Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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|THE COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM ihSEPH PULITZER In North American I T^rvienu For May. / The editor of the North Americau 'Review has asked me to reply to an artrecently printed in its pages triti<^iug the college of Journalism irhich it has been my pleasure to found and permanently to endow in Columbia university. Some of my critics have called my icheme “Visionary.” If it be so I can at least plead that it is a vision I have cherished long, thought upon deeply and followed persistently. Twelve years ago I submitted the idea to l‘res- ' ideut Low of Columbia, when it was declined. I have ever since continued to perfect and organize the scheme in my mind until it is now accepted. In examining the criticisms and misgiv ings I have endeavored to do so with out prejudice, anxious only to find the truth. I admit that the difficulties are many, but after weighing them all im partially I am more firmly convinced than ever of the ultimate success of the idea. P.efore the century closes schools of journalism will be generally accepted as a feature of specialized higher education, like schools of law or of medicine. The school of journalism is to be, in my conception, not only not commer cial, but anticommercial. It is to exalt JOSEPH PULITZEK. princ^e, knowledge, culture at the ex pense of business if need lie. It is to set up ideals, to keep the counting room in its proper place and to make the soul of the editor the soul of the paper. Incidentally I may say that I have never spent an hour in any publication oihee, either of the St. Louis Post-Dis patch or the World, though 1 managed to establish both these journals and still own them. In the proposed course of study, drawn up with admirable quickness by President^ Eliot and widely discussed as if it had been definitely adopted. Dr. Eliot included instruction In the business administration of a newspa per. He mentioned specifically circu lation, advertising, manufacture and finance. My own ideas upon many parts of the course of study are still uncer tain, but upon this one point they are very decided. I am sure that, if my wishes are to be considered, business instruction of any sort should not, would not and must not form any part of the work of the college of journal ism. The course of instruction will be de cided by the advisory board, which is not yet appointed, acting in conjunc tion with the authorities of the univer sity. What'is a college of journalism? It Is an institution to train Journalists. What is a journalist? Not any business manager or publisher or even propri etor. A journalist is the lookout on the bridge of the ship of state. He notes the passing sail, the little things of interest that dot the horizon in line weather. He reports the drifting castaway whom the ship can save. He peers through fog and storm to give warn ing of dangers ahead. He is not think ing of his wages or of the profits of his owners. He is there to watch over the safety and the welfare of the peo ple who trust him. Few men in the business office of a newspaper know anything about the principles of journalism. The propri etor himself is not necessarily a Jour nalist. He may Is; if he is capable of understanding public questions, of weighing public interests, of carrying out public tasks; if he is in touch with public feeling, realizes public duties, is in sympathy with thei public welfare and is capable of presenting his ideas to the people either by his own pen or by the pens of others. But it is quite conceivable that some proprie tors are deficient in these points. My hope is that this college of Jour nalism will raise the standard of the edi^ria! profession, but to do this It must mark the distinction between real Journalists and men who do a kind of newspaper work that requires neither culture nor conviction, but merely busi ness training. I wish to begin a move ment that will raise Journalism to the rank of a learned profession, growing in the respect of the community as oth er professions far less important to the public Interests have grown. There is an obvious difference be tween a business and a profession. An editor, an editorial writer or a cor respondent is not in business. Nor is even a capable reporter. These men are already in a profession, though tbe.v^iay admit it or even realise It, as many of them unhappily do not. Ill or well, they represent authorship, ami authorship Is a profession. The man in the counting room of a newspaper Is in the newspaper busi ness. He concentrates his brain, quite legitimately, upon the commercial a (.peels of things, upon the margin of profit, upon the reduction of expenses, upon buying white paper and selling it printed, and that is business. But a man who has the advantage, honor and pleasure of addressing the public every day as a writer or thinker is a pro fessional man. So, of course, is he who directs these writers and reporters, who tells them what to say and how to