The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-18
NOTED EDITOR DEAD.

lemon pie, he always admitted, was his IA
vorite dish. He was not an abstainer from
liquor. but drank temperately, and his bev,
erages were champagne, burgundy ana
whisky and water. His religious position ne
himself recently set himself forth as fol-
lows: Il was brought up Calvinist, then
1 became a Unitarian, then Swedengor-
gian. Now l don't belong to any church
Many of my best friends are Catholics; l
lieve in a Divine Providence and a divine
destiny for all things" His definition of
newspaper man is The real newspaper man
is the boy who sleeps on newspapers ana
eats ink "A gentleman at the door with
cowhide, sir, and wants to see the editor,
said the office boy once. Send for Amos
was the chiefs answer with grim humor.
A STATUESQUE FIGURE.
Speaking OF Mr.. Dana as he appeared to
New Workers, q recent writer said: There
was no finer sight in the metropolis for
many years than this fine statuesque figure
leaving the shabby old Sun building and
starting homeward. At 5 o'clock in the
evening Park Row is a raging torrent Of HUI
manity and he who walks therein must ell
bow his own way. Mr. Dana used to come
to the door alone, stand for a moment like
a diver hesitating before his plunge, then
buttoning his coat and taking new grip
on his stick-in he went. and presently his
white beard was seen floating on the cur
rent here and there till presently beard and
owner came ashore on the other side. Then
at foUr-mile stride the old editor started
across the City Hall Park, shoulders Well
back, form swinging steadily and the sturdy
legs cleaving their way. II you Were CLOSE
enough you might have heard the Whlstlng
aria of a new opera or a line from the divine
comedy uttered in fine mellow tones for all
the world as If the walker were healtuy
Mr.. Dana has always been a prodiSious
reader of the newspapers or exchanges. he
had an abnormal capacity for getting the
cream of a paper at one scoop, leaving the
skinned product to others Tor laporiouS
consumption. His favorite working place
was at one of the windows on the thlru
floor overlooking City Hall Park. He had a
sort of shelf or bracket fastened 10 the WIN
dow frame which served him as desk
Here YOU would find him in his working
hours a heap of exchanges by his SIDE
and one of them in his hand undergoing the
process of being skinned alive. A sweeping
glance at the printed page a spasInoulc
movement of the scissors hand and 10! the
pearl of the oyster is rescued ana the SheI
lies in the heap of 'discards.' Many gem gem
found for leader witty and learned. MANY
a poem worth reading from the pen OF q
poet hitherto unknown was thus rescued
from oblivion.
''The great editor is the last of his race
BY this mean not only that he is the sole
survivor of that distinguished 5oteTle,
Greeley Weed, Ripley, Raymond, Goroon
Bennett the first Prentice. McCullash e.
al, but that he is the last OF the great
editors remaining, at least IN New III N.
other New York papers have passed unoer
the rod and entered upon the new oruSr'
Cheap white paper fast printing machines,
tvpe-setting machines and the page al
have made all the Suns contemporaries over
into purely commercial enterprises operaSeu
exactly as a mercantile establishment dl-
rected from the counting room, the editorial
department being, like the composing room
or pressroom, merely an adjunct. Io tniS
order the Sun has not yet Succumpeu. 10
this day, though most OF the paper 10
printed from type set by machinery, the
editorial page and some others are set by
hand because Mr.. Dana would not brook the
mechanical restrictions imposed by rnachine
composition. From every department tne
lines Of authority run not to the counting
room but to the editors chair.
ssWhen Mr. Dana visited the vatican ne
had audience with the Pope and spent an
hour cappng Italian verses ana quotlls
alternate lines from the Inferno. soon
after he returned he attended prize nsHt
one evening after besting his son at q post
prandial game Of billiards. This very year
he has added Russian TO his nst OF IAN
guages, grown a new rose ana written
monograph on the proper culture OF nusii-
rooms In his hours of repose ne mas COL
lated his experience in the civil war as
''I.incoln's reporter" for magazine, Wh i
thus becomes the lucky heritor OF one OIL tn nSe
greatest books of the century. the sun Will
not cease to shine because 1t VIII ran INTO
hands that will be guided by wisdom ana
saracity Besides, q good newspaper never
dies But never again will 1t be Dana
sun Only one Dana is produced III
century.