The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-08-11
LORD MORLEYS VIEW OF JOURNALISM

define what | understand by a good
journalist. My friend, the challenger.
tried his own hand at the qualities
OF good journalist, and they APP
peared to be candor, courtesy, inde-
pendence, responsibility. But those
are qualities that go to make not on
ly a good journalist, but any decent
ly good sort of man. The definition
is quite inadequate. But 1 am not
going to attempt to specify the quail
titles of good journalist, because 1
am afraid of them, and if left any
qualities out or put any qualities in
which any individual among you does
or does not possess, l make him an
enemy for life, and l am much too
experienced to try to make an enemy
of anybody connected with a news
paper 1 have a suggestion.
Cromwell, in an interview he had
with a certain band of Presbyterian
ministers, said to them, My breth-
rem, 1 beseech you in the name of
Christ to think it possible that you
in some journals l am acquainted
with it would not be a good thing
to have that saying of Cromwells
written in letters of gold in all the
editorial rooms, not the news-rooms,
of a great newspaper office. An emf
nent member, well known to some
of us here and to myself, has for his
Geographic address the word 'Vati-
can l hope it will not be supposed
that we are here today assembled as
anything like a Vatican council 60
ing to proceed to the definition of
infallibility. Infallibility is generally
another word for impenitence, and l
hope none of us here are so unwise
as to make any claim to it. But it is
a comfort, as journalism is not in
fallible, that it is not omnipotent;
it is not quite as omnipotent as it
often thinks-when 1 say that 1 am
the last man to deny or depreciate-
but it is not omnipotent. You will
not think | am going into party poll
tics for single instant but 1 can
not but recollect the two greatest
lections-whether wise or foolish
elections-in my time were the cleo
lions of 1880 and the nearer election
of 1906. make bold to saythat Meth
er in 1880 nor 1906 did the great lead
Ing organs of opinion, either metro
Dolitan or provincial, anticipate nor
a
which the country wisely or unwise-
= ly arrived at"
The speaker avows his belief that
the Improvement of British journal,
: Ism in his day has been enormous,
| and then goes on. to say:
l ut has been, enormous in a way
: which leads me confidently to ex,
pect that that Improvement will still
: further extend. The older journal
ism even in the very high-class re
= Views. reviews for which we used to
pay 5s. or 6s.. was very coarse
) mean very rough and unsparing; il
was very ignorant, extremely igno
; rant When Wordsworth produced a
DOSAi u "iiISl oeJ 1lSdlly, MI
= Wordsworth, this will never do and
when another criticizes Endymion,
; in the same kind of spirit, what could
be more intolerable to think of
That has gone. 1t is true there is
still. shall we say, plenty of stiff Ian
= suage used. But remember once
+ when was in charge of newspaper
= there came to me youngster who
sought employment, and | said. Have
you any special quality?' Yes he
It thought he had. What is it.? HI
: said. Tnvective' ANY particular
/ form? No, general invective From
Y what l have observed in one or tive
t quarters I believe my friend mus
e have found employment since. Ev
3 erybody will agree that the tempe
$ Of journalism has enormously i'm
} proved. 1t is not always-in polite
n at all events-it is not always pei
:. fectly genial, but it is not ungenel
o GUS. Literary Digest.