qulrrels Tor "pap,'
~ upon salaciouS criminal reports In.
deed the less he has OF either of thes,
the better. The gentleman who will
line aud book, like rare old Isaak Wal
ton, enjoys i contenplativc walk bv
brook ami mead, would be shocked i
he We're termed II sporting man, instead
Of Il sportsman and lover of the fields
- there is a great difference between a
politician ami IA statesman. 1t should
be the aim of the editor to discuss pub
lic measures from the high p ane of the
| latter rather than tram the selfish and
narrow one ot the former; and he
| should see to il that his readers are in.
| formed, by his columns, upon contem-
pbraueous scientific: and artistic thought
and, where the opportunity offers,
| that they have bright bits of literature
to cheer the heart an,. lift the sou
| above the irkSome workaday world
that is the lot of 50 many.
One fault of the metropolitan editor
| need not here rehearSc at lenglh-the
reporting of every detail OF the most
revolving and prurirmt crimes | ain
clad Ia know that aS rule the news
papers controlled by the members OF
this association only sufficiently report
| certain species OF crime that pubIjcily \