Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1918-05-17
THE QUALITY
OF MERCY

The QUALIFY
OF MERCY
Mercy for ones fellow man is an
individual but not a collective char
acteristic of the American people.
Mere man, in this country, is quick
to sympathize. and even quicker in
coming to the aid OF 4 friend in need,
but as a body our people are too
prone to seek ground for criticism
and finding it. become too Jealous in
its expression. No other walk OF life
offers better material for observing
this trait than the newspaper bust
ness. Daily we are approached with
some more or less malicious request
to publish a cutting item or are mys'
teriously informed that so and SO did
this and that but for heavens sake
don't say you got 1t from me-" Ere
quently VIC are given misleading in
formation, and sometimes We have
acted upon 1t, only TO find in the end
that It was not true; upon searching
its source we invariably are met with
"oh. so and so told me that" etc. ad
infinitum. No greater sorrow may be
visited upon man or woman than
comes through a misleading or mis-
guided newspaper article containing
an untruth that does the subject in.
justice. A rumor may go the rounds
day after day among the people pri-
vately, you might say, and still do lit
tie harm, but give il out once through
the columns of a newspaper and you
wound and wound deep, simply be-
cause its subject feels that he or she
has become public property in one
sense of the word. For this reason
the giver OF news should be careful,
even more careful than the gatherer.
In vouching for its authenticity. The
newsman looks to you for the correct
ness of your assertion and he has you
to fall back upon II the object of the
article in turn confronts him with
its falsity. Again. keep your person
al feelings hidden from the newsman.
Don't seek to get into print what you
consider the Vaccinations of the fel
low who killed your cat. or the wo-
man who slapped your little hopeful
for turning the garden hose on her fu
ture president. Above all, don't try
to inject into print the sorrow, dis
appointment or misfortune of any per
son. Put yourself in his position. Use
the quality of mercy,
Many a man is editing a newspaper
who shouldn't be. There are people
welding the public pen who them
selves have nothing of the quality o.
mercy in their perverted hearts. The,
capitalize the sorrow. misfortune ant
grief Of their fellow man. They ever
go about seeking for matter that the,
may publish to the degradation an,
Injury OF others. They delight in
as they put IL, giving the facts
Without mercy they flay individuals
regardless OF sex or standing, ruth
lessly tear open the innermost portal
OF human heart, forever besmirc
the fair name OF a good man or We
man, just TO amuse their sCanda
hunting readers for one night. Fo
them the quality OF mercy remains a
unknown quantity. The only Just re
ribution that may be visited upo
them is the publication some day
the real facts concerning their ow
blackmailing, scandalmonging exis
ence. The editor who makes h
newspaper successful Is not tn
blackguard, not this destroyer OF h
man happiness, but the fellow VIII
regardless OF the news value OF or
happening in the personal life Of
fellow human being. can sit at h
humble desk and sift from the ma!
OF matter OF public interest before hi
those things that hurt, and hurt CT
ely, those things that bIacken Il
character of fellow citizen, an
throw them into the waste baske
forever to be forgotten, never TO sta
tho pages OF any honorable and cha
liable publication. The words OF Il
great bard may never be trucr tha
in their application to newspaper &c
tors. the words from Portals wonde
full plea that saved her lover from q
knife of Shylock:
THE quality Of mercy Is not strainc
II falleth as the gentle rain fro
heaven,
Upon the place beneath.
1t is twice blessed; II blesseth
that
Gives and him who receives"
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