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CtHOflf It. K CCtlXJS, tymnctf.
iahTi C iUrtitt, trtdiurtfi rharlt. II. LuHn(?lon,
iniMn o i-oiiiniu jMin William, uirrciort.
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nmTotoAfcSrjAhDi
tck If. K. Cchti, nmltman.
. tt. WHAfcfiV ... Cxccutlv Editor
. . . .Genual IJuslneti Manager
fuMlshM anllr ht tintio tifcont Dulldlpj,
, loaepenuenco Sqtif, Philadelphia.
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r.ims BcnKAu
.33 itua Loul ! Orand
SUBSCMrf ION TERMS
Jly enrjUr, Daim Omi, elx ntt, Viy mall, pontpald
Jvlsld fir Ihlladelphla, exrept nhero forelim p"Br
, iiut.it. ?j. uii.t, ono monin, nYemy.nte cni
DlILt OMI.T. nun mnnt
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IW Addrvnt all communications to Evening
Ttrf(jf, Inilttienilenee 8q.up.rt, Philadelphia.
SNtERED At TUB l-UIMDCLr-im rOSTorFICK 18 SfCOND-
ouiis Mill, uATTrn.
riiiLApci.riiiA, SATumiA . . jANUAny a, lair..
f. Yoh can't tell the size of a man's brain Bj
Ms hat nor the volume of Ms charity
1U Ms pockctbook.
Fair PJay and "Billy" Sunday
" TDSliiaiON has, and ulwnys lias had, a
i Jt( mUltltudo of Interpretations. Itclldon
' has, and nlways has had, one test results.
In this land of liberty of thought and speech
It is permissible for any man to differ with
any bthcr man on mattero of belief und state
ment of belief. But fair play Is ono of tho
most distinguishing of American character
istics. However radically ono man may diverge
from another on questions of creed, ritual or
church government, thcro will bo a willing
ness to rccognlzo frankly any indubitable
moral results. If tho disposition and tho
habits of men are changed from bad to
good, If human society receives a now in
centive toward tho realization of higher
Ideals, if commercial and political standards
nfre raised, If "sweeter manners, purer laws,"
are made pbsslble, then fow will quibble over
the means' or methods of winning these most
deslrablo effects.
"Billy" Sunday Is unique If he were not
unique ho could not command tho attention
that is everywhere glyen to him. Even tho
Phlladelphlans who are predisposed not to
agreo with all of his teachings or with any
of his methods, whoso conceptions of worship
and religious service are already in opposition
to what they havo heard" or read of the noted
revivalist, will gladly suspend Judgment until
tho effect of his work can bo measured. This
)a only fair; no one has the right to ask for
more or to grant Ics3. If his coming means
better manhood, higher citizenship, happier
homes and a sweeter social order In our city,
every ono will rejoice. The gates of Phila
delphia are swung wide open to "Billy"
Sunday. t
Growth of Citizen Rights
DURING tho initial stuges of any fight
for human political rights progress is
necessarily slow; when the claims aro onco
conceded tho momentum of the movement
gains with amazing rapidity. A few years
ago equal suffrage was regarded as the
dream of a few Impractical idealists; today
the flow of the tide is so strong that within
a few months, or years at the utmost, op
position will bo swept away. The secretary
of the Equal Franchise Society of Phila
delphia, gives the following summary of the
situation: Full equal suffrage now prevails
over 1,738,040 square miles of the United
States, or nearly one-half of the total area,
. Women now have an equal voice with men
In costing 91 electoral votes, or nearly one
flfth "of tho total number In tho electoral col
lege and In sending to "Washington one
fourth of our Senators and nearly one-sixth
of our Representatives.
The total number of women over 21 years
of age In the States where womon can vote
for President of the United States is 3,676,
532 (1910 census). Tho total population
of the 11 States in which equal suffrage
prevails, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Utah,
Washington, California, Arizona, Kansas,
Oregon, Nevada and Montana, is now 8,253,
140. If to these States we add Illinois,
where women. In 1913, were given almost
full suffrage, tho total population of the
States -where women can vote for President
of tho United States is 13,891,831, or 15 per
cent, of the total population of the United
States,
Picking on Daniels
THAT ebullient and effervescent gadfly,
Life, continues to pick an Josephus Dan
iels, who is Secretary of the Navy. It is
nothing against this North Carolinan than
he la a landlubber. When did we ever have
ti, Secretary of the Navy who wasn't? The
Annapolis men can handle the chips all
right; the business of a Secretary Is to han
dle the Annapolis men. That Is what Mr.
