The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-08-16

trustfulness among men. Primitive
languages have but one word for
stranger and enemy, for among
savages a stranger is regarded'as an
enemy, actual or possible. The in
stinct of self-preservation causes all
animate beings to question the I'M
known, to suspect the possibility of
| danger in the unfamiliar. But as
| knowledge increases, needless fears
and suspicious are banished. The
| savage knows only the present; the
| civilized man is familiar also with the
remote both in space and in time.
| The former cares only for himself and
| his own; the latter has interest in and
sympathy with all mankind. The
one goes forth watchful and timorous,
every moving brush cause for alarm
the other moves about in security and
| lies down in peace.
SIN the darkness we move with eau
| tion; in the daylight without fear.
Whatever broadens our horizon,
therefore, tends to remove our sus-
picion and our fears. 1t strengthens
our courage and trustfulnesss. 1t
moves us step onward in civiliza-
tion. What ever is most potent in
broadening our knowledge of the
world and widening our interest in
its people, has most of civilizing
power. Newspapers have made the
world great whispering gallery.
Through them the inhabitants of
the uttermost ends of the earth are
our neighbors. They give us daily
photograph of the world. Broaden
in our horizon and widening our SYM
pathies, newspapers are among the
most potent of civilizers. Hence the
honor in welcoming you to our city
today"
DR.. J. A. Leonard of the Rochester
Post, said that he had greatly enjoy
ed the visit, it being twenty years
since he was last here, and the trans
formation is astonishing. You have
here all the elements of great city
except size, and you need not yield
even to the twin cities in anything
but size. This affair is great ex-
ample of the acknowledgment of the
position, rank and standing in the
community of the editor of local
newspaper. He was glad that the
profession was taking higher view
of it's own greatness and no longer
| seeks to belittle itself in the public
estimation, which no other profession
does. In the new newspaper buildings
| in Mankato he saw the profession
taking that position it the commu-
nifty which it does most to build up,
| that it should. In this he thought
might be seen the future of the local
newspaper, showing a wonderful ad-
vance in the profession. Formerly
papers consisted largely of clippings
from exchanges, but this is not so now
and we will see the time, when we
will no longer know our newspaper
| riends through t he newspapers, and
the exchange list will become an an
tiquity and obsolete. Many would
not know each other, but he hoped
that the time would never come
when the love of meeting and know
ing each other and swapping lies
would pass away. He remembered
the time when the longer the editor
ials the better they were considered,
and column and half editorial in
weekly paper was considered the
highest manifestation of intellect.
We don't want long editorials now
days. We had a hand press then, but
now big engine. The next great
invention in newspaper work will be
some way to git rid of the bore and
drudgery of proof reading.
JnO. A. Johnson complimented the
Commercial Club. He said that much
of the past success of Mankato is due
to the board Of trade, but there is
plenty of more work to do. The mis-
sion or the press is to advance man
kind. He advocated an independent
press. Papers don't score public men
because it is policy. There is nobler
mission than to say that public officers
are demagogues and rogues. The Of
flee holders come from the honest
manhood of the country, and if they
are corrupt it is because the people
are so. He urged all to dispell anger
and bitterness for their hearts and to
cement the newspaper feeling. He
would have the columbine of peace
entwined above the hearts of all in
the room. Mankato has always been
hospitable, and is filled with hospita-
BILE and kind and good people. Other
professions meet and get along all
right and the newspaper men ought
to- He decried the cutting of prices.