The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-29

laid upon my desk tho New York Eve.
ming Post ana the New York Evening
Express of the preceding afternoon. a
part or my business was, with pencil,
paste and SCISSORS, to riddle the con-
tents Of those two interesting sheets.
For better attraction l adopted the
form of daily Now York, letter.
Having no leg work to do and
fresh from my early coffee. with tho
Post and Express before mo, knowing
all the local points and people, moth
Ing was easier than tho filing OF an
apt column or two with New York
date line. / fairly reveled in my ar
tistic frhudulency. 1t was so dis
guised In the warming over process
that for long time the stuff was
regularly copied by the papers from
which 1t lad been originally taken.
These, however. were halcyon. limo
cent and happy days, when genius had
somc chance and virtue was its own
reward.
Nevertheless, flatter myself that,
barring the late hours and the loco
motion, ] can still hold my own with
tho 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-to-date
frllls and flounces from Park Row and
the Tcnderloin resorts of Herald
yided they be open and aboYeboard
clean and truthful--toLerably truthful
and not furtive and ignoblc.
Draws the Line.
II draw the line at straight lying
and the station house. The city editor
should never consider himself brevet
chief OF police, the reporter SEMI
professional detective. The newspaper.
with the law, should assume the ac-
cused innocent until proven guilty;
should be the friend. not the enemy.
Of the general public; the defender.
not the invader. of private life and
the assailant of personal character.
The newspaper is not a commodity
to be sold over the counter like dry
goods and groceries. 1t should be, as
1t were. a keeper of the public con-
science. It's rating professional, like
the ministry and the law, not com
mercial, like the department store and
the bucket shop. Its workers should
be gentlemen. not eavesdroppers and
scavengers, developing spy system
peculiarly their own, nor caring for
the popular respect and esteem
call such sentiments old timey. just
as 1t is the custom to call old men
court1y who are not actually vulgar
and slovenly. Self-respect can never
grow obsolete and self-respect Is the
bedrock OF the public respect There
will be shyster journalists as there
are shyster lawyers. unworthy news
paper men as there are unworthy
ctergymen But In each calling the
rule IS bound to be otherwise, and
they who .sseek the imprint of the
higher instead of the lower brand
Will be sure to find 1t. In short, my
dear young friends. I stand for the
manhood. for the gentlemanhood. of
our guild, profession and not a trade
and believe that, in the long run, the
owners of newspaper properties will
learn that integrity and cleanliness
pay the best dividends and that good
faith and good humor are positive as
sets.
An Editors Precepts.
II hope there is no one OF you
hero tonight who will not be one
day a managing editor, at least a city
editor. and whenever any one of you
finds himself in position of au
thority. let him carry these few pre-.
cepts in his mind and in his heart
to print nothing of man which he
would not say to his face; to print
nothing of a man in malice: to look
well and think twice before consign-
ing a suspect TO the ruin OF printers
ink: to respect the old and defend the
weak: and lastly, at work and ut
play. day time and night time. to be
good to the girls and square with the
boys. for hath it not been written, of
such is the kingdom of heaven?