Daniels has been doing. It Is quite useless.
In the circumstances, for Life to suggest
that Mr. Daniels be given the vacant am
bassadorship to Patagonia. He deserves
promotion, but he cannot be expected to get
out of the country on the eve of a presiden
tial campaign.
John Barleycorn Hnrd Hit
IT IS a fight to the finish now. and the
liquor business has had to take some
heavy body blows during the past year. A
52mhuR5
E UoM.l 2 the temperance movement was
- Jineered at as the fanaticism of narrow
winded cranks. Things are not necessarily
tjafl because they aro narrow; in razor blades
and eword points narrowness is an advan
tage,
Wltfifhfir the temneranco advnrnffn i
rarf0W or not, they have slnca been Joined
fir oenttots, educators, political econo
i,3tot, ami? busings men. The liquor trade
VMM e Pt on Uie-defenslve. and Is flghtlng
.4wpra,ty and doggedly to maintain a
.Wlla. Men or all )tlnda and classes are
ii Mtmptm to tl conclusion t!a$ jn the name
$ or, puDiie order ana business effir
eey lUiuor must be knocked out of Amer
ican life.
h td is beglMilny to feel the effects
f iJjla MtteuiU o jwblte opinion and private
-n.MlcHdUfr. IHlgt 1f&ftfJfcrPta1um!-!l,a Akt.nr.ln
ftFfSWrW" -"- ---.- ---y-, ....- ......vvivtic
1TB-!f1Hr, a if,Wm SroraUon. went
-mm xmm k fe-wets mv in vefm-
w, em w mmm th? m&-
meumvm w mm m m HB
-rr . " IT - - 43fl!W i
BYBNIKO LBDGKB-PHILADIDLPHIA: SATTJBDAY; JANTTABY 2; 1915-
The heaviest Insolvency rale h gcranlorf for
1914 wan In tho wholesale and retail Hquotf
business, being 16 per cent, of tho whole.
In Philadelphia for 1014 tha total liabilities
of bankrupt firms amounted to $15,424,222,
of which $2,105,276 was the sum of llctuor
dealers, being 13.5 per cent. Of tho whole, gta
tlstlcs aro usually said to bo dry; these aro
extra-dry.
Frco Trade Between Neutral Porta
PUBLICATION Of tho text of tho American
protest to Great Britain reveals tho fact
that it Is directed solely against further In
excusable and unprecedented Interference
with our purely noutral commerce. We ex
pected and acquiesce In tho'utter ruin of our
trade with the enemies" of the Allies, for
suprcmncy on tho Beas carries" with It the
closure of hostile ports. Wo havo not even
insisted on those fundamental rights In non
contraband commerce which precedent up
holds. But when England undertakes to
regulate, Interfere with and oven prevent our
commerco with nations that aro not at war,
sho assumes a privilege which this Govern
ment in no circumstances can admit and
against the exercise of which it is compelled
vigorously to record Itself.
The position of tho United States emphati
cally Is that cargoes consigned to noutral
points, oven If they arc absolute contraband,
aro not subject to seizure and detention by
a belllgeront. Wo may ship what wo will to
Italy. What becomes of tho cargoes there
after is an Issue between Italy and tho ob
jecting belligerent. It is lnconcelvablo that
our trade with a great nation should be
impeded because its territory borders on that
of an enemy to Orcat Britain.
As to tho guarantees which European neu
trals may mako to Great Britain relative to
the non-exportation of contraband shipments,
that is none of our business. For commor
clnl reasons they may enter into such an
arrangement, and some of thorn havo already
dono so. But wo, for our part, have not
reached tho point whero we aro willing to
pursue our legltlmato commerco at the suf
ferance of another nation. We demand froe
dom for our ships as a right. Nor will we
swervo ono inch from the definite lino of
policy laid down, buttressed as it is by a
long line of precedents and accepted Interna
tional law. Never has a nation attempted
such bold and reckless Interference with neu
tral commerce as has England in the last
five months.
The issuo is vital, not critical, for it is un
believable that England would discredit her
own definitions of neutral rights. She has,
indeed, by her extravagant conduct, already
done herself more potential Injury than any
shipments, even direct to her enemies, could
havo accomplished, for sho has made the re
vival of tho shipping Industry in the United
States absolutely certain. She has assured
future American fleets that will challenge
her trade supremacy more fiercely than the
Germans could ever have done..
