THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



777 



Read before the N. A. B. K. S. 



Courtesy in Joiirnalism. 



A. I. ROOT. 



I should never have chosen such a 

 subject had not Professor Cook kindly 

 asked me to take it; or. rather sug- 



fested it, as it were. In the tirst place, 

 do not feel sure that uiy experience 

 in jourtialisni would warrant my tak- 

 ing such a subject ; and then again, I 

 am not sure that my ideas might not 

 be called queer and singular, by some. 



As this is a bee convention, I pre- 

 sume the kind of journalism I am ex- 

 pected to speak of is bee journalism, 

 if I am to be allowed the term ; and 

 as we now have a half dozen or more 

 bee periodicals published in our own 

 country, and about as many more in 

 other countries, it very likely behooves 

 us to consider well this very matter of 

 courtesy in journalism. Are the edi- 

 tors and the writers for the bee period- 

 icals more uncourteous to each other 

 than those of other class journals i I 

 trust not, although I think it has been 

 said, that all bee-men, so long accus- 

 tomed to stinging ways, sometimes go 

 so far as to think that stinging things 

 in print are right and proper. 



A manager of a theater once said, 

 by way of excusing himself for some 

 things in the play, that theaters are 

 just what the public demand they 

 should be, thus throwing the blame all 

 on his patrons. Editors of bee period- 

 icals might doubtless say, that their 

 journals are edited in sucli a way as to 

 please the wants and wishes of the 

 greater number of their subscribers. 

 Tliere may be truth in this, and it 

 woidd be a very convenient way for 

 us who liave the periodicals in charge, 

 to throw all blame for wliat want of 

 courtesy tliere may have been in our 

 respective publications on to the 

 shoulders of our patrons and contrib- 

 utors. It might be very convenient, 

 but it would not be right. At the 

 same time that we strive to please 

 those who give us their support, it is 

 our duty to strive to elevate and enno- 

 ble. It is every teacher's duty to do 

 this ; and what teacher should be more 

 careful than the editor ? These papers 

 go into our homes, and it is to be 

 hoped they are read by our children. 

 We all know it will not do to give our 

 children all they ask for. As we are 

 all but children of a larger growth, 

 tlie same rule will apply to most of us, 

 I believe. It is not always well or wise 

 to give us all we ask for. 



All bodies are in the habit, usually, 

 of choosing some one from among 

 their number to look after their best 

 interests. We have teachers for our 

 youth, pastors of our churches for 

 grown-up children, and our papers and 

 magazines for the people at lar^e. 

 Perhaps these latter are primarily tor 

 the purpose of keeping us informed 

 of the events of the times ; but at the 

 same time they must exercise a power- 

 ful iutluence over the morals of the 

 people before whom they speak. What, 

 then, should be the character of these 

 leaders and teachers 'i If it is a fact, 

 that our papers are to a great extent 

 what we. as a people, demand of those 

 wlio publish them, what is our duty as 



a people in the matter ? Your pastor 

 is very glad indeed to have you take 

 him by the hand and tell him that his 

 sermons have been helpful to you, and 

 your doing so helps him, perhaps more 

 than you imagine, to preach better 

 sermons. So every editor is glad to 

 hear from tliose whom his words reach; 

 and not only is he glad of words of 

 commendation, but those of kind crit- 

 icism. In fact, he is often led to do 

 things he would never think of doing, 

 because some t>ne suggested it. Of 

 course, these suggestions are not al- 

 ways wise, and, on this account, an 

 editor needs more than ordinary wis- 

 dom and discrimination. 



I need hