The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-04-27

II you are foreman and cannot sur.
mount the insurmountable, and get the
forms" ready at just the time the pub.
Usher denounces you. Ifyou are q pub.
Usher, and make Encouragement, then
the owners of the paper will be hard on
you for lack OF dividend. II you are an
editor, and you announce an unpopular
sentiment, all the pens Of Christendom
are flung atyou. II you are a reporter,
you shall be held responsible for the in.
distinctness OF public speakers, and che
blunders OF type.setters. and for the fact
that you cannot work qnite so well in
the Pickering gaslight and afther mid
night as you do in the MONDAY. Ifyou
are a proof-reader, upon you shall come
the united wrath of editor, reporter, and
reader. because you do not properly ar
range the periods, and the semicolons.
and the exclamation points, and the as.
terisks. Plenty of abuse for you, but
no sympathy. Having been In posi-
ton where could see these things go
ing from year to year, | have thought
this morning that would preach a ser.
mon on the trials OF the newspaper pro.
tessiou, praying that God may bless the
sermon to ell those to. whom this mes.
sage may come, and leading those, not
in the profession to a more kindly and
lenient bearing toward those who are.
One OF the great trials of this news,
paper profession Is the fact that they are
COMPELLED TO SEE MORE OF THE sHAM,
OF the world than any other profession.
Through every newspaper office, day by
day, 90 the weaknesses of the world,
the vanities that want to he puffed, the
revenges that want to be wreaked ,.all the
mistakes that want to be corrected, all
the dull speakers who want to be thought
eloquent, all the meanness that wants to
get its wares noticed gratis 10 the edi
tnrial columns in order to save the tax
of The advertising column, all the men
who want to be set right who never were
right, all the crack Drained philosophers,
with story as long as their hair, and as
gloomy as their finger nails, in mourn
ing because bereft of soap; all the itiner-
ant bores who come TO stay five minutes
and stop an hour. From the editorial
and reportorial rooms, all the follies and
shams Of the world are seen day BY day,
and the temptation Is to believe neither
in God, man. nor woman. 1t is no sur
prise to me that in your profession there
are some skepticap men. only wonder
shat you believe anything Unless an
editor or reporter has 10 his present
or his early home, q model of earnest
character. or he throw himself upon the
upholding grace OF God, he must make
temporal and eternal shipwreck.
Another great trial of the newspaper
profession is inadequate compensation.
Since The DAYS of Hazlitt, and Sheridan,
and John Milton, and the wailings of
Grub street London. literary toll, with
very few exceptions, has not been prop
erly requitted. When Oliver Goldsmith
received friend in his house, be, the
author, had to sit on the window, be
cause there was only one chair. Linaeus
sold his splendid work for ducat De
Foe, the author If two hundred and
eighteen volumes, died penniless. The
learned johnson dined behind screen
because bis clothes we're too shabby to
allow him to dine with the gentlemen
Who, on the other side of the screen,
we're applauding his works. And 40 on
down to the present time, literary toll ls
great struggle for bread. The world
seems to have grudge sgainst "a man
who, as they say, gets bis living by his
wits: and the day laborer says to the
man of literary toll: "You come down
here. and shove plane, and hammer o
shoe-last, and break cobble.stones, and
earn an honest living as / do, instead Of
sitting there in idleness scribbling" But
God knows that there are i9.Tf .
HARDER w,RKED MEN.
in all the earth than the newspaper peo.
pile OF this country. tits not matter
OF hard times lit is characteristic Of all
times. Men nave better appreciation
for that which appeals to the stomach
than for that which appeals to the brain
They have no idea OF. the immense finan.
cial and intellectual exhaustion OF the
ne wspaper press. They grumble because
they have {, pay five cents q. copy, and
wish they had only to pay three, or pay-
ing three, thev wish they had only to
pay one. While there are few excep-
l,ions-and some few do make large for
tunes--the vast majority of newspaper
people in this day have q struggle for
livelihood /; and il in their hardship and
exasperahon they sometimes write things
they ought not to write, let these fscts
be an alienation. o men of the press,
it will be . grest help to you. II when
you come home late at night, tagged out
and nervous with your work, you would
just kueel down and commend your, case
to God. who has watched all the fatigue
of those days. and who has promised to
he your God and tae God Of your chill
dren forever.
Another great trial Of the newspaper
profession is asrv 10 +.
| TIE DISEASED APPETITE rs
for unhealthy intelligence. You blame
the newspaper press for giving such
prominence to murders and scandals
Do you suppose that go many papers
would give prominence to these things
il the people did not demand thems !
| go into meat market of foreign city.
and find that the butcher hang up on
the most conspicuous hooks, meat that
is tainted, while the meat that s'fresh
and savory is put away without any es-
peclal carc come to tue conclusion
that the people OF that city love tainted
meat. You know very we'll that il the
great mass Of people in this country gel
hold Of newspaper, and there are in Il
no runaway matches, no brokennp fami,
lies, no defamation of men in high po-
sltion. they pronounce the paper insipid
They say sit i. sb6ckingly dull to
night" believe 1t is one OF the trials
of the newspaper press. that the people
OF this country demand moral slush in
stead OF healthy, intellectual food. Now,
you are respectable man, an intelligent
man and paper comes into your hand
You open il, and there are three column.
of splendidly written editorial, recon-
mending some moral sentiment, or evolv
ing some scient fic theory. In the mex
column there is q miserable contempt
ible divorce ease. Which do you read