The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-07-01
UNSOLICITED ENDORSEMENT.
The Commonwealth . Safe Educator.

The Commonwealth a Safe Educator.
Editor The Commonwealth:
DEAR SIR Occasionally during the
past six months copies of your paper
have come under my notice, but especial
ly has this been the case within the
past month, and after thus enjoying a
pretty fair opportunity of estimating
the quality and merits OF your paper I
trust that you will pardon the intrusion
of an unsolicited but well-intentioned
free-hand letter. l greatly fear, how
ever, from rather long acquaintance
with myself, that 1 may not succeed in
saying just what wish to say, and in
the way would wish to say it. But I
will venture.
Let me be little complimentary in
the start, on the very plain and just
principle, that when an editor has sue
ceeded in doing good work he deserves
to be commended, besides that he is
thus encouraged aud stimulated to even
greater success in his arduous duties.
Putting, fulsome eulogy, is one thing !;
"well done, thou good and faithful ser
vant," is another, and one under the
sanction of divine authority.
There are two ways, it seems, Of do
ing wrong the noble and responsible
work OF an editor: one is by tamely
and corruptedly acquiescing in the
erroneous and hurtiul ways of the
times the other is, by bitterly and in
an offensive way denouncing others
from whom we differ on matters of
policy, principle or opinion. On this
point I greatly admire the success to
which The COMMONWEALTH has attain
ed, and could wish that all the loca;
newspapers. OF the State would make a
note of it.
But The COMMONWEALTH commends
itself to my good opinion in an especial
manner by its terse and correct English.
This feature of newspaper. which is
professedIy to be an educator in our
families, is one that ought to be en-
phasized, but has not been to any con-
siderable extent because of the very
delicate relations existing among the
various newspapers, and because any
criticism made would do immense harm
in one direction which might not be
overbalanced by the good aimed at.
And so the case must stand. However,
as this is the day for education, and
our public school teachers are required
to pass an approved examination and
then be licensed to ply their profession,
who can say that editors ought not to
be subject to the same ordeal? I of
course know wherein the difference
lies, yet there is as much need that the
editor be subject to license as there is
that the school-master should be, and
probably more. The only hope at this
point lies in the education of the mass.
es, and when this shall be accomplish
ed the newspaper will fall into line or
become extinct.
I once had the honor of an intimate
acquaintance with an editor, who was
very sensitiye man, and worked hard
to get out his paper in decent shape
with corps Of incompetent printers.
When he wrote preceding" his print
ers would force him to say proceed
ing";; when he wrote "depositary," they
made him say depository" when he
had occasion to say "prevlsion," they
made him say provision" Now, as
an editor yourself, you will say, where
was the proof-reader meanwhile? He
was there, of course, and noted all the
errors on the margin of the copy as it
passed through his hands, supposing
that the corrections would all be duly
made in the galleys, but it would turn
out now and then that his printers had
an abundance of carelessness, Ignorance
and stupidity, and would answer that
they had made all the corrections, but,
alas when the paper would come from
the press, there would stare the poor
editor in the face perhaps two of the
worst plumbers in the lot. His only
consolation was that such things might
possibly check in his heart the DISPOSE
ton to grow proud. just about this
time, too, an editor in one of the west
ern towns of North Carolina had with
his own hand In a flaming editorial
spelt "gnat" with "k";; some Others
were accused of spelling Constitution
with the same broken back letter, and
about the same time 1t was found thai
a majority of the graduates from ou1
female colleges had never known bu
that mouse and young rat were ont
and the same thing! Now, had these