On the Job
THE American protest to Great Britain
Is honey dripping from the honeycomb.
It Is saturated with the milk of human kind
ness. There is tho scent of Nebraska
prairies about It. One can almost see the
peaceful cows chewing the cud under the
blooming trees by the side of tho irrigation
ditch. If Lloyds could get 1G shillings per
cent, as a premium for insurance against
war on the basis of that kind of document,
It is apparent that taking candy from chil
dren Is not a lost art. Hall, triumphant
Bryanlsml Every neutral merchantman on
the high seas will dip Its colors and fire a
presidential salute with the Jib booms.
The "Rats" at Work
THE Formidable was not a battleship of
the first class, but she cost five millions
of dollars, displaced 15,000 tons and carried
to tho bottom 600 men, including trained
officers, who cannot readily be replaced.
If she was not sunk by a submarine she
might have been. These under-water wasps
can never take the place of the great float
ing forts In warfare. Their range of oper
ation Is limited; they are useless for con
voy, and for general service on the seven
seas they are absolutely unsulted. But they
have spectacularly demonstrated their worth
In one particular, and that Is for purposes
of coast defense. They have made block
ading and patrol duty more than ever haz
ardous. In fact, their psychological Influ
ence has rendered possible such sensational
raids aa the one on Scarborough. More than
that, by picking off the enemy's ships here
and there they have been able seriously to
decrease his naval supremacy. The British
are not much worried about the Zeppelins;
it is the submarine that they fear. There
will be more Formldables lost before "the
rats ore dug out of their holes."
German battleships are excellent things for
German submarines to defend.
As we get older our vices leave us and
we think we aa getting virtuous.
'i
At the present rate Great Britain will soon
have the finest fleet of submarine battleships
extant.
Some -people seem to think that the United
States can end the war by Ignoring it, but
the trouble Is that the war w!l not ignore
the United States.
i
Holders of stocks on which dividends have
been passed may console themselves with the
reflection that they have plenty of company
abroad,
There Is a panlo in Constantinople. That
has been the usual situation there since Its
founder began piling brick and marble to
gether. About 600,000 of the Allies have found their
way Into the heart of Germany as prisoners.
There are at least as many Germans also in
the heart of the Allies' prison camps,
' i , 1 1
In his speech at Atlantic City Bryan as
serted that Jefferson and Lincoln earned a
half-billion dollars by their services to the
country, but lolled to collect it., Botb, lve4
before the days of the Chautauqua elrovilt.
j
Ms new urml-a for Sngnd and -nobody
knows how saany wore for tfe other a
tje. TM h a new ajsd uUtk wajr of
() mm wwwr-l ! tt fctisfel
- mfr
A MAN'S CHARACTER
MAY LINK HEMISPHERES
It la the Sum of Habits Every Activity
Cocs Into Its Makirig' Bankrupts
Whoso Known Integrity Saved Them.
Walter Scott and M Honest Abe."
By JOSEPH IT. ODELL
HORACE GREEDEY onco Said, "Fame is
A vnnnr. nnruilnrlfv an arolrnrtf rlntiAfe
take wtngB; those who cheer today may curso
tomorrow! only ono thing endures charac
ter." "My road," said Canning, "must be
through character to power! I will try no
other course, and I am Banguino enough to
believe that tho course, though not, perhaps,
tho quickest, is the surest." Colonel Rooso
Velt sums it up: "Tho chief factor In any
man's success or failure must bo his own
character."
i
Charaoter Is the essential self. Strip a man
of nil titles, honors, clothes, wealth, rahk, or
whatover is artificial, and that which re
mains is character. Many things of an ex
ternal natdro may aid a, man In reaching suc
cess, but tho ono essential, that which over
comes obstacles and beats down opposition,
the power that 1b the equivalent of personal
ity, 13 tho character that one has acqulredi
Sir Walter Scott, through his connection
with an unreliable business house, had his
fortune Buddonly swept away. It was known
that he possessed vnst ability, and that by
tireless Industry he might recover his lost
position. His creditors met to talk It ovor.
Their chances of saving anything from tho
wreck wore very Blight. A few of thorn were
for pressing Sir Walter into bankruptcy and
snatching what they could of hlrf personal
property. But those who know tho great
Scotchman best asserted that his character
would bring both him and them through.
