The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-11-22
THE NEWSPAPER.
THE TRUE POSITION OF THE
JOURNALIST.
His Duties as Defined by One of Them
He Stands as a Sentinel on TIE
Watch h-tOwer-The Drift of Current
Events His Special Study-Must
Plase all and Offend None.
IWinStnn Sentinel. |


Winston Sentinel
Sometimes it is asked, .swhy should !
newspapers assume to know SO much ?"
Or sswhy should editors arrogate to
themselves the right to tell the public,
what they should or should not do?"
To such questions we might answer by
asking, "why should the man who is
placed upon watch-tower, assume TO
know before Others who are busy at
their avocations below, that danger is
approaching, or the time for some
special movement is at hand p
All men need not be watChmen.
There are many other duties to per-
form. The man upon the tower is
there to watch and warn the Others
that are below, and while his whole
duty consists in watching, they are
engaged in other duties.
Every man who has a pride in his
business, accumulates the material, and
practices the skill, that will best equip
him for the special line Of business he
has adopted, or that has been assigned
to him. The journalist is to the gen.
eral public, what the watchman IS to
the people for whom he watches. The
drift of current events is his special
study the history of the present IS
ever under his eye, his finger upon the
public pulse. He is the depository OF
the thoughts and opinions OF many
from whom the public never hear.
Like the successful hotelist who caters
to the wants of the inner man until he
becomes an inlallible judge of the
taste of his patrons, the journalist
caters to the intellectual demand OF
his readers and as surely learns to
supply them such as they require.
Occasionally some gastronomic crank
| will find fault with the best furnished
tables, and assert that there is nothing
on them worth eating. And the jour
nalist has to deal with Cranks, whose
opinions differ from those of any one
else but who nevertheless think that all
who do not think as they do, are
| wrong Such men are always extrem-
lists. They look only at one side of
subject, and that is generally the
smallest side to the question.
The most successful merchant IS
not always the shrewdest trader, but
he will always be found to be a man
who studies the wants of his customers,
and exerts himself to supply them. He
keeps himself informed of the mar
ke,s, and knows where to have his
wants supplied. He knows the char
ac,er and quality OF goods that will
sell, and does not occupy his shelves
with those which are not IN demand.
| In this he must study the public,
and act upon his own judgment, and
he would never go to the lawyer to ask
his advice as to what stock to put IN,
nor would the lawyer volunteer the
information.
Yet every community has men who
with no newspaper experience what
ever, who are ready to advise th'
editor what he should or should no
publish, and consider themselve
aggrieved if their counsel is not needed
1t is natural impulse Of mankind
to dwell upon, or even magnify th'
faults or mistakes of their neighbors
and to give no publicity and but llttl
credit to them for any good they dc
The public are always ready to dis
cover and decry any fault or weakness
in their newspaper but the cases wher
they credit them with the good the
have done, are exceedingly rare. Bu
evidences that the masses are aware c
the usefulness of the press, are by n
means wanting.
If one wishes 10 obtain promlnenc
before the public; IS lheie an enter
prise of anv kind to put on IFS ieet, c
the favor and good will OF the peopI
to be sought for any purpose whatever
the n:wspaper is enlisted at once, an
in most cases IS expected to do IN
work gratultously.
We must defend every mans cas'
champion every mans cause, sers
I everybody's purpose, be every one
friend.
We must give publicity to evcrythln
that any one wants uncovered, an
suppress everything that any one wan
e hid.
We are expected to walk throug
e the midst of the struggling, clashln
throngs of daily life, and come
contact with no one, aiding all mel
and getting in 10 mans way.
This seems to be the general ide
of wha, newspaper should be TO Il
people. But, there are men who a
exceptions to this rule, and who appr
ciate the value Of their paper, al
recognize the difficulties with whl
g they have 20 contend. We have o
- friends, to them we are grateful.
n we thought we had no enemies,
would feel that we had failed IN o