Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-12-10
AN EDITOR FIFTYYEARS
Eminent Men Paid Honor to Alexander K
Mcclure.
Iov. Hastings of Pennsylvania Pre-
sided over the acknowledgement
of Journalism Pictured,

IN Philadelphia last night in honor of Col
Alexander K. Mcclure, editor of the Phila-
oelphla Times, who yesterday completed his
hftieth year in Journalism. Gov. Hastings
presided and the event was made notable
by the presence of Vice President Adlai E.
stevenson, General Miles, Commodore Mel
Vllie and many Congressman
Inc newspaper world was represented by
large out-of-town contingent among
whom were Murat Halstead of BROOKLYN
and Gen. Felix Agnus Of Baltimore The
proprletors and editors of all the Philadel-
pnia newspapers were also present
When the speechmaking began Governor
Hastings briefly reviewed Colonel Nc
cures career from boyhood, dwelling upon
his early struggles and his achievements
In journalism, politics and literature.
-. Colonel Mcclure followed. He said:
Col. McClure's Address.
Mr.. Chairman: I cannot express the
measure of my grateful appreciation of
this imposing greeting, so exceptional alike
IN welcome, in numbers and in distinction
l accept 1t as tribute to the matchless
progress made by our newspapers during
the present generation rather than a per
sonal tribute to an humble member of the
profession, whose half century of editorial
labor furnishes the occasion for leading
men OF state and nation to pay homage to
American journalism, now the great forum
Of our free institutions.
The duties and responsibilities of Jour-
nalism are largely defined by their enyi-
ronment, and there may be fitness on this
occasion to refer to the political, business.
social and moral conditions under which
the Junlata Sentinel was founded fifty
years ago, in contrast with the greatly
changed conditions which confront the
journals of today. The people of Juniata
county were OF well-to-do class, adapted
10 the primitive condition in which they
lived. The enervating blight of luxury and
the despair of pinching want were strang-
ers in their midst. They believed in the
church. in the school, in the sanctity of
home, in integrity between man and man,
Christianity was accepted by them as the
common law, sincerely by many and with a
respect akin to reverence by all; and that
beautiful humanity that springs from the
mingled dependence and affection of rural
nelghborly ties, ever taught that the bruised
reed should not be broken.
The most satisfactory newspaper work
l nave ever done, l mean the most salts
factory to myself, was during the first few
months after / founded the Sentinel There
was pardonable boyish pride in seeing my
name given with prominence as editor and
proprietor, and the reading of my own
editorials was as soothing as the soft
sweet strains of music distant waters
on summer evening time. They were to
my mind most exquisite in diction and
logic and it was a source of keen regret
confined within the narrowest provincial
lines, whereby the world lost SO much that
it greatly needed. I knew that there We're
others, like Chandler, Gales. Greeley. Rit-
chic, Prentice and Kendall, who were more
read and needed but l was consoled by the
charitable reflection that entirely by reason
of fortuitous circumstances they were
known and l was not. Then to me my life
was a song with my generously self-ad-
mired newspaper as the chorus. There
came rude awakenings, of course from
those blissful dreams the shock of edi-
torial conflict gradually taught me that
Journalism was one unending lesson IN a
school that has no vacations.
The Village Editor.
Il have pleasant memories also of the
intimate personal relations between the viii
lage editor and his readers Most of them
were within few miles of the publication
office, and all the influences of social, as
well as political ties We're employed to
make them enduring patrons With many
of them the question of sparing from their
scant income three cents a week for
country paper was one that called for sober
thought from year to year, and it often
required a personal visit and earnest i'm
portunity to hold the hesitating subscriber
L Wen remember the case of frugal farm
er OF the Dunkard persuasion, who was suf-
fciently philosophical to subscribe fer the
Sentinel for six months to get the paper
started, but at the end of that period he
had calculated the heavy expenses of
gathering the ripening harvest, and decided
TO stop his paper for awhile. I need not
say that he was enthusiastically confronted
with many reasons why a man of his in
telligence and influence should not be with
out the country newspaper. but he yielded
only to the extent Of further considering
the matter with his wife He returned in
a few days and spread sunshine around the
editorial chair by saying that his wife had
decided TO continue for another six months.
as tne paper would be very handy in the
fall for tying up her apple butter ctocks.
Old Philadelphia journalism.
1t should be remembered that while
Philadelphia had then two journals of ma
tional fame, under the direction of such
accomplished editorial writer's as Joseph R.
Chandler and Morton McMichael, there was
not a daily newspaper in the city or in the
state that had a circulation of 5OOO ex
cepting only the Ledger, then a penny
journal, almost unknown outside of the
city. Even the New York Tribune and New
York Herald, then relatively quite as dis
tinguiShed as national journals as they are
today, did not have a daily circulation of
over 1900. There are several dailv iour-
mails, now published in Philadelphia each
OF which circuiates more newspapers every
day than did all the great dailfes of New
York and Pennsylvania combined fiftv
years ago. There were then successful
penny papers in New York and Pittsbure
as Wen as fnlladeiphla, but the penny
journal of that day was only a local news
paper In its way, and was unfelt as a DO
litical factor.
Journalism of the Present.
Contrast the business. political, moral
and social conditions as they confronted the
local journalism of that day with the busi-
ness, political, moral and social conditions
which confront the journalism of this great
city today. and none can fail to appreciate
the greatly magnified duties and RESPONSE
bilities of the journalist Of this age. In
this city of brotherly love, with the high
est standard of average intelligence in any
community OF like numbers Of the world
and the only great city to be found on the
continent that is distinctively American II,
Its policy. now sharp is the contrast be-
tween the civilization met by the Juniafa
Sentinel fifty years ago and the civilization
that Is met by the Philadelphia Journalist
of today? Public wrongs ever appear like
huge cancers on the body polite, and the
swarms of the idle and vicious with the
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