"Glvo him a chance," they said, "and Sir
Walter will find a way to meot his obliga
tions." They gave him tho chanco simply
and only on tho ground of character. In
course of time he retrieved his ruined fortune,
enriched the world with a wealth of noble
literature, and died amid the love and homagq
of his fellows.
Stronger Than Diplomacy
Cyrus W. Field, In laying the Atlantic
cable, found himself In difficulties so vast
and critical that for years tho project hung
In the balanco and almost every one predicted
defeat. Tho task took 13 years; Field's per
sonal fortuno wna sunk In tho enterprise; one
by one his friends and staunchest supporters
wero removed by death; tho Civil War broko
out, and England and America wero not on
the best of terms; money became almost Im
possible to obtain; yet, In spite of all, Field
succeeded. His character was so esteemed
that oven when men had the gravest doubts
of the success of hl3 plans, they nevertheless
supported them, becauso they believed In the
man. What governmental diplomacy could
not do win tho confidence of tho British na
tionField did by sheer strength of charac
ter. It may be said, without undue exaggera
tion, that the character of ono mnn linked the
two hemispheres.
Ulysses S. Grant, the Idol of tho nation,
found himself bankrupt and In broken health
when nothing but honor and easo should havo
been his lot. But he had ono asset char
acter. The whojo world believed In him and
cheered him with revcrenco and trust as he
struggled In penury and pain to retrieve his
position.
Tho late financier, J, Plerpont Morgan, testi
fied before tho United States Senate that
character Is the best of collateral and the
foundation of credit. It was said that the
Dulse of Wellington did his duty as naturally
as a horse cats hay, and it was also said that
If Lincoln gave his promise to any ono it
was surer of being carried out than any act
of Congress over passed.
Character is not something born with a
man or conferred upon him at a given mo
ment, it Is the sum of one's hublts, the total
of one's mental, moral and physical activi
ties. Everything wo feel or think or do builds
something Into our system. Take a man at
any moment of hla.llfe and examine him and
you will And that ho Is the truthful history
of his entire past not a thought or deed has
been lost. If you could separate him into
his component parts, as we separate the ele
ments of a chemical compound, you would
bo surprised to see that not even tho tiniest
activity of all his years has been missed or
forgotten,
Lincoln's Beat Investment
In 1832, when 23 years of age, Abraham Lin
coln fell badly Into debt as the result of a
mercantile adventure that ended disastrously.
The shame and aenso of responsibility dark
ened his life. He spent the next 17 years in
paying creditors. "I had no way of specu
lating," he said to a friend, "and could not
earn money except by labor, and to earn by
labor $1100 besides my living, seemed the
work of a lifetime. As late as 1849, when a
member of Congress, he was still sending
home money Saved from his salary to be
applied on those obligations, Although the
drudgery was humiliating, they were the best
Investment Lincoln ever made, for It was
'the persistent toll to keep his self-respect
that gave him the name of "Honest Abe."
One of his biographers has said that that
name "proved of greater service to himself
and his cguntry than If he had gained the
wealth of CroeSus," It helped to make him
President of the United States,
If character Is thus all Important and Is
Indubitably a matter of habit, then habit
forming Is the most serious thing In Ufa,
Habit Is second nature! "Habit Is ten times
naturel" the Duke of Wellington once ex
claimed. "Sow an act and you reap a habit;
sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a
character and you reap a destiny." D. O.
Mills, the well-knqwn financier, when asked
what he considered the foundation of finan
cial success, replied, "Saving the first 1100."
Then he added, "It is not the money. but
the habit that counts."
A Great German Scientist
From the Boston Herald, I
The passing of August Welisraann, ecarcsly
chronicled In this country, brings out more
Illustration of the paradox that the world
knows least of IU greatest men, and mlea ,
them not overmuch wnen iney oi. tiere was
tho greatest contributor to the theory of evo
lution since Darwin, yet through SO years of
proline worn his audience was mainly md up
of specialists. He wrote no "btst sellers" In
science, and when his great theory resetted tho
United States In translatipn over 0 years ago
the reviewers balked at It. and tha reading pub
Ila looked askance. Welisraann not only de
molished forever tb old vlf that Jh living
body I fully perferraed In miniature. .n ths
fttm; ?e showed the whole uuvroent pf
yrowtb to be n of evolution, Pj-Qvidlig
br4)ty with . physical hh. he vnderto-te
to tt.lt bw the deV-Jopwwit pf tbs bodily
tissues te ttd i i4vjMm tor Utrmtan(
la tk anw. Mr is3Mfjtf . tt sUtmed
nw twws itmmmmr mmmt wt ih
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from It that really dies, Living beings aro thus
like beads threaded on a string that goes back
to the very beginnings of life, tho beads falling
oft In death, tho string remaining. It followed
from the theory that changes acquired during
tho lifetime of tho individual are not Inherited
and that race Improvements achieved during a
generation do not pass from parents to their
children.
THE STANDING OF ASTROLOGY
An Astronomer's View of Judge Frcachi'g Un
usual Decision "Earth Flatteners" Still
Numerous.
By ERIC DOOLITTLE
Illreclor Hoi.tr Astronomical ObicrTalonr, Uni.rnilr f
renniylTtnla
RATHEIt remarkablo decisions are at
times recorded from our lesser courts,
und this is especially likely to bo tho case
when tho matter under consideration Is of a
somewhat scientific nature. Tho recent de
cision by a Now York Magistrate, that
astrologers are not necessarily charlatans,
is doubtless Just, if by a charlatan is meant
a conscious Impostor, for somo astrologers
having cast a horoscopo doubtless havo at
least as full a measure of belief In its indica
tions as has tho subject for whom it is cast.
In tho samo way the number of "earth-flat-tcners"
that is, of honest disbelievers in
the roundness of our world is still surpris
ingly largo; they aro said to issuo their own
publications and to add converts to their
number from tlmo to time from among
those who have not sufficient knowledge to
detect the fallacy of their arguments.
Thus a predicting astrologer may by no
means bo guilty of conscious fraud, and may
not bo amenable to tho law (of tho legal
aspects of tho matter an astronomer Is not
competont to speak); but in the further
statement of Judgo Frcschl, If his decision is
conectly reported, that astrology should bo
ranked among the sciences, there is evident
a complete unacquatntance with the past
history of astrology and of the causes which
led to its abandonment.
It should bo borne in mind that this is no
new question whose merits remain to be In
vestigated. Tho early Babylonians prac
ticed astrology fully D000 years ago; in Egypt
and Greeco its principles wero greatly ampli
fied, and finally, during succeeding cen
turies, It reached Its greatest development
In Western and Central Europe. Hero, until
nearly tho end of tho 16th century, almost
every physician and man of science was an
astrologer. Throughout this period a de
cision opposite to that of Judge FreschI
would havo been considered far more "un
usual" than his contrary decision is regarded
today.
Tho idea of some mystic connection be
tween the 'far-off stars and planets and the
Uvea of men on the earth Is a most attrac
tive one, and so especially desirable Is a be
lief that a study of these bodies will reveal
(among other thlnga) a knowledge of the
future, that It is not surprising that confi
dence In astrology was but slowly under
mined. It is hardly necessary to refer In much de
tail to the causes which led to tho practi
cally complete overthrow of astrology. The
predictions of the most eminent astrologers
were marked by many conspicuous suc
cesses, but by probably still more numerous
conspicuous failures. One of the latter was
the prediction of Cardan, the most cele
brated astrologer of his time, In regard to
the young King Edward VI. Among many
other minute details It was stated that this
King would certainly live till past middle
uge, though after the ago of B5 years 3
months and 17 days he would suffer from
various diseases. The KIpg actually died In
the following July at the age of 18 years.
Yet less conspicuous failures would attract
but little attention, and among tho thou
sands of horoscopes constantly being cast
the occasional success would be remembered
and quoted long after tho failure was for
gotten. But In spite of this, and In spite of
the natural desire of man to continue so at.
tractive a belief, his confidence in it was In
time lost. The single obvious fact that
astrologers themselves were neither richer
nor wiser than other men, and that their
special knowledge was seen to Increase
neither their foresights in securing success
nor their ability to s,vold dangers, was
enough to discredit their assumption of a
special knowledge.