say it, who shows them how to think, who Inspires them, though he may never write a line himself, and decides what the principles of the paper shall be. For example, the greatest editor in the whole history of European jour nalism, John Delane, never wrote any articles of his own, although for thirty- six years he was the head, the heart, the brain of the London Times. But he directed every writer; he furnished the thought, the policy, the initiative; he bore the responsibility, and he cor rected both manuscript and proofs. Nothing less than the highest ideals, the most scrupulous anxiety to do right, the most accurate knowledge of the problems it has to meet and a sincere sense of its moral responsibility will save journalism from subservience to business interests, seeking selfish ends, antagonistic to the public welfare. Commercialism has a legitimate place in a newspaper—namely, in the business office. The more successful a newspaper is commercially the bet ter for its moral side. The more pros perous it is the more independent it can afford to be, the higher salaries it can pay to editors and reporters, the less subject it will be to temptation, the better it can stand losses for the sake of principle and conviction. But commercialism, which is proper and necessary in the business office, be comes a degradation and a danger when it invades the editorial rooms. Once let the public come to regard the press as exclusively a commercial busi ness and there is an end of its moral power. Influence cannot exist without public confidence, and that confidence must have a human basis. It must rest in the end on the character of the Journalist. The editor, the real "Jour nalist'' of the future, must be a man of such known integrity that he will be above the suspicion of writing or edit ing against his convictions. He must be known as one who would resign rather than sacrifice his principles to any business interest. It would be well if the editor of every newspaper were also its proprietor, but every edi tor can be at least the proprietor of himself. If he cannot keep the paper from degrading itself, he can refuse to be a party to the degradation. By far the larger part of the Ameri can press is honest, although partisan. It means to do - right; it would like .) know how. To strengthen its resolu tion and give to its wisdom the indis pensable basis of knowledge and in dependence is the object of training in Journalism. We are embarked, whether we like it or not, upon a revolution in thought and life. ITogress is sweeping for ward with accelerating force, outstrip ping in decades the advance of formei centuries and millenniums. All pro fessions, all occupations but one, art keeping step with that majestic march. Its Inspiration has fired all ranks ol the marching army, or must we except the standard bearers? The self con stituted leaders and enlighteners of the people—what are they doing? Stand ing still, lost in self admiration, while the hosts march by? Are they even doing as well as that? Is it not a fad that the editors of seventy years ago were, as a rule, better informed in law, politics, government and history than those of today? The statesmen and lawyers and political students who used to do editorial work for ambi tion or intellectual pleasure have ceased to frequent the newspaper offices. There is no trade so humble that it is not developing a stattdard of competence based on thorough train ing. For the more intellectual pro fessions—law, medicine, art, archi tecture, music, engineering in all its varied branches—the years of prepara tion are stretching over ever lengthen ing periods. Is the most exacting profession of all, the one that requires the widest and the deepest knowledge and the firmest foundations of character, to be left entirely to the chances of self edu cation? Is the man who is everybody’s critic and teacher the only one who does not need to be taught himself? It has been said by some that my ob ject in founding the College of Jour nalism was to help young men who wish to make this their vocation. Oth ers have commended it as an effort to raise journalism to its real rank as one of the learned professions. This is true. But, while it is a great pleas ure to feel that a large number of young men will be helped to a better start in life by means of this college, this is not my primary object. Neither is the elevation of the profession which I love so much and regard so highly. In all my planning the chief end I had in view was the welfare of the Republic. It will be the object of the college to make better Journah hits, who will make better newspapers, which will better serve the public. It will Impart knowledge—not for its own sake, but to be used for the public service. It will try to develop char acter, but even that will be only a means to the one supreme end—the public good. We are facing that hith erto unheard of portent, an innumera ble, world wide, educated and self con scious democracy. The little revolu tions of the past have been effected by a few leaders