The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-11-03
THREE NOTABLE EDITORIALS

stranger 10 the language ana the GUS
toms of the people he soon made good
and at 80 was the owner of the Post
Despatch of st. Louis, which he
edited and managed with signal abil-
ity, and at the age of 40 was owner
and editor of the New York World
to which until his death he gave his
chief attention.
he indited an editorial which is
worthy to take it's place alongside
the utterance of the greatest states
men this country has ever produced.
On the occasion of the dedication of
the Worlds building in 1889 and at a
birthday dinner given to him in 1907
he indited two more messages which
will rank with the best editorial ut
terances of Horace Greeley, Henry J.
Raymond, Chas. A. Dana or Henry
Watterson.
We believe that the Banner can
show no better service to it's readers
than to reproduce these really great
utterances from this most remarkable
man.
On the day the corner stone of the
Pulitzer building was laid, from his
sick bed at Weisbaden, having al
ready been stricken with blindness,
he cabled the following message:
God grant that this structure be
the enduring home of a newspaper
forever unsatisfied with merely print
ing the news-forever fighting every
form of wrong-forever Independent
forever advancing in enlightment
and progress-forever welded to tru-
ly democratic ideas-forever aspir-
ing to be moral force-forever ris-
ing to higher plane of perfection as
public institution.
God grant that The World may
forever strive toward the highest
ideals-be both a daily school-house
and daily forum, both daily teach
er and daily tribune and instrument
of justice, terror to crime, an aid
to education, an exponent of true
Americanism.
Let it ever be remembered that
this edifice owes its existence to the
public; that it's architect is popular
favor; that it's corner stone is liberty
and justice; that its every stone
comes from the people and represents
public approval for public services
rendered.
God forbid that the vast army fol-
lowing the standard of The World
should in this or in future genera
tons ever find it faithless to those
ideas and moral principles to which
alone it owes it's life and without
which l would rather have it perish"
So later on in 1907 on the occasion
of the birthday dinner given in hon.
or of his birthday though not par
ticipant, he cabled the following mes
sage which showed that he had not
forsaken his high ideals though lock-
ed out from the world by blindness
they were still an inspiration to him:
Express to the editors, managers
and entire staff my warm apprecia-
ton of their excellent and successful
WOlh III OH lASIlIuLlOA WnlCA
always fight for progress and reform
never tolerate injustice or corrup-
ton; always fight demagogues of all
parties; never belong to any party
always oppose privileged classes and
public plumber; never lack sympathy
with the poor: always remain de-
voted to the public welfare; never be
satisfied with merely printing the
news: always be drastically independ-
ent; never be afraid to attack wrong,
whether by predatory plutocracy or
predatory poverty.
Exalted as these sentiments are
they were scarcely less inspiring than
was his first editorial in assuming
control of the World nearly thirty
years before when he gave forth the
following lofty message:
THE entire World newspaper prop
erty has been purchased by the
undersigned, and will from this day
on be under different management
different in men, measures and meth
ods-different in purpose, policy anC
principle-differen in objects anC
interests-different in sympathies
and convictions-different in heaC
and heart.
Performance is better than prom
Use. Exuberant assurances are cheap
make none. | simply refer the pub
lie to the New World itself, which
henceforth shall be the daily evi
dence of its own growing improve
ments, with forty-eight daily witness
es in its forty-eight columns.
There Is room in this great and
growing city for a journal that is
not only cheap but bright, not only
bright but large, not only large but
truly Observation-Disclosures to the
cause of the people rather than that
OF purse potentates-devoted more tC
the news of the new than the old
world-that will expose all fraud and
sham, fight all public evils and abuses
that will serve and battle for the
people with earnest sincerity.
I'm that cause and for, that end
solely the new World is hereby en-.
listed and committed to the attention
of the intelligent public"
The steady growth of the World
in influence showed that Mr.. Pulitzer
endeavored to live up to his lofty
ideals and that hic offorfS x,aro oor