Year: 1872

Ohe Oi hlgh HioIii CONVICTIONS and firm
purpose, and withal a federation that
can patiently bear contradiction and
give fair presentation to all sides of a
disputed question. A paper in the pay
of a party or a church is generally too
much in leading strings for free discus
sion, and even so-called independent
journals, a great majority of them, are
mere echoes Of the babbIing crowd.
Notwithstanding the difficulties in the
way Of success, I am glad to say that
the paper which you control appears to
be the long wished-for journal. A great
many editors seem to think that the
only purpose of newspaper is to venti-
late the editorial opinions and egotism,
that soon become very repulsive to lib
eral minds. There must be rare en-
dowment of logical acumen, united TO
rare facility and beauty of expression, to
make such egotism agreeable through a
course Of years. Some Of our best and
most powerful editors are constantly
animated by the delusion that they are
especially fitted by nature, and predes-
tined from the foundation of the world,
to promulgate certain doctrines which
alone can save the race of mankind.
Such persons cannot bear any difference
or opposition, inasmuch as it would be
against Gods will and have a tendency
to thwart his plan of salvation. You
will not deny that preachers are called
by God to preach-I have heard them
say so-and it is just as reasonable that
God calls editors also. There is one sin
gular coincidence about these called
preachers and editors-phrenologica
considered, they have very large bumps
of vanity and self-esteem, which seem
to spur them onward and forward quite
as forcibly rs the other voice, which
they sag called them. In fact, n good
deal of the time the voices get so mixed
that it is impossible to tell who is which.
L have seen many other well meaning
persons that were equally puzzled in
trying to separate the voices. The Lord
would confer a great favor on us if he 4
would call modest men and women into /
his service, for then we should know his |
voice and have no doubts as to who is
sued the call


The Lord undoubtedly called Gamaliel |
Bailey to edit the National Era, and as
a consequence, that paper was the best
conducted journal ever published in the
United States of America. 1t was can
did, truthful, impartial and able beyond
that of any great newspaper published
before or since. No man but Bailey
could edit such a newspaper, and it died
with him. Greeley, and Prentice, and
Forney, and Bennett, and Raymond,
and Curtiss, were as able and more pro-
life, but none so gifted with pure, un-
selfish wisdom. He was wholly free
from that species of small smartness so
often brought into use to avoid the point
of q hostile argument. He met oPposi-
ton manfully, and with no tinge of
hatred to his opponents. During the
long war of words against the slave
power, in which he bore so conspicuous
a part, he maintained his equanimity of
temper to the last, notwithstanding the
tempestuous sea of prejudice and passion
which swallowed up nearly every one else
at the National Capital. He was at no
time an alarmist, never pretended to be
a pacificator or compromiser but radi-
cal and reformatory as he was, his hu-
manitarian influence and kindness did
more to soothe the troubled elements Of
mind to truthfulness than all the con-
servatives of the land. However the
Congress might flame with passion, the
National Era was peace. The ardent
radical of the North and the fire-eater of
the South could each find food for cool
reflection in its dispassionate pages,
which ever kept in view the brother
hood of man and the incompatibility of
slavery with the animating spirit of the
Great Republic. No Southern man
could know Bailey and hate him, and
probably no other man could have been
allowed to conduct free soil paper at
our pro-slavery National Capital until
he had established the National Era
He was patient to hear, admitted the
full force of an objection, and never mis-
represented those who differed with his
opinions. In these and many othel
qualities he was very much like
Abraham Lincoln. 1 should like t
adopt them as representative Ameri
cans. 1t is my deliberate conviction
that the Lord called them to their la
bors, which were so thoroughly and un
selfishly performed.


There is one trick which l have fire.


quently noticed in our journals, great


and small. Even the \. Y. Tribune has


occasionally descended so far below it:


usual dignity as to parade the false or.


biography and grammar of a communi.


cation when it contained criticisms lev.


eled against the editorial career IT /,


funny TO know that equally as family


communications in these respects re-


eeive favorable notice from the editol


and the ideas Of the correspondent get 4:


friendly dressing up when they har


monize with the editorial vanity


have failed to see that you have ever re


sorted TO this manly way of avoiding tb,


structures Of those common sense hut II


hterate persons who do not endorse al


you write. 1 never expect to see tn


columns Of your paper disgraced b,


such small spleen.


Every literary person knows that OIL