New-York tribune., 1921-12-23
"Marse Henry on journalism
Colonel Wattcrson's Speech to the Canadian Press
Association at Toronto in 1910

vanity, has passed away. The new
order Of impersonal journalism, with
it's ideas of commercial honor and of
public obligation, has not quite ad-
justed itself to it's enlarged habitation
and richer apparel. 1t is, to take an
other illustration from my beloved
bluegrass country, as a Thoroughbred
yearling that feels his oats and kicks
and bites his trainer, yet has the sure
making of Derby winner.
We hear a deal about yellow jour
nalism." 1t is much like the pot call
ing the kettle black. Offences against
decency are more or less relative and
qualified. More and more will news
paper owners and makers discover that
integrity and cleanliness pay the best
dividends. The scandalmonger will in
time be relegated to the category of
the unprosperous as we'll as the dis
reputable, and the detective be driven
out of the newspaper service, where
he should have no place, to the COM
pany of the police, where he alone be-
longs. We can as little expect that
each newspaper worker shall be
gentleman as that each lawyer and
each doctor shall be gentleman; but
manly conduct and aspiration should
fix the rule. the brutal and vulgar the
exception, the journalistic brand no
less accepted and honorable than that
Of physic, divinity and jurisprudence.
The newspaper is the history of
yesterday. 1t is made to sell, assur-
edly; but it is not commodity, like
dry goods, pork and beans, hardware
and cutlery. 1t may not care to have
any opinions. But, in case it does, it
should seek and aim to be keeper of
the public conscience, an example
and counselor, not corner grocery
man; level Of head and kindly Of
heart, upright and elevated, always
sincere and truthful, avoiding as it
would avoid pestilence and famine the
character of common scold.
Editorials
The leading editorial, whose disap-
pearance is predicted and whose de-
cline is obvious, has suffered most by
the transition process from the per-
sonal to the impersonal. There was
exhilaration in pistols and coffee. The
duello was more interesting and less
expensive than the libel suit. The good
old times Of gunplay are, alas! no more,
IT gentleman nowadays shoots an
other gentleman they call it murder.
Most of us have to work Tor living,
and some of us even to be trained
to it.
l do not wonder that the wooden
nutmeg affair in big type, which for
the most part defaces the editorial
page, as it is called, having nobody
behind it, and neither continuity of
purpose nor the spirit of intellectual
rectitude and accountability, has fallen
into discredit. It might as we'll be dis
pensed with. It is no longer an effec-
tive nor an engaging arm of the
service.
But the rationale of the days doings,
rendered with good sense and in good
faith by self-respecting, conscien-
tious writer, will always command at
tention and be worth its space; and as
this is done with power or charm will
1t rank in drawing and selling quality
with the news features. Success may
be attained without it, but not distinc-
tion and influence It is cornica to
an edifice. 1t gives style, an air Of
completeness and attracts attention,
which, after all, is the kernel Of adyer-
tising, at once the source and resource.
the buttress and the bell tower, Of
nsvnvaeas sMtsebsiss anA sslsassssA~ass-