Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-07-15
Cush in the Personal Col.n

y" '"e PERSONAL Columns.
Our esteemed Norfolk conterano..
the Nlrginian-Pilot, submits a 10y
ful protest against the sIush In -,
a certain class Of newspapers ,na.', 'h
whenever they make personaI ss
tion of individuals of more ar L. '' 'i
portance. 1t IL weary Of the trs,,. ~
statesmen. the learned lawyers 81
scintillating orators, the society led. ~
the lovely debutantes, who throne, -
personal columns upon every met
until the tudiciOus grieve and The eA
| frightened give way to bitter merrir,eI.
| Why cannot this pitiable nonsana. ~
| suppressed, inquiries our nersao,,,',
neighbor. Why Is ii not possible =
mention persons, when it becomes -
essary TO mention them at all. with -
spect and consideration, but with yo,o.
reference to common sense and oo'
mon honesty? Why use adjectiyes nv
| I'll they lose their meaning? Whv
make gentlemen, ladies, Statesmen
| geniuses, etc, SO abundant that the an
ly distinction possible to the inaivia-
ual consists in exile from the wboI.
preposterous classification?
What the Virginian-Pilot apprebsna.
and with some reason, we imagine
Is too violent reaction from the nrs,,
alent system, and a regime of infuria.
ton under which long-sufferinz
journalists will average past wrongs Nv
printing ugly truths instead of benevo.
lently ignoring them. Attention |.
called, indeed, to a Mississippi news.
of
anguish and humiliation, has at lac,
declared war a loutrance against
poppycock, and proposes to die a
martyrs death if necessary in the
cause of outraged justice:
John BONN, the LATEST merchant ,n
town, made a trip to Belleview weston.
day.
John Doyle. our groceryman, is do.
ing poor business. His store Il
dusty. dirty, noxiously odoriferous
How can he expect TO do much?
The Rev. Styx preached SUNDAY
night on Charity The sermon was
punk. If the reverend gentleman
would live up a little closer to what he
breaches he'd have bigger congrega-
tons.
Dave Smokey died last Saturday al
his home in this place. The doctor
gave it out as heart failure. The fact
is, he was drunk, and whisky is what
killed him. His home was a rented
shack on Roudy street.
''Married-Miss Sylvia Rhodes and
James Canhan, last Saturday evening
in the Baptist parsonage. The bride is
very ordinary town girl, who doesn't
know any more than a rabbit about
cooking, and who never helped her
mother three days in her life She is
not a beauty by any means, and has a
gait like fat duck. The groom is well
known here as an up-to-date loafer
He has been living off the old folks all
his life, and don't amount 10 shucks.
They will have a hard life while they
live together, and the News has no
congratulations to offer for We don't
believe any good can come from such
a union"
OF course. this kind Of thing would be
even worse than the idiotic slobber
which has so infiamed our excellent
contemporary. AS a matter of fact, it
would lead TO the gradual but inevi-
table extinction Of a very deserving
class of journalists and so rivet more
firmly than ever an intolerable Attic
ton upon the craft. We join the Vir-
ginian-Pilot in advising a middle
dignified; not too
grossly violative of fact-in a word,
policy of noncommittalism, where
praise and honesty do not go hand in
hand. 1t is not, after all, absolutely
necessary to describe every frowsy
demagogue as an enlightened patriot,
every red-necked, vulgar. and be-
diZened upstart as a high-born aristo-
crat, every cheap adventurer as
naughty clubman, or every favored and
promoted party henchman as miracle
of lofty craftsmanship. Officeholders
are not necessarily great and good men,
according to the Importance of the
place they hold, nor are their wives
and daughters necessarily accom-
plished, beautiful and refined by the
same sliding scale Of eminence.
Ancient lineage, honorable observances.
culture, morality and kindness of heart
cannot always be argued from bank
account. There must be some test OF
the propriety of adjectives other than
that furnished by wealth and power.
Why, then, may the newspapers not
adopt q decent manner of personal
mention. avoiding alike the nauseous
adulation and the offensive accuracy!
Why not ?-Washington Post.
Under the direction of the Bank OF
Germany in Berlin. an EFFORT mas petn