The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-01-23

Daira BuTlrtia
SATURDAY, JAN. rs, 1892.
REPLY TO A FRESHMAN.

the instincts of barbarous cowardice
and treachery, one of the space
writer's, who fill that sheet at so much
a column, comes to the attack of the
regular local press from ambush.
This he does in the guise of weari-
some string of words, words, words,
entitled, "On journalism. A glance
over the dreary disquisition reveals
behind the letters the long ears and
the hydrocephalous head of the con-
ceited amateur. In the course of
this Numbering and would-be di-
dactic treatise on journalism
(heaven save the mark) its author,
in the evident agonies of literary
diarrh9a from too liberal diet off
the green fruit of his own self-esteem,
undertakes to tell the community
what he knows, but succeeds in prov
ing to intelligent readers how much
he does not know, about journalism
in the United States. Why, there is
scarcely sentence in his painfully
labored screed which does not, in
either manner or matter, exhibit
gross ignorance Of the canons of to-
days advanced and successful journ-
alism in the United States. In what
well-conducted American paper of
the present day, for instance, would
he see the great big editorial eve"
bristling out half a dozen times in as
many lines? No less than three of
this journalistic professors sentences
in succession begin with this once
terrible but now, in the way Holo-
mua abuses it, totally obsolete pro-
noun in metropolitan journalism.
This teacher of profession to
others which he has never learned
himself lays down the law to them
with freshness of dictlon that would
be admirable if it were not for the
emerald hue that gives the whole
preachment its character. He is
nightly convinced of the Importance
of editorials, as might be expected
from one who evidently thinks any
thing is an editorial that begins with
the big "We," and has nearly every
sentence riveted with the same ego
tism. Well, probably he will be
surprised to learn that the American
journalism, ON which he so learnedly
descants, is rapidly OUTLYING the i'm
portance of the editorial. Many of
the most successful newspapers in
large American cities to-day give the
editorial columns secondary atten-
ton to that bestowed on the news
pages. Journals that few years ago
gave four columns of editorial day
now restrict the space for mere
opinion TO one or two columns, while
the length of articles has been re-
duced and in some cases short para
graphs have largely supplanted
ponderous leaders. One of the best
established papers of Cincinnati is
reported to have kept paragraph
standing, for insertion when required,
to this effect, "There is so much
news for this issue that there is nc
room for opinion" Anybody
acquainted with the Philadelphia
Ledger, within the past ten years
knows that its editorial matter, under
ordinary circumstances, seldom filled
a column. That is the paper by
which Geo. w. Childs, a prince Of
American journalists, made his large
fortune. But enough about Ameri
can journalism for this occasion
Although established for the benefi
of ALL" the BULLETIN cannot under
take to educate every presumptuou'
pumpkin that is afflicted with know
ing too much. The remark might b.
quoted here, however, made by ST
Edwin Arnold on his present visit t,
the United States Remembering tina
he is one of the foremost editoria
writers of the age), which was to tn
effect that it took as high an orde
of journalism to report fire col
rectly as to write leading editorial
How often have not the people O
Honolulu seen a casual scribbler
who, thinking he feels power With
him TO revolutionize morals and mar
ners, gets his legs under an editorii
desk and Sights out" ON an unsus
pecting public with his pen. What
flow of language-never mind tn
ideas, those hacked ON thousan
, times by others before him are fires
enough for this newly and self-dil