Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-03-28
ECHOES FROM TYPE AND TONGUE

ESIlOES rhOM YRE AND TONGUE
is there any real pleasure or salts
faction in being q mere echo? The
echo itself, we grant. is sometimes n
gratifying thing to those who hear 1t:
but that is because, in such case. it
is curious to hear any Ineligible ut
terance at all in that quarter or from
so unlikely 4 source. But how can 1t
crafty an echo to repeat. or garble, or
gable, what another says? or to al
ways wait till another speaks before
1t can ever be heard on any subject?
Whatever be the fact as to that.
echoing is all that many persons and
papers do; and they do it with n con-
viction and earnestness that surpass
even the author they repeat, and which
sometimes make ill-informed persons
think the echo remarkably acute, orig
inal and brave. Yet 1t is because a
person or paper is lacking in initiative
Without courage. independence origi-
nal and quick perception and the COM
bative temperamcnt-defc in all
the qualities that give the instinct. ana
constitute the capacity for leadership.
that he or it becomes a humble echo
and follower of another or others.
The echo must be distinctly dis
inguished from n member of n mutual
admiration society that is always quot
ing from an associate, with concurrence
and admiration; for although a timid
echo quotes or refers to its originals
sometimes (and in some cases fire.
quenty) TO escape responsibility for
what it says (whether opinion. argu-
ment, or mere statemenD. 1t neither
gives nor expects admiration; and, as
rule, even when citing one or more
pa2ers as its responsible authority or
authorities 1t rarely, if ever quotes,
with credit, the paper or papers of
which ii is plaSiarist as well as echo
An echo, expert and experienced. GEN
orally selects some journal as its orig
maj at distance, and one not likely
10 come under the eyes of its readers.
From this 1T takes such articles as
suit il, and ''revamp" them, a process
which consists in striking out and. in
scrtinS, or striking out here and insert
ing there, changing one word for an
other or cunningly transposing words
ana sentenccs:-do all with a Skill
ed hand, 50 that it will betray none of
the tampering to anyone who has not
seen the original. The most cautious
echo. takes nothing but the thought,
slightly varying that and translatin- il
into the echo's own language
That is the press echo; and the per-
sonal echo is very similar to 1t in his
methods. only he does not print, unless
in communications to the press. He
echoes not only the press, but what
he hears and overhca s.-especially the
latter rs it suits him better lie talks
with tluency and confidence on all sub
Jcc's; and even they who recognize
what he says as substantially what
they have read or heard before. sup
pose 1t is n coincidence arising from
n concurrence of bright and we'll in
formed minds, with n like facility and
Felicity of expression. There is n class
Of men who must be mentioned with
echoes. for though they can hardly be
called echoes in the sense already given.
they also are plaGiarists, though using
their plasiarizcd material in q some
what different method. They are COM
monty called "brain-suckers: and in
ability, nj least. are some degrees. more
or less, higher than echoes. They read
little or nothing; but they correspond
widely, and pump" everyone they
meet, who is supposed to be up" on
any subject of current interest. From
these sources they gather their ma
terial. as we'll as apt and striking
phrases; and after careful digestion of
it all. they shape it in articles for the
literary or political. or other presa (ac-
cordlnG to subjccO. or use it in adj
dresses. after-dinncr and other speech
es or In special conversations.
After all, these echoes and plagiarists
do more good than harm; and ii is
very likely that IL they relied on their
own intellectual resources they would
do far more harm than good .-boring
people to death with their crude messcs
OF unmitigated bosh.