Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-10-09
An Editors PRAYER.

In the recent campaign we re-
ceiyed communications seeming to in
fer that editors never pray, or, II they
do It Is entirely useless. DisproVing
this belief we have the assurance or
the Medina County Gazette, one of
Ohio's best weekly newspapers, in the
form of the prayer of an editor in the
far north woods. The Correspon-
dents Bulletin opines that the word
ing of this unsigned prayer is an Off
spring of the pen of Henry G. Rowe,
editor of the Gazette. Be that as 1t
may, it bears a message to all men
worthy the name of editor, and shows
the "madding crowd" the first hope in
the heart of the editor when he has
momentary release from the grind OF
telling an old story in a new way. And
here is what he asked for
Great Spirit of the Printing Press
j am soon to leave these silent, bcauti-
full places that | love so dearly and go
back to your realm of paper and ink
and whirling wheels. l am grateful
that your largess has permitted me
here where God seems nearer than
elsewhere, where trouble isn't, and
where the great physician. Rest,
comes to mend broken nerves and re-
charge life's galvanic batteries with
energy and hope. And now that l
am going back to you, grant me more
til hot
your newspaper children need more
than all else-the one, grace, the 9TH
Ell. courage.
Grace to be fair to the other fellow
not to regard my own views my own
beliefs, my own religion, my own
politics, my own party as altogether
right and perfect and the other fell
lows altogether wrong; grace to
smile and omit the unkind printed
word when some one has injected a
bit of salt and pepper under my skin
tthat perhaps | deserve); grace to re-
member that there are two sides to al
most every question Especially ex-
cepting the saloon question:; grace to
remember that soft answer turneth
away wrath and at the same time is
more effective.
And courage-courage to tell the
truth that ought to be told whether
like it or not whether 1t hits me or my
friends. whether it costs me one sub
scriber or one thousand subscribers
courage to look without blinking at
political facts and to put an homes,
Interpretation on such facts, whether
my political party and my political
friends like 1t or not; courage to be
fair and speak my honest belief about
the candidates for Office of all poiiti-
cal parties, no matter how badly
want only the candidates of my owr
party elected; courage to tell my
friends NO when they want to gel
something into my columns that ISM
fair. and courage to say YES to those
who are not my friends and wher
they want to get something into m!
columns that is fair though distaste
full to me; and courage. finally, t.
walk alone and friendless, if need be
that / may not print something 1 d,
not believe and may not advocate
something that / do not favor will
head and heart.
And now, Great Spirit lest m.
humble prayer detain you longer from
visiting just retribution on those ly
ing editors back in civilization occu
pied this very hour in getting GU
those mendacious war extras. I vii
close my humble prayer, hoping tina
its petition may be vouchsafed me
and go on whipping this stream for
few more trout before sundowr
Amen.