The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-11-18
GENTLEMEN. WELCOME.


this morning. TO no persons in the state
should Richmonders give hearticr vel.
come than 20 the members Of this body.
They are the men who are doing as much IA
build up the Commonwealth as any capi'
talist. Few newspaper men are capitalists
as far as the pocket goes. They are content
with moderate incomes TO enjoy those Keen
delights Of their profession, hardly apprecia-
BILE by anybody who has not been initiated
into its delightful mysteries. But they dc
not lack the equally important wealth OF
brains, enterprise and energy, without
which mere capital would be an untamed
and useless savage. No class Of men, pos
sibly, are better able to appreciate the val
liable uses 10 which capital may be put,
and none better qualified to back up CAPT.
tai in it's work of developing the state.
Therefore. every man in Richmond who il
interested directly or indirectly in the pro
gress of Virginia should make II point "a
become acquainted with the members Of the
Association. They represent papers III
towns and cities, probably those attached to
the weekly papers preponderating.
That this should be so is cminently just,
and any Richmond man who was raised in
the country will upon reflection acknow-
ledge this. lie reads every morning his
copy Of rHE TIMES and CLEANS therelrom
the news Of the city, the state, this country,
and the world. Perhaps he may fnd the
news Of general interest from his particular
county. But he has still a yearning which
will not be satisfied until Thursday, Friday
or Saturday brings him the familiar friend
of his early manhood-tbe weekypublished
in his native county. Here only will he find
those particular bits Of nelghbOrhOod COS
sip, notes Of the movements Of the friends
nc lefl behind him, and comment on local
affairs Of greatest interest to him.
Laying aside the daily paper with the
cares Of business, he turns anectiOnately To
the old country paper, and ID Immediately
lost 10 the humdrum, dust and toll of the
town. Again he smells the sweet odors OF
new mOwn hay, he sees the warehouses of
Saturday evening filing lazily to their sun
day pasture, the note Of the partridge sounds
under the hedge, and the whirr Of black
birds wings recall the days behind the
plOw. Now he is again with his county
men fighting the forest fires on the slope
Of the mountain, 10 prevent their reaching
the cultivated flats, or with children thresh-
ing the chestnut bows after Jack Frost has
painted the landscape in glorious and bar-
monious colors. Perhaps the 'possum tempts
him to nightly prowings with a couple Of
Old-fashi0ned negroes, or the baying of those
lank hounds leads him in his ride across
country after the fox. such are few of
the memories revived by a half hour spent
over the weekly, and memories are fire.
quently much more pleasant than present
facts, and much more tangible than eXpecta-
tiOns. a man who never sees a country
weekly loses half the enjoyment Of life, and
the cOuntry-raised city man who does not
receive regularly his home paper is lacking
in patriotism.
Though we have never had the good for
tune to be country editor, we have spent
many agreeable, though enyious, hours in
the country editors sanctum, and we be-
lieve that the country editor will endorse
much OF the foregoing. At one Of the lite
rary gatherings of Richmond last week
were discussed the relative merits Of En-
glish and American journalism. The
country editors did not hear the discussion,
but it is hardly TO be doubted that their YER
dict would have been given in favor of the
American side Of the question. The coun-
try editors are the geniuses Of American
newspaper work. They could tell in mo-
ment the difference between English and
American journalism. 1t is the difference
between ponderosity and plainness.
The one is journalism, the other
newspaper work. The one the essay
the other the editorial; the one resignation.
the other constant craving. Journalism
is fading in America before newspaper
work. The demand must be met. People
have not time to enjoy long-drawn-out COM
ment upon an event, which, in the rapidity
of American thought and life, soon be-
comes forgotten history. They look for this
in the magazines and reviews. They eX-
pect the newspaper first of all TO give them
the news in as crisp readable form as posi-
BILE. Then, if any comment is to be made on
that news, it must be equally as fresh. 1t
must lead instead Of following public Opin-
ion, and even if the public cannot agree
with the position of the paper, they will adj
mire its boldness and frankness.
For the development Of this news instinct,
of America, and essential TO
the success Of any newspaper man, what
ever his particular department may be, the
country newspaper Office is one of the best
training schools. Ii c0mpels man TO be
abreast, if not ahead of his fellows, and
gives him the technical knowledge which
can he acquired only by experience. Habits
NAV be acquired which would not be Of
service in the machinery Of metropOli-
ian newspaper. But the real newspaper
nan knows how to adapt himself to all cir
,umstances, and while adhering strictly to
principles, he may easily dispense with UNI
necessary livery or retinue. Pure democ-
'acy, printed in small caps, is his controlling
principle, let whatever may happen.
So in the city where names Of great news
,aper men are held in professional reverence
everybody will give a hearty welcome to
of that body Of American
,itizens who may be considered the pioneers
4 American thought and activity. Who
,nows but that in entertaining the editor OF
he daily in some smaller city, or of the
weekly in some town, he may be entertain
ng unawares future leader Of the thought |
4 the country. As for The TIMES, well,
mr. latch-string will be on the outside Of the
oor all the time, and we hope our visiting |
'rethren will not hesitate to pull it al any
our, day or night.
WHAT DID IT?
Analysis Of the various causes to which