The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1897-11-04
Nana's Famous Maxims.

Here are Mr., Dana's famous maxims
for the making of newspaper:
Get the news, and get all the news,
and nothing but the news.
Copy nothing from another publica-
ton without complete credit.
Never print an interview without the
knowledge and consent of the party in
terviewed
Never print paid advertisement as
news matter. Let every advertisement
appear as an advertisement-no sailing
under false colors.
Never attack the weak or the defense
less, either by argument, by invective
or by ridicule, unless there is some alb
solute public necessity for so doing.
Fight for your opinions, but don't
believe they contain the whole truth or
the only truth.
Present your party, if you have one,
but do not think all the good men are
in it and all the bad ones outside of it.
Above all, know and believe humani-
ty is advancing, and that there is prog
ress in human life and human affairs,
and that, as sure as God lives, the fu-
ture will be greater and better than the
present or the past.
Mr.. Dana was recently interviewed
on his experiences and regarding news
paper work.
Suppose you had to start over again,
Mr.. Dana, would you select the news
paper for your life work." asked the
interviewer.
81 don't know" was the reply. "My
first ambition was to, be parson or q
college professor. / looked forward to
the day when | would have pulpit
aud could preach. I think I would
have made fairly good college pro-
fessor. Why, as it is, haye been a
professor for good part of my life.
81 have had classes in my home. We
haye had summer of social clubs there
for the study Of languages and litera-
ture, and I have led them. For several
Year, we devoted ourselves to Dante,
studying him in the original Italian.
Then year or SO ago I had class
studying the Iceandic languages.
"I am now able to read the Russian.
| visited Russia year or so ago, and l
find l can get along in speaking the
language, as far as ordinary matters
are concerned. | can read anything in
Russian with slight use of the diction-
ary,"
"Is college education necessity to
the making of a good Journalistic"
81 think it is good thing for man
to have college education," replied
Mr.. Dana. "But l don't think it is
a necessity. A college-bred man has a
better trained mind, and, as a rule, he
can use his faculties to better advant-
age; still, the boy who is self educated
often surpasses him who is college
bred"
"Please give me word of advice for
the young newspader men of today.
What should they do to succeed?"
"Tell the truth and shame the devil. u
"What has become of the weekly
newspaper, Mr.. Dana?"
"The great weekly has been killed
by the low prices Of papers and the
cheapening of newspaper making. Peo-
pie will not subscribe for weekly when
they can get daily from their'own ter
ritory at from to cents a day."
"What are some of the chief faults Of
the newspaper Of today?"
One great fault is the lack of individ
uality. Many Of our papers are set W
by type-setting machines, which make
all look alike. Why, there are three
great newspapers in New York usine
the same press dispatches, i don't lik'
that, and ! do all can to give the Sur
a character of its own. "-Chicagt
| Tribune