The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-10-18
CHARLES A. DANA.

CHARLES A. DANA.
The Nestor OF American journalism is
dead and his big and little brothers in
the profession mourn his passing as Of
the loss of guide and friend.
The newspaper men who have entered
the profession within, say, the past
| twenty years were early taught TO regard
tns New York Sun as the model Ameri
| can newspaper. and Charles Anderson
Dana as the leading exponent of the art
and genius that make Tor supremacy in
| the fourth estate. Experience in news
| paper work only served TO couflrm the
| visw thus early instilled by the i'm
| mediate preceptors of the novitiate in
| journalism. What Horace Greeley ana
| the elder Bennett were To the newspaper
workers OF n past generation, Dana has
been TO the present army of workers
seeking eminencc in their profession. IL
we rcmeinb Der Alright, vote in the news
paper profession was one time taken ON
| the best newspaper. and the Sun was
the choice by considerable majority.
| What constitutes tho best newspaper
depends upon the point of view, and tho
| greatest success in the newspaper Held,
| like success in any other line of business.
ia reached by meeting tho point of view
| of the public rather than simply express
| ing the ideas CT tho proprietor OF the Gu
terprise. Judged by circulation and bust
ness success, the Sun. undor Mr.. Damn,
has not in recent years kept puce with
| notable examples Of journalistic success
| that are familiar today. though such sue
cess has been achieved after methods
| which many newspaper men are far from
being convinced arc the best. or to be
commended to the young man entering
| tho field of journalism. The Sun has con
! tinued to fulfill the newspaper ideal and
| the measure of success that 1t has main.
tanned is sufficient justification even
though greater prosperity has seemed to
he secured to other often methods objec-
J tionablo to the conscientious worker in
the profession.
The sun printed the news, and it had
n highly readable and instructive
editorial page. The Legitimate In news
| paper enterprise was its standard 1t has
| soorned schemes TO "boom circulation"
anG never INDUCED in clap trap depart
ures from the regular business OF pub
| lishing the news for the sake of drawing
attention to itself. We believe it is today
the New Yorkors' tavorite newspaper
| appreciated particularly right in the home
| Of its publication rather above its local
contemporaries. This surely is sutli-
cient tribute to the methods which IL has
consistently followed.
Its editor, like most really great men,
| presented complexIty OF attributes, but
what his critics would call his faults
were as strong and Interesting as his vr-
| tues. But his critics wero nll outside his
profession. Within Lis profession nc was
admired with an unsworving loyalty, and
the country editor gathering his own
news soliciting his advertisements. ana
sticking his type, looked TO Dana of New
| York as his ideal of n newspaper man
and 50 did tho bigger fellows working
near the ton Of tho largo iold of metro
| poltan journalism. The newspaper rs.
| tablishinont as ho maintaincl it, was
naturally model, ton ard 10 Is n saying
! that there Is never vacancy in the Sun
Office for they treat this boys 50 well
there that nobody ever leaves It, "
During tho Civil War, Mr. Dana per-
| formed conspicuous public service of a
kind that his countrymcn are but now
beginning 90 learn about and appreciate
AS a special reporter for thu government
he performed the delicate mission of
Keeping the war department ami the
president informed OF the conduct Of bat
tics ana the efficiency or commanders in
trusted with campaigns. a newspaper
reporter Of the highesl tyne, his secret lot.
tiers to his superiors In Washington fur.
| nishcd the actual news of events rs ho
saw them. and were relied upon In pass.
ing judgment az times when prejudice,
politics and intrigue were rife 60 tear
down military regulations or elevate
favoritcs President Lincoln is said 20
have referred TO him a. 1.-THE eyes the
government at tho 'front.'" aud his mis-
sion wHs such that only trained news
paper innn could have uerformod 10 so
well-iust ns today Tor many important
and delicate duties % lisc training b. 60.
mnnded ia many lines 81 work outside
che newspaper profession ana the "rs.
poriers' AZ instruTed with its par.
formancr
Journalism owes q tremendous debt 90
Editor Dana. greater probably than to
any other single workur in tho field that
Ia is today honCrod among the professions
far more in accordance with It's deserts.