Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-04-01

and his newspaper, he could be prepar
ed for all tho duties of this life and -
the happiness Of tho next
Again, n good newspaper IN useful
mirror of life rs IL Is 1t Is sometimes
complained that newspapers report the
evil when they ought only report the
good. They must report the evil q
well rs the good, or how shall we know
what is to DO reformed, what guarded
against, what fought down? A news
paper that pictures only the honesty
and virtue of n society in n misrcpro.
scntation. That family is beat pre-.
pared for tho duties Of life which know.
ing the evil, Is taught to select the good.
Keep children under tho impression
that all is fair and right in the world,
and when they 60 out into IL they viii
be as poorly prepared to struggle With
1t as child who In thrown into The
middle of the Atlantic and told to learn
how To swim. Our only complaint q
when sin Is made attractive and moral.
!ty dull, when vice Is painted with
great headings and good deeds are pub
In obscure corners, iniquity set up II
great primmcr and righteousness In
nonpareil. Sin is loathsome, make 10
loathsome. Virtue Is beautiful, make
IL beautiful. ta ffAe
1t would work n vast Improvement Il
all our representations, political, lit
erary should for the most part drop
their impersonality. This would do
better Justice TO newspaper writer's
Many of the strongest and best writer's
OF the country live and die unknown.
and are denied their just fame. The
vast public never learns who they nre.
Most of them are on comparatively
small income, and after awhile their
hand forgcts its cunning. and they arc
without resources, left to die. Why
not, ut least, have his initials attached
to his most important work? II always
gave additional forco to an article
when you occasionally saw added TO
some significant article In the old
New York Courier and ENQUIRER
j. w. W., or in the Tribune III. O.,
or in tho Herald j. q. b., or in the
Times III. j. r., or in the Evening Post
w. @. H., or in the Evening Express b
Ii. While this arrangement would DO
fair and just thing for newspaper
writers, IL would be n defense for tho
public. 1t is sometimes true that things
damaging To private character are said.
Who il responsible? IL Is the ''we~
of the editorial or reportorial COLI
umns. Every man in every profess
sion or occupation ought to be re-
sponsible for what he does. No hon.
orable man will ever write that which
no would DO afraid to sign. But
thousands of persons have suffered
from the impersonality of newspa-
pers. What can our private citizen
wronged in his reputation do In a con.
test with misrepresentation multiplied
into 10000 10 $4,000 copiesp An In.
justice done in print Is ultimately
worse than an injustice done In private
life. During loss of temper N man may
say that for which he will be sorry In
ten minutes; but newspaper injustice
has first to be written, set up In type.
then the proof taken Off and read and
corrected, and then for six or ten hours
the presses are busy running Off the il.
sue. Plenty of time to correct. Plenty
of time to cool off. Plenty of time to
repent But all that Is hidden in the
impersonality of N newspaper. 1t will
be n long step forward when all Ia
changed and newspaper writers get
credit for the good and are held respon.
sible for the evil.
dom will be when in our colleges and
universities we open opportunities for
preparing candidates for the editorial
chair. We have in such institutions
medical departments, law departments,
why not editorial departments? Do tho
legal and healing professions demand
| more culture and careful training than
the editorial or reportorial professions?
N,.,.. IL ~
accident into newspaper Office as they
may tumble into other occupations, but
| 1t would be an incalculable advantage il
those proposing n newspaper life had an
institution to which they might go to
learn the qualifications, the responsk
bilities, tho trials, the temptations, tho
dangers, the magnificent opportunities,
OF newspaper life. Let there be leo.
tureship in which there shall appeas
the leading editors of the United Slater
telling the story of their struggles.
| their victories, their mistakes, how
they worked and what they found OUT
TO be the best way of working. There
will be strong men who will climb uu
without such aid into editorial powes
and efficiency SO do men climb up ia
success in other branches by sheer grit.
But IL we want learned institutions "a
make lawyers and artists and doc
toDs and ministers, we much more need
learned institutions to make editors,
who occupy n position of influence .
hundred-fold greater. do not put ths
truth too strongly when say the most
potent influence for good on earth is q
good editor, and the most potent infiu-
ence for evil is bad one. The best
way 10 reinforce and improve the news.
paper is 10 endow editorial professor
stes. When will Princeton, or Har.
ward, or Yale, or Rochester lead the
wny2
Another blessing Of the newspaper L.
the foundation IL lays for accurate his.
tory of the time In which we live. We
for the most part biindly guess about
the ages that ante-date the newspapers
and are dependent upon the prejudices
Of this or that historian. But after .
hundred or two years what splendid
opportunity the historian will have =
teach the people the lesson Of
this day. Our Bancrofts got
from the early newspapers Of
this country, from the Boston Nevys-
Letter, the New York Gazette and The
American Rag Bag, and Royal Glass;
I Hra Ia