In short, tllat an astrologer of today might
convince any well-informed mart of the truth
of astrology, it 'would be necessary for him
to make, not-only one, but a series of pre
dictions under properly imposed conditions,
and also to give some satisfactory account
of the special evidence which has convinced
him of Its truth, In opposition to a host of
students who haya exhaustively Investigated
this subject
And all of this without reference to the
almost inflnUi improbability that there can
poeelhly arist any connection whatftvar be
twewi Uw mlUet of wgadei-fyi qbjwu In
th haiMs ant the mvatttfl mm m
vmMmMmmmwmmmmmmmmsmm&sMms
iHMiilMBMMiiW
"9?TKinFStfivsrvx&Mr'H&c?ra JwlilPilri Wi i) i imfrc'riHlrHV mBbmFi Iliniii3i1 J'Ti im ilYTTi1iTi ihVHiiilf'r mi!
LIGHTING THE PATH TO BETTERMENT
WHAT'S A INEWSPAPER, AND WHAT FOR?'
It Gives Vast Values for a Penny and
Today Relations Between Press and Public.
By BURTON KLINE
TWO or threo years ago the ice bridge at
tho foot of Niagara Falls broko unexpect
edly while a number of sightseers wero cross
ing It. All but threo of them had miraculous
escapes. Those three, a man, his wife and a
Btripllng wero caught. They perishod, after
great endeavors on tho shore at their rescue,
but especially after heroic efforts on the part
of tho two men to rescue tho woman. Next
morning tholr story was printed In every
newspaper in tho land. Ono of the usual
press dispatches, that was all. And yet
Maupassant himself could not havo bettered
tho art with which It waB told. He could
not have bettered It becauso thcro was tho
absence of all art In tho story. Tho re
porter who wrote It, confronted by such a
circumstance, felt too small to project him
self Into It, and it ran from his pen just as
It happened. By all the standards it was
ono of tho most perfect stories ever writ
ten. People read It in the morning paper,
and by night, very llkoly, It was forgotten.
It Is altogether unlikely that many readers
of the story bothered to ask themselyes who
It was did that remarkable piece of writing.
Thero, in epitome, Is tho whole business,
art and fate of tho newspaper. In no
other purchaso that a man makes does ho
obtain such preposterous value as ho gets
In his dally paper for a penny. When times
are slack and business is dull, the merchant
may curtail his stock, tho manufacturer may
close his plant. A newspaper must come
forth every day to hold Its circulation.
Often It must spend the most money when
It Is making the Ienst. They tell a story
of an English newspaper owner whose man
ager ono day warned him that they were
losing money.
"Hm!" was tho reply. "That means we
are not. spending enough."
Daylight as a Policeman
Nothing looks easier and more fascinating
than to run a newspaper. Nothing is easier
than to criticise a newspaper, certainly.
Every citizen lrl this country entertains the
private-oplnionjthat If called upon he could
better any paper of his acquaintance. No
business is so steadily charged with fraud,
w)th truckling, double-dealing and subserv
ience to favorite or dominating Interests
especially advertising Interests. And yet
the newspaper Is the ono business In which
these practices are next to Impossible. Em
erson once said, "Daylight Is the best police
man." Daylight plays upon every word In a
newspaper. It cannot faVor any clique; It
cannot promote a single evil Interest, but
the fact Is Instantly advertised and the
paper at once becomes nothing but a print
ed circular. Two Journals In two largo cities
of the East owe their recent decline to Just
that circumstance. The public spotted them
at once.
And every editor of a newspaper knows
that the pursuit of the truth is difficult
enough in Itself. In the first place, there s
no possible definition of what constitutes
news, No two editors, no two readers agree
upon it. In this very Issue of ihls very
paper thero may be an Item or article which
strikes one man favorably.
"That's why I buy this paper!" he ex
claims. "It always gets after the news.
Here's proof of what I mean." And ha
points to the Item under his eye. But his
next-door neighbor may take the same Item
to sayj "Why do they print such stuff as
that? I want news In my paper!''
Whit Is News?
That Is why every successful newspaper
la generally the expression of one man, 'Its
guide and maker. He is successful because
his guess as to what is news and as to how
the news ehajl be presented strikes nearest
to the average public notion of what is news,
He draws plentiful assistance from his
readers, of pourse. Few persons know the
pressure of criticism under which an editor
works, lie iq plagued by people who want
to utilise this engine of publicity In their
own Interest. He Is plagued by people, Im
portant people, malicious people, whose
earnest aim is to avoid publicity. Faddists
and cranks ara eternally after him, and al
ways In critical or appealing mood. Few
peopje take th trouble of praising a paper
to Its editor. They become; Vocal only when
Irritated, or stirred with a passion for re
form. "Why do you not vigorously pub this
much needed reform v pno o? them win d.
mand.