working upon an ignor ant populace, conscious only of vague feelings of discontent. Now the masses read. They know tli^ir grievances and their power. They discuss In New York the position of labor in Berlin and in Sydney. Capital, too, Is devel oping a world wide class feeling. It likewise has learned the power of co operation. What will be the state of society and of politics in this republic seventy years hence, when some of the children now in school will be still living? Shall we preserve the government of the constitution, the equality of all citizens before the law and the purity of jus tice, or shall we have the government of either money or the mob? The answers to these questions will depend largely upon tln^Aind of in struction the people of tlntT day draw from their newspapers, the text books, the orators, the preachers of the masses. It is not too much to say that the press is the only great organized force which is actively and as a body uphold ing the standard of civic righteousness. There are many political reformers among the clergy, but the pulpit as an institution is concerned with the king dom of heaven,'not with the republic of America. There are many public spirited lawyers, but the bar as a pro fession works for its retainers, and no law defying trust ever came to grief from a dearth of legal talent to serve it. Physicians work for their patients and architects for their patrons. The press alone makes the public interests its own. “What is everybody’s busi ness is nobody's business." except the journalist’s. It is ins by adoption. But for his care almost every reform would fall stillborn. He holds officials to their duty. He exposes secret schemes of plunder. He promotes every hope ful plan of progress. Without him public opinion would be shapeless and dumb. He brings all classes, all pro fessions together and teaches them to act in concert on the basis of their common citizenship. The Greeks thought that no republic could be successfully governed if it were too large for all the citizens to t come together in one place. The | Athenian democracy could all meet in ! the popular assembly. There public opinion was made, and according as the people listened to a Pericles or to a Cleon the state nourished or declined. The orator that reaches the American democracy is the newspaper. It alone makes it possible to keep the political blood in healthful circulation in the : veins of a continental republic. Virtue, said Montesquieu, is the priu- ciple of a republic, and therefore a re public, which in its purity is the most i desirable of all forms of government, is the hardest of all to preserve, for there is nothing more subject to decay than i virtue. Our republic and its press will rise or fall together. An able, disinterested, public spirited press, with trained intel ligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public vir tue* without which popular government is a sham and a mockery. A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will pro duce in time a people as base as itself. The power to mold the future of the republic will be in the hands of the journalists of future generations. This is why I urge my colleagues to aid the important experiment which I have | ventured to endow. Upon their gen erous aid and co-operation the ultimate success of the project must depend. FLOWER SHOW IN PARIS. DetnllH of a Window Sill ('onlt-Ht at « tli*• l-'roneli Capital. A “flowered window sill contest,” ar ranged by artists, has been approved by the authorities in Paris, says the London Telegraph. Cabinet ministers ami the prefect of the Seine department have given effectual support by each offering prizes to be awarded to the prettiest shows. The idea of the con test was first suggested during Kinp Edward’s visit to Paris, when, on the occasion of the fetes, a well known Paris and London dressmaker created a sensation by decorating the entire front of his bouse in the Rue de la Paix with masses of flowers. An architect. M. Frantz Jourdain; a panorama painter. M. Poilpot; the cele brated poster artist. M. Cheret; a lady artist. Mile. Dufau, and others clubbed together to arrange the contest. Poor and rich alike are Invited to join. Sev eral big horticulturists have agreed to supply seeds, bulbs, cuttings and'even pots of rich soil free to competitors who cannot afford to buy them, and the president, M. Poilpot, is receiving scores of letters from work girls anx ious to obtain the wherewithal to grow flowers on their seventh floor window sills. On a date to be fixed the committee will travel all over Paris in a proces sion of cabs, noting all the shows, from the handsomest to the humblest, and will then award prizes proportionately to the taste displayed by the com petitors and to the means they had al their disposal. Sued by His Doctor. “A doctor here has sued me for $12.50, which I cl&imed was exces sive for a case of cholera morbus,” says R. White, of Coachella, Cal. “At the trial he praised his medical skill and medicine. I asked him if It was not Chamberlain’s