The record-union., 1897-10-19
CHARLES A. DANA.

In the death Of Charles A. Dana
American Journalism loses one of it's
foremost figures. He was the news
paper man of all others who really had
no theory of journalism. Two questions
governed his policy. rs it good news
and fit to print? Is it matter in which
the people are or ought to be largely
concerned? If so the Sun will print
the news and take position upon the
matter"
Perhaps these rules Of action after all
are leading motives of all good Journal
istic managers. They stand for courage,
clea nliness and vigor: for independ-
ence and critical fearlessness, for intel
ligence and enterprise. While he did
early newspaper work in a email way
on the "Harbinger'' and the "Chrono-
type" his real journalistic labor began
under Greeley with whom he soon be-
came a partner in the conduct of the
Tribune" Under that joint manage
ment the Tribune" attained the high
est tide Of its prosperity and influence.
After serving some fifteen years on
the Tribune" an unhappy disagreement
as to national policy separated the two
great journalists, and Mr.. Dana was at
once called into the service Of his coun-
try, becoming Assistant Secretary of
War, his duties taking him to the front
and keeping him largely upon the most
hotly contested ground in the war. In
that capacity he developed remarkable
power in judging men and estimating
their motives and policies at their true
worth, and this ability made him es-
pecially valuable to President Lincoln,
who placed implicit confidence in his
Judgment
With the close Of the war Mr.. Dana.
after a short and unhappy journalistic
experience in Chicago, went to New
York. organized the Sun" Company
and launched that paper. and very soon
gave it commanding position in the
newspaper world, a distinction it has
maintained without faltering Indeed
European critics are disposed to place the
Sun" under Dana as the first of Ameri-
can newspapers, because of its exceed
ing vigor, its fearlessness and independ-
eDce and the nonchalance with which it
changed position, amounting at times
to the apparently erratic.
Dana's idea always was that the true
newspaper must give the news in a crisp
form, with trash and pad all eliminated,
but with all human interest preserved,
He was a lover of humor, indeed, he was
himself a refined humorist, but he had
no room in his calendar of duty for con-
Eideration Of the merely sensational He
was spicy in his columns, but never
gross. Sewer Journalism was more than
distasteful to hm. The whip of his crit
icism made its lash cut to the bone. as
for instance his terrible assaults upon
the Administration of General Grant as
President, the man for whom as a sol
der commander he had stood against all
attempts to check the career of the ris-
ing chieftain.
But though Mr. Dana loved humor,
insisted upon the crisp and peremptorily
ordered dry detail into the waste basket,
he edited with great care. There was
painstaking in all work that was done
upon the Sun Probably no paper was
edited more carefully than his, though
plenty of them appeared TO be edited
more laboriously. He never gave over
the pages of the Sun to any patent or
lIrid devices for making it known. He
often remarked that the Sun" must
hold its own if at all without resort TO
any clap trap or catch penny methods.
Mr.. Dana believed thoroughly in the
intelligence of the people coming around
10 right views and hence he was one of
the most persistent of newspaper men.
Whatever was worth contending for, he
belieyed was worth clinging TO. no mat
ter how many deserted. In his old age
he retained as a newspaper man his
youthful policies, conceptions, doctrines
and hopes. He was as young in the
Sun" a few months ago when taken
sick as at any time during the thirty
years he was engaged in erecting that