The Newtown bee., 1894-12-21

American was then as now, trust, fear less in expressing it's honest, candid opinion on all questions of public mo- ment, independent of partisan control, ecclesiastical bigotry or business bias.
 Indulge me, please. in the privilege and power of such purveyor of public opinion as the American has grown to be. The press has largely superseded the pulpit and platform in moulding public opinion. The intelligent, fearless, brainy newspaper reaches hundreds where the preachers and orators reach units. It comes, too, as a welcome guest, grown familiar with it's spicy budget of news and convicting opinions. It informs the curiosity, enlarges the horizon to the remotest bounds, and leaves the seed of thoughtful comment to bear it's appropriate fruitage. It is notorious that teddy the newspaper is read more than the Bible, rivals in fas- cination the novel and prepares the way for those social, business and political cyclones that sweep the country with resistless force. It has the peoples ear and we may devoutly thank God that conservative papers like the American realize, in greater or less degree, what a responsibility this entails. The editor
 
 story disgraces the opposite pages. God like merit blushes if it's obscurity is in- vaded by prying reporters, but vice flaunts it's shame in disgusting detail in the telegraphic dispatches. The wise editor is recognized quite as much by what he suppresses, and it is satanic spirit which cultivates taste that must be fed from the disgrace and ruin of homes, the scum of the trothel and the brutality of the prize ring.
 But soaring far above even this whole some influence, the editor whose fame shall survive death must be an idealist. Like all immortals, he must drink at the immortal fountain of inspiration, that with serene prophetic vision he may see the Promised Land of universal brotherhood, peace and prosperity from his Beulah height, while his calm judge ment recognizes the present partial fail ure, disgrace and despair through which they must be reached. He must be enough of philosopher to recognize the success that always attends desert and merit, even though the vulgar crowd is yet scoffing at it's unrecognized Colum- bus on whatever unsailed ocean of dis covery he is seeking means to embark
 This editor must be furthermore, enough of & seer to recognize the truth in the words of him who spoke as never man spoke, fact of universal history. "Ye build the sepulchers of the prophets. and your fathers killed them." The crank and martyr of to-day is the mor- rows hero and in an army of impostors the seer shall discover the coming man. But how loud the call for the hero editor, with courage to champion the future glories of our race in their hour of bit Gerness and peril to face with unflinch- ing front the giant evils that think to throttle our fair land: to recognize the justice behind the struggling toilers, in spite of their own serious mistakes, and the wiles of the millionaire trusts and monopolies that seek to ensnare them to denounce vice by name, whether in it's childless home at Waterbury or out of reach in Kentucky; to oppose the sa- loon and it's nest of vipers, from the wine cup to the brothel; to welcome the ballot of sisters, wives and mothers as 8 glad certainty that shall ere long digni- I fy and purify our politics, just as these
 tangels in disguise' have long preserved our religion. As the old maxim was so true, 'sLike priest, like people," so our editors to-day, priests and priestesses of | the printing press, shall as surely set l the high water mark of our coming civ
 ilization. May their motto be Excel siOT Huu may budb lONCs WAiSh IS sHC soul of human and divine excellence, warm and sustain their faith and hope In contemplating an editor, have for gotten the man. occupied the inter-
 regnum during the last days ot Father Cooke, while his brief summary of cur rent events still appeared as "The week. It was just before the American entered upon it's enlarged prosperity in it's new home. Waterbury was doubling her population in that decade. Characters were ripening for prominence. Billy Marigold, the newsboy, has since been Bridgeport's honored mayor and one of Connecticut's chief Odd Fellows. Wal lace Camp, and erstwhile room-mate, was then shipping clerk for the Scovill Manufacturing company. Some have found promotion and others have joined
 the great majority. Yet the American has steadily prospered, recording con- temporary history. Long may it pros- per, helping to weld and uplift our com posite population into people of loyal and patriotic Americans.-l Reuben H. Smith, in Waterbury American.