Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-03-27

papers lit whole nations lntO the sun
light. Better have 50,000,0 600 people
moderately intelligent than 100,
solons.
A false impression is abroad that
newspaper knowledge is ephemeral be-
cause periodicals are thrown aside, and
not one cut Of ten thousand people files
them for future reference. Such knowl-
edge, so far from being ephemeral, goes
into the very structure Of the worlds
heart and brain and decides the destiny
Of churches and nations. knowledge on
the shelf is Of little worth. 1t is knOwl-
edge afoot, knowledge harnessed, knowl-
edge in revolution, knowledge winged,
knowledge projected, knowledge thun-
derbolted. So far from being ephem-
eral, nearly all the best minds and hearts
have their hands on the printing press
today and have had since it got emanci-
pated. Adams and Hancock and Otis
used to 90 to the Boston Gazette and
compose articles on the rights Of tho
people Benjamin Franklin, De Witt
Clinton, Hamilton, jefferson, Quincy,
were strong in newspaperdom. Many OF
the immortal things that have been pub
lished in book form first appeared in
what you may call the ephemeral period
ical. All Macaulay S essays first appeared
in a review. All Carlyle's, all Ruskins,
all McIntosh's, all Sydney Smiths, all
Hazlitt's. all Thackerary's, all the ele-
waited works Of fiction in our day, are
reprints from periodicals in which
they appeared as serials. Tennyson's
poems, Burns poems, Longfellow's
poems, Emerson's poems, LowelIs
poems, Whittier's poems, were once
fugitive pieces. You cannot find ten lit
erary men in Christendom, with strong
minds and great hearts, but are or have
been somehow connected with the news
paper printing press. While the book
will always have its place, the newspa-
per is more potent. Because the latter is
multitudinous do not conclude il is nee
essarily superficial. If a man should
from childhood to old age see only his
Bible, Webster's Dictionary and his
newspaper, he could be prepared for all
the duties Of this life and all the happi
ness of the next
A Mirror of Life.
Again, a good newspaper is a useful
mirror Of life as it is. IL is sometimes
complained that newspapers report the
evil when they ought only to report the
good. They must report the evil as well
as the good, or how shall we know what
is to be reformed, what guarded against,
what fought down? A newspaper that
pictures only the honesty and virtue Of
society is a Misrepresentation. That
family is best prepared for the duties OF
life which, knowing the evil, is taught
TO select the good. Keep children under
the impression that all is fair and right
in the world, and when they 90 out into
it they will be as poorly prepared to
struggle with it as child who Is thrown
into the middle Of the Atlantic and told
to learn how to swim. Our only COM
plaint is when sin is made attractive
and morality dull, when vice is painted
with great headings and good deeds are
put in obscure corners, iniquity set up in
great primer and righteousness in non
pareil. Sin is loathsome make 1t loath-
some. Virtue is beautiful; make it beau
tiful
1t would work a vast improvement If
all our papers-religious, political, 1T
erary-should for the most part drop
their impersonality. This would do bet
ter Justice to newspaper writers. Many
of the strongest and best writers Of the
country live and die unknown and are
denied their just fame. The vast public
never learns who they are Most OF
them are on comparatively small in
come. and after awhile their hand for
gets it cunning. and they are without
resources, left to die. Why not, at least
have his initial attached TO his most I'M
portant work? 1t always gave additional
fofce to an article when you occasional
ly saw added to some significant article
in the old New York Courier and In
ouirer J. W. w., or in The Tribune ID.
G. or in The Herald j. q. B., or in
The Times Fl. J. r., or in The Evening
Post W. C. b., or in The Evening TX
press E. B.
While this arrangement would be
fair and just thing for newspaper writ
ers, il would be defense for the pub
lie. 1t is sometimes true that things
damaging TO private character are SAID.
Who is responsible? 1t is the I'VE" OF
the editorial or reportorial columns.
Every man in every profession or occn-
nation ought to be responsible for what
he does. No honorable man will ever
write that which he would be afraid to
sign. But thousands of persons have
suffered fron the impersonality OF
newspapers What can one private cin-
zen wronged in his reputation do III
contest with Misrepresentation multi
piled into twenty or fifty thousand
comics? An injustice done in print Is IL
limitably worse than an injustice done
in priyate life. During loss Of temper
man may say that for which he Will be
sorry in ten minutes. but a newspaper
iniustice has first TO be written, set up
in type. then the proof taken OF and
read and corrected. and then for SIX or
ten hours the presses are busy running
of the issue. Plenty of time to correct.
Plenty of time to cool of. Plenty OF
| time to repent. But all that is hidden
in the impersonality Of a newspaper "
will be a long step forward when all is
changed. and newspaper writers get
credit for the good and are held respon-
sible for the evil.
The Most Potent Influence.
Another step forward for newspaper
dom will be when in our colleges and
universities we open opportunities for
preparing candidates for the editorial
chair. We have in such INSTITUTIONS
~Lmsdical departments, law departments
why not editorial Departmental Do the
legal and healing professions demand
more culture and careful training than
the editorial or reportorial professions
know men may tumble by what seems
accident into newspaper office as they
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