The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-07-06

"It makes no difference n a man
believes just so his heart Is right
say some people. Following tne ine
of least resistance is the governing
motive in many lines. The colorless
man is the biggest bore in the nelgn-
borhood. Said q great North CarOhna
preacher in a sermon n oay'
would rather be wrong than notn-
ing"
Those only whose personality is a
positive force count for anything In
human progress. He is always an IN
teresting character. nc matter whether
right or wrong, who is original ana
unique; but the m~Ollycoddle VINO
takes no position on any question, nut
finds his highest joy in floating with
the tide, lives and dies and leaves no
sign.
AS with individuals, so with news
papers. A sheet without color, or
character, is like the earth when II
was without form and void; 1t may
exc out an existence and nno a
meagre support for the local gossip
that it records from day to day or
from week to week, but it is never
reckoned among the forces Of COM
munity progress, and trail after pub
lie sentiment, instead OF m ana
leading 1t.
The editorial page of a newspaper,
whether daily, weekly or monthly, is
the very CeIleI Ill COIC u Y ~
A weak editorial department cannot
be atoned for by any other virtue. NO
matter how spicy it's local columns or
how complete and adequate is its news
service, or how full it's market re-
ports, or how accurate it's weather
bureau, the strength and influence of
the paper is weakened by the power
Of the editorial page.
Newspaper Is Sentiment Maker.
More than ever before in the his
tory of journalism the newspaper has
come to be the sentiment maker of
the day. The old time political cam
paign is fast losing it's hold on the
public. The heated debate of the
former tines are memories of the
past. The public has another and
more reliable source of information
than that furnished by the stump
speaker. Uncle Sam has arranged
to send his people a message every
day, from the centre of things. The
Associated Press converges the news
of the wide world into three or four
olumns of space on the front page
OF the daily newspaper. There may
be found fresh messages from the
seat of war; so fresh and so near that
the reader can almOst e the can-
mons roar and so of all the doings
of mankind in the remotest corner OF
the globe. But only one in ten has
the time or the ~nclinatiOn to sift
from the mass of matter hat Is
poured in the news column, from the
trembling wires, the real meaning OF
it all.
The busy reader instinctively turn:
to the editorial page to find the inter.
probation Of the days doings. Tn
editor through the silent hours Of thu
night translates the complicated an(
sometimes obscure and confused lit
erature of the diplomats and CORE
spondents into clear and simple Eng
lish. He ~untangles the skein tina
comes to him from overland and Sc;
and weaves it into a web bright an
glowing with the colorings of his owl
imagination. but with an understand
ing that satisfies those who follow
him from day to day. He thus be
comes the moulder Of public opinion
the outstanding figure in all the aler
n intelligent force that combin
q daily newspaper.
The greatest editor that Mort
Carolina has produced made his ed
torial column radiant with his won
derful personality. What would tn
Charlotte Observer have been unde
and b~enignant face Of Caldwell shin
ing through every line! 1t would hav
been what is called a good newspape
anyhow, for it employed an aggrega
ton Of bright fellows, but it woul
not have been the Charlotte Obsel
yer that we knew and loved.
Editorials Saved This Paper.
The New York Sun is not so widel
circulated as the New York American
but the influence the Sun exerts O
the public thought of the time
many times greater than hat OF tt
American. For generations the Su
has poured its strength into its ed
torial columns. The Sun editoria
are models Of accurate and origin
English, and it's style is so pungel
and virile that it has made the to-
most place for itself among the gre;
journals Of the world. The Sun wit
q common place editorial page, wou
go into eclipse.
The daily newspaper in Nor
Carolina today that yields the wide
influence Is the one that is the mo