Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-05-29

els. il may be served hot and sayory,
or raw and unsavory, be brought ON
plain, or dressed and decorated, to
suit the every varying public taste.
There Is in this, as In cooking, an art.
A fine, rudy murder, like fair round
OF beef, may be ruined in the roasting
and scandal, fat and juicy, blonde
and frowsy, wholly spoiled by figu-
rative excess of oil and garlic. A
lskiilful chef can take few scraps
and fabricate a dish to delight a
gourmet. SO deft reporter can put
this and that together and piece
story to set the town a-talking. In
both cases however, there must be
the basis of essential fact. II is given
to no man to make silk purse out
of sawdust and boot-heels; to no re-
porter to turn a scoop out of lie. I,
Il was engaged as general utility
man upon an afternoon paper in
i Washington City. Each morning there
was laid upon my desk the new York
evening Post and the New York
Express of the preceding afternoon.
A part of my business was with pen
Gil, paste and scissors to riddle the
Icontents of these two interesting
lsheets. For better attraction, | adopt
led the form of daily New York let
ter. Having no leg-work to do and
fresh from my early coffee, with the
Post and the Express before me,
knowing all the logical points and peo-
IrIe. nothing was easier than the fling
of an apt column or two with a New
York date line. fairly reveled in my
ertistic fraudulency. Ii was so dis
guised in the warming-over process
that for long time the stuff was reg
ularly copied by the papers from
which 1t had been originally taken.
hose, however. were halcyon, inno-
cent and happy days, when genius
had some chance and virtue was its
Town reward.
Can Still Hold His Own.
Nevertheless, I fiatter myself that,
barring the late hours and locomotion.
can still hold wy own with the
best of you in the work of news
gathering and news collating, in dis
tinguishing what Is and what Is not
news. even to the latest up-todate
.rills and hounces from Park Row
and the Tenderloin resorts of Herald
Square and Forty-second street-toi-
erably truthful-and not furtive and
/ isnoble.
Il draw the line at straight lying
end the station house. The city edi-
Tor should never consider himself a
hrevet Chief Of Police. the reporter a
semiprofessionaI detective. The news
PAPER with the law. should assume the
accused innocent until proven guilty I:
should be the friend. not the enemy OF
the general public; the defender, not
be invader. Of private life and the
asS7!lant Of personal character
The Newspaper is not a commodi.
y TO be sold over the counter like
cry goods and groceries. II should
be. as it were. a keeper OF the public
conscience. Tts rating professional
IKE the ministry and the Law. not
commercial. ike the department store
and the buckle, shop. Its workers
ahoule Be gentlemen. not earcsdrop.
I'cFs and scaveuxcrs. developing a spy
system peculiarly their own. not car.
TX FOR the popular respect and e.
teen.
-oid TiHey Sentimental
II 7 know that u Is the fashion 10
can such sentiments old-timey Just
as q Is the custom to call old neH
CURLY who are not actually vslear
ard slOvcniy. Selfrcspcct can nevci
grow Obsolete and scifrcspcct y IN.
ted-rock 81 the public respect. Their.
WI be shysfer journalists a. TIER,
are shystcr lawyers. unworthy newz