"WJiy do you not denoune this flagrant
abuser' deisjias agother.
Both wen forget that a wpaparj to exist
at all sh do What go$i It e, sntst 0t
Its Power Was Never Greater Than
best Intentions In tho wot Id It may reform
or denounco Itself out of existence. Feopls5
turn awny from a paper that nags too per
sistontly. It may mako vlrtuo hideous with
Its praise.
"The Power of the Press"
Ho probably wonders what has become of
that "power of tho press" that wo used to
hear mentioned so often. Yet that power li(
there, stronger than ever, but vastly dlfferont
from' tho personal power oxerted by such
men as Greeley and Dana and Godkln. That
Is duo to tho spread of education. Tho editor
bulks less largo among his fellows than lie
onco did. People now follow tho fiery editorial
column of a paper with a good many reser-i
vations. They aro apt to think they know,
as much as any editor about tho way the
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more. Tho editor Is now very much like his
music or dramatic critic. Ho no longer ex-'
pects his thunders to alter tho political
onlnions of hln rpnrtern nvnr nleht in1 the
E?nnrl nlrl wnv.nnt If lin linn n nflnan nfrj
humor. Ho Is a critic, a commentator atJB
the drama of life, that Is all a more Im-IM
portant commentator than his dramatic critic
only as tho drama of everyday affairs Is mores
serious than the drama of tho stalls and tlis
footlights. And yet the editor's power re-J
mains In greater measuro than before.
It lies now In his choice and his manner of
presenting the news. It lies In 019 llcenss1
that ho allows to his reporters. It lies In the
incalculable possibilities of suggestion. The
editor sways public opinion now by what he
sends his reporters to learn, and by what he
allows them to say. Onco ho thundered In
terms of opinion; now ho wins or warns In
terms of facts. (4
The Reporter's Warrant ;
That means that tho reporter, tho gatherer!
of facts, has become tho most potent fores
for good or evil In the wldo world. Tlmo was
when the humblest of God's creatures might
resent the Interference of a reporter In hls
prlvato affairs or his public acts. Harvard'
professors still follow that procedure and so"
publish the distance by which they lag be
hind tho world they are supposed to Interpret.:
The fact Is that It Is no longer tho reporter
who knocks at your door; It Is public dplnlon
knocking there.
The late Mr. Harilman learned that to his'
amazement. Ho began his public career with I
, the outworn superstition that his business
was his business alone. The public, speaking'
through the reporter, quickly taught hlmj
that what he did, no less than what DJckJ
Smith or Ned Jones Is doing! was done atj
public sufferance, and must be done under.
public supervision. No man, whatever hl.i.3
Importance, can damn the public any longer.
We Instantly suspect any piece of business.!
that ,1s not subject to public scrutiny. Thati
Is the warrant that the reporter holds In hl,M
hand when ho knocks at your door, lie IS
daylight, the policeman. Ho Is a better cor
rective than tho law.
That Is the new power of the press almosM
too vast to trust to any Individual. And the
evilly Inclined reporter or editor has been
quick to make the wrong use of It. Even the
high-minded newspaper man will sometimes
do unwitting mischief with It. Any luck
devil wliOj has over been a witness in court
knows how difficult It Is to give a porrect ac
count of tho simplest facts and occurrences.
Certainly the editor and reporter know how
difficult It Is. Most of them are cpnsclent(ous.
They havo to be, for they more than a11
others do their work In the daylight How
painstaking most newspapers are, too few of
their readers upnrecjate. The reporter who
wrote the story of the breaking Iqe-brldge at
Niagara knows. Ho put his soul Into the
story. Every day somebody Is putting his
soul into the article or comment that yaw
read once and toss away forever. What
tremendous volume of genuine literature yotf
buy every evening with a penny!
OLD AND NEW
Oh, sometimes: gleams upon our sight.
Through present wrong, the eternal right,
And step by sttp, since time began,
We see the Steady gain of man.
That all of good the past hata had
Remains to make our own time glad,
Our common, dally life divine.
And every land a Palestine.
Through the hard voice of our day,
XA low. swift prelude rinds It way.
hrpwgh clouds of doubt, and erds of fr
IIbK Is breathing calm and clear.
H,a4fjWth ay bftrt slull ajgu no nore
Fwrjrtd tJjm, and umr ,),
OtWs lev ne4 blMing tae and Jei
Ait sow p4 her nod evetj where
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