Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-23

Often wa corrected the tightly grammar
Of the orator of the day.
And then I began to wonder-if ]
could do this for men in high Office why
should I not earn myself q position of
original authority? Little by little the
chance came. Now and then the edi-
| tor, Ill or called away on some business,
| intrusted me with pieces to write dur
! ing his absence. Small things, little
things-but in any life it is these things
that accumulate. I worked on, saving
my small salaries, so that three years
later with a few dollars I was able to
vile Advertiser.
IT began writing of the things that
happened at home, of the events in ouI
town and county. Hitherto this source
of news in certain aspects often had
been neglected. Mrs Smith could give
the biggest pink tea in history without
word of notice from the press. be-
gan recording such things, began writ
ing also of the log cabins and coon
hunts and of Missouri hard cider. Thus
from q printer became q reporter, and
from reporter part owner. After that
the pendulum, already moving, swung
wider with less effort"
Early Became Leader.
Three years after the dean made his
purchase of which he was speaking, his
political ability, often demonstrated
since, first became evident when his as
sociates chose him boy president of the
press organization of Missouri. 1t has
been said that this honor may have
been due principally to the deans abil-
ity as an orator, an ability which marked
him for distinction even at that early
day.
From 1890 until 1908, as editor of the
Herald OF Columbia, town across the
river from Boonville and the seat of
the State university, MIR. Williams at
tracted considerable attention through
the LONELINESS and the sanity of his
written opinion. His paper was recog-
nlzed as one of the best edited In that
| entire section.
Of and on during this same period
he had assumed additional duties. He
established the Country Editor, q month
ly magazine; he edited the st. Louis
Presbyterian and the Daily State Trib-
une of Jefferson City, and he extended
his influence abroad for the first time
In 1903 and 1904, when, as commissioner
for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition,
he journeyed around the world.
Soon after his return from this trip
he sat as secretary of the Worlds Press
l
during the celebration. Dean Williams
became more and more convinced, how
ever, during these 10 years of his resi-
dence in Columbia as an editor, that
the newspaper profession should train
its beginners at the university just as
they were trained for medicine, engt-
neering and law.
College idea Born.
| He discussed the matter so persist
entity that in 1908 the curators of the
university granted Mr.. Williams permits
sion to set up, as an experiment, the
was no other such institution in the
world, Mr.. Williams, although the hold
er of no college degree was appointed,
i, by virtue of his known ability as editor,
as dean of the new school. Thereafter
until June of this year he occupied the
chair of full professor on the faculty
of Missouri.
More than 500 students are registered
in the deans school today, many of
them coming from South American ma
tionS and twoscore or more from China,
a country where the dean Is held in
particularly high regard. Friends of his
have presented to the university the Jay
H. Neh Hall on Red Campus, the home
now of the Missouri School of Journal
ism. On the walls and in the libraries
Of this building are old parchments and
odd pieces of paper, valuable relics of
printing which his former students have
sent him. And in the basement is q
we'll scrubbed modern press which rum
bles Of an evening as the Columbia Eve
ming Missourian, managed, edited and
published by his students, goes to press.
Tributes Brought to Dean.
| Every May also q notable group of
persons distinguished In American let
tiers journey out to Columbia for what
the dean calls Journalism Week." at
which time they caution and counsel
| his students.
More than q thousand men and
| women have received the degree of
Bachelor of Journalism at Missouri
| since 1908 and a surprising number of
the total are still in newspaper work.
His graduates have been employed on
every major English language paper,
with the one exception of 1.-THE Singa-
pore Straits Budget" There Is now in
/ Shanghai a former student of the
| school who not long ago wrote us that
he would like, II he had the time, to
work for while on 1.-THE Budget" for
no other reason than that the record
of the dean might be complete.
0OOA dlCST 1OuIlQ1LB his SCItOOl Tie
dean wrote for his students this Jour
nalist's Creed" a document which since
| has attracted international notice:
Originator of Greed.
II believe in the profession of jour-
| nalism.
IT believe that the public journal is q
public trust; that all connected with 1t
are, to the full measure of their respon-
| Ell fr1Ic 70 6o I1ot
ceptance Of lesser service than the pub
| lie service is betrayal of this trust.
"I believe that clear thinking and
clear statement, accuracy and fairness,
are fundamental to good journalism
II believe that a journalist should
write only what he holds in his heart
to be true.
II believe that suppression of the
news, for any consideration other than
| the welfare of society, is indefensible.
Il believe that no one should write
as journalist what he would not say
as a gentleman; that bribery by ones
own pocketbook is as much to be
avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of
another; that individual responsibility
may not be escaped by pleading an
| others instructions or another's divi-
dends.
Ideals Are Set Forth.
II believe that advertising, news and
editorial columns should alike serve the
best interests of readers; that a single
standard of helpful truth and clean
ness should prevail for all; that the SUI
preme test of good journalism Is the
measure of its public service.
II believe that the journalism which
succeeds best-and best deserves sue
cess-fears God and honors man; Is
stoutly independent, unmoved by pride
of opinion or greed of power, construc-
tive, tolerant, but never careless; self
controlled, patient, always respectful of
its readers, but always unafraid; is