The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-03-13
Editor Said to Be Passing
Eastern Publication Holds That Oldme Journalist Is Giving
Way to Advertising Manager

"0illS is from Life, published IN
New York, evidently under Il
Gotham sense OF what is what:
''ln these days the world is
moving 80 fast that many things are
sticking to the wheels of Progress
which would long since have dropped
off of their own weight if those wheels
had been moving slower. Among these
are editors.
For many years the editor has
served Il useful purpose. In fact, We
could hardly have done without him.
courage stood between the public and
the Ultimate truth. This alone would
be enough to entitlc him to immor
tally.
He has kept MS fully informed
about all the murders taking place
among our neighbors, and has kept Us
AS things go-fairy well satisfied
about their marital difficulties, their
quarrels and scandals; and there have
even been times Strange rs this may
secm) when he has let us know about
changes in foreign governments and
countries. Not enough perhaps for II,
to tell how far wrong the Last geo
raphy is, but enough to piquc our earl
osity about it.
"All these things, and more, can be
laid to the credit of the editor. But
even the most useful ones have their
day.
zone OF the most curious phenomena
about the editor of the present day is
the fact that he does not realize that
he is passing. The transition from
so gradual that he has scarcely no
ticed it.
This is intended by no means to
detract anything from the value of
periodical or daily literature. 1t has
long been recognized that the advcr-
tisemcnts are far more interesting
than the text, in most Of our pcrodi-
Gals.
'With the gradual elimination Of
the editor will come to the supreme
advertising head "A finer sense of re
sponsibility. He will see more and
more that the best advertising is in
reality the best literature. lie will no
| longer exploit his advertised articles in
the way it is done at presently
cheaply asking people to buy them.
But these articles will be celebrated in
verse and story; their faults will be
| cnfi tbn;r int,
contrast
"The epic of the future is in the
advertising pages. The editors obitu-
AIRY is already writtcn.'
Life is pleased to attempt to be
cynical in the words that have been
quoted. Judging from the general pol
icy and makeup of the metropolitan
paper of today, however, Life is more
than half right. Time was when the
papers of the great cities had their
traditions, their ideals, their sense of
right and wrong, when editors thun
dcrcd their wrath or smiled their praise
all irrespective Of subsidy of any sort
That day is gone. Lies structures
apply, in large way, to the great
newspapers of the country. Still, Life
is wrong about the passing of the cdi
tor. He will never pass. There arc
in this country today hundreds of
thousands of honest, capable, fearless
editors, men who uphold the finest
traditions. of their craft, men who say
what they mean and are sincere in
their efforts to make their people think
AS is right. These men are at thciI
desks in the smaller cities, in tn,
towns and villages Of the United
States. Day by day they work, witt
the anonymous briliancc that is q
Yankee newspaper attribute, doing
what they can in the best way they
know. 1t is in this class that tn,
American editor is to live. The hope