THE HESPERJ AN
individual, from city to city, and from
country to country, is almost nothing.
There is nothing as marvelous as the organ
izing skill which centralizes in a London
office telegraphic communications from
every important town in Europe, Asia,
America and Australia. At the same time
skill distributes those communications
directly or indirectly to thousands of re
cipients simultaneously, by day and by
night throughout all Britain. The power
the editors wield in this great work is as
tonishing. Something happens in Europe
one dav, and is known all over America the
next. The price of a staple article falls in
Liverpool in the morning, and the Minnesota
planter sees a mention of the fact in that
evening's paper. Gladstone is made prime
minister of the English government and im
mediately all governments hear the news.
Canon Farrer is made Dean of Westminister
and within twenty-four hours people in
every Christian land know the fact. If it
were not for the unusual mental gifts, great
culture and "staying power1' in the editorial
rooms, all these things that now combine to
develop and guide public opinion would be
nothing but a vast mechanism for making
money. Fortunate is it for America; for
tunate is it for England, and fortunate is it
for every intellectual nation of the world,
that men oftentimes take up a certain work
for which they have a special aptitude and
which they delight in doing, and in doing
well.
The mission of some newspapers is a
mission born of bigotry and greed. When
the editor speaks he speaks in hired tones,
and the echo that comes back to him is as
muuical as the jingle of the coins he receives.
Such a man makes money where an honest
man would starve, and he is called successful-
It may be said that the press cannot
mislead, that falsehood may be met by
truth. The latter part of the statement is
true, but falsehood appears first and the
burden of proof lies with truth. Before
truth will have had time to put forward its
proof much harm may be done that can
never be righted. "The press can, by
sneering, induce skepticism in whatever is
sacred and venerable it can suppress the
truth and set oil error in false colors, lower
education and debauch morals. In tho namo
of science it can vulgarize and degrade."
Fortunately, for the reputation of the press
of the world, this tendency on the part of
bad newspapers is counteracted by good
ones. Editors are found in every depart
ment who recognize the worth of their pro
fession and tho responsibilities attendent
upon it. To trace the history of the best
journalism from beginning to end is as re
freshing and instructive to the intelligent
literary mind as the history of bad journal
ism is contemptible and repugnant.
In every country the best newspapers
have had for editors some of the best men
that could be produced. This was the case
in Germany from the time the Frankfurter
Journal was issued in 1615 until there were
5,4S0 newspapers printed in the German
language. In England the same thing has
been true. Charles Dickens and John Col
lier contributed to the Morning Chronicle
and Gladstone at one time owned the paper.
Cobridge displayed his powers as a publicist
in the Morning Post. The lyrics of Moore
and the poetry of Wordsworth often graced
the pages of the same sheet. The Times
through its splendid corps of editors has
always upheld with the vim, vigor and energy
of a power born of ambition, every theory,
principle, doctrine and creed it has seen fit
to champion. Js not this a result worth
working for? Is it possible to buildup such
a paper without the aid of efficient and emi
nent writers? Surely the Times has earned
the right to be called the "leading newspa
per in the world."
The United States will furnish a history of
journalism that will equal or excel that of
any other country. From Public Occur
rences in 1089 to the Daily Globe tn 1872
this history is replete with interesting facts
and gratifying results. Connected with the
very earliest newspapers printed in our coun
try were men who live in our memory to
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