Arizona republican., 1906-12-07
ART OF JOURNALISM
 LESSON NUMBER Ill
Some of the Things to be Avoided by Those Who Aspire to Heights in the Profession.

Now. dear children, We will proceed
 to Lesson No. H. which I have ar
 ranged for the Primary Class in Jour
 ualism. It deals with what We may
 call the Elementary Ethics of Journal
 ism. It had been my intention to in,
 clude the truths I am now about to
 set forth in a lesson designed for the Advanced Journalistic Course. but notice that some of you, especially the Evening Outcast, are already com hitting the fault. in your ignorance, it is true, of violating recognized prac- tices n this noble profession. l cannot therefore begin too early to correct such errors as I may observe. Later in the course I shall deal with this subject more fully.
 have been informed that the Even ing Outcast in its exuberant desire to become a newspaper has made practice of clipping advertisements from The Republican and other mature newspapers, pasting them upon a red postcard. stating that the Evening Outcast would like to receive the same advertisement, explaining at the same time that it would not charge so much as The Republican charges. and holding out as an extra inducement that the Evening Outcast is the Peoples organ" and is a comic supplement
 In this the Evening Outcast has committed at least three errors. The first is the adoption of a long-since ex- -inct system of securing patronage. It was abandoned because it was found by experience to be based upon the s.r is now universally recognized as rep rehensible. as I shall now illustrate
 The Republican advertisement to which the Evening Outcast aspired and a copy of which it pasted on Q postcard and mailed to the address given there in was as follows:
 FOR SALE-A trio of Thorough
 bred Pekin Ducks. Address Box
 -, R. F. D. No. -."
 As I have said the Evening Outcast first erred in attempting what We may describe as a Renaissance of an obso- lete and objectionable practice The next error was in misapprehending the intention of the advertiser. who plainly wanted to sell three Pekin ducks His purpose. as we may easily infer, was to give publicity to the fact of his pos session of the Pelin ducks and his desire to part with them. The Evening Outcast erred in sUppOsing that what the advertiser wanted was conceal ment and not publicity In the former case. if he had desired to make dark and impenetrable secret of his possess sion of those ducks he might with propriety have inserted his flor sale advertisement in the Evening Outcast. But a more simple procedure would have been to lock the ducks in the smoke house or cellar and fasten a printed affidavit on the door setting forth that there were no ducks within and that if there were they were not for sale. By either process, by the concealment of his ownership of tha ducks by fastening them in the smoke ' house or cellar or by advertising them for sale in the Evening Outcast, the owner of the ducks would have ren- dered himself immune 10 annoyance by would-be purchasers of Pekin ducks
 Another error in this connection ! which the Evening Outcast makes is 1 the setting forth of itself as the "Peo- l ple's Organ" An organ in the eyes of | a journalist is a thing to be detested ! and not to be proud of The right kind | of people do not want an organ and | the wrong kind of people would make l a bad use of it. Right thinking people | fear would confound a Peoples ! Organ" with a public prostitute. A newspaper should never cheapen itself l but should aim to preserve the same ! independence which makes banks and 1 blacksmith shops and mercantile estab- l lishments successful and respected. | Journalism. my dear children. is pri- vate business and nothing more. fin ] which. if we are honest. we always give ! full value for value received.
 I am grieyed moreover to observe 1 that some of you are puffed up with | pride as you stumble along the jour | nalistic career. The Evening Outcast | is especially at fault in this matter | and is given to childish boastfulness. | For instance. l am told that it pro- fesses to be the leader in what are | called contests for securing subscrip- | tions. l do not know whether it is l engaged in a contest or not, but have I been informed that it has permitted l itself to become implicated in some | sn.-~<sz---------.-s'' -