Colic, Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy he used as I had good reason to believe it was, and he would not say under oath that it was not.” No doctor could use a better remedy than this in a case of cholera morbus; it never falls. Sold by Cherokee Drug Co, Gaffney; L. D. Allison, Cowpens. It is a dull man who cannot take a hint when his best girl eats onions. Are Your Lungs Weak? Does the cough, left by the ’grippe —or the cold contracted during the winter, still hang on? Rydale’s Elix ir will cure your cough and heal your weak lungs. It kills the germs that cause chronic throat and lu»*g dis ease and helps nature restore> the weakened organs to health, irrial size 25c. Family size 50c. Gainey I Drug Co. \ 1 * | E N G I N E S. ♦ We have a full stock ♦ of the well-known 1 Farquhar Threshers iincl Ajax Portable Engines and can make prompt shipment. J Prlct-M right. Catalogue on re<|ovHt. CIBBES MACHINERY COMPANY, Columbia, S. C. The Builders Supply Co. Successors to L. Baker. Will furnish you Building Material of the best that the markets aflonl and at the lowest living prices. No. i heart pine Shingles and Laths, and Devo’s cele-1 brated Paints—guaranteed to go further and last longer than any other in the market. When in need of anything in the building line, call and see us; we’ll treat you courteously and ma<e your es- j timates for nothing. 1^. 15 lv o 1% Vice-President and Manager. *o* A.. THEWEQETABLEFAT SUPERIOR IN QUALITY AND RORITy TO.ALL.OTHERS Address SOUTHERN COTTON OIL CO. SAVANNAR GA. THE CAKOLINAS AND GEORGIA. FOR Building and Plastering Lime, Coal, and Plaster Hair, Plaster Paris, Shingles, Portland Cement, Dynamite, Blasting Powder, Fuse and Dynamite Caps, call on LIMESTONE SPRINGS LIME;WORKS. CARROLL & CO., Lessees. Telephone 57. o F PC i i I'gi; v. ^Murray’s Iron Mixture contains the elements that make It a genuine blood tonic, a re medy that makes rh-h.red h<x>d. improves digestion, increases appetite, and supplies strength and energy to weak, debilitated, run-down people. NT i_,i t' r’ti I r'c;>ri NT ixt U-irei s not a temporary stimulant.“The good in every dose sticks. Excellent tor pale, emaciat ed. bloodness people, and as a recuperative tonic for those recovering from sickness. Ui. equalled as a tonic to prevent and overcome the lassitude, tired, exhausted and “rut dow n feeling so prevalent in the spring. A combination that meets with the apptoval ano commendation of physicians everywhere. Price 50c. Guaranteed Satisfactory to every purchaser. AT DUI'G STORES. Prepared by TlicMurray I*rug Co., Columbia. S. C. RYOALE’S TONIC A REAL CURE FOR It has recently been discovered that the germs that produce Malaria, breed and multiply in the intestines and from there spread throughout the system bv means of the blood. This fact ex plains why Malaria is hard to cure by the old method of treatment. Quinine. Iron, etc., stimulate the nerves and build up the blood, but do not destroy the germs that cause the disease. Rydale’s Tonic has a specific effect upon the intestines and bowels, freein" them from all disease breeding mi crobes. It also kills the germs that infest the veins and arteries. It drives mm the blood all poisonous matter and makes it rich and healthy. RYDALE’S TONIC is a blood builder, a nerve restorer, and a Malaria destroyer. Try it, it will not disap point you. GAFFNEY DRUG COMPANY. RUBBER STAMPS Are my long suit. I make any kind except the bad ones. I furnish a Nan e Stamp and an Indelible Pad for Marking Linen for 40 CENTS. I have some other good things. J WILSOIV Typewriters, Office Supplies, Etc. 1334 MAIN STREET. COLUMBIA, S. C WESTERN & ATLANTIC RY. AND " .111, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway to CALL HERE For Photo Frames, Passe-Partout Bind ing, Passe-Partout work, Photo Albums, Gun Metal Photo Holders, (for indi vidual photograph). Wire Picture Racks. Films and the best in all photographic work. St. Louis and all points West and Northwest. Three solid trains daily with Pullman Palace Sleep ing Cars, Atlanta to St. Louis, without change. Only through car service, Atlanta to Chicago, with out change. Close connections made at Atlanta with the Sea board Air Line Railway, Central of Georgia Rail- way and the Southern Railway trains. For map folders or other information write to Thos. R. Jones, T. P. A., No. 1 North Pryor St., Atlanta, Ga. H. F. Smith, Traffic Mgr., Chas. E. Harman, Gen. P. Agt. June H. Carr, Phone 176. Residence, 171. 625 Limestone Street Kodol Dyspepsia Care Digests what you eat. BANNER SALVE the most healing salve in the world. "figs’* Early Riser* Tbe famous little pUla. STYLE IN JOB PRINTING is as essential to th0 business man as styl. in clothing is to the so ciety man. You fail to impress when you send out poorly printed or unstylish stationery. You get up-to-date printing when you patronize THE LEDGER. FOLEYSKlDNHfCURE Will Care Any Ce»e of KIDNEY or BLADDER DISEASE Not Beyond the Reach of Medicine For Sale by Cherokee Drug Co. For Sale by Cherokee Drug Co. For Sale by Cherokee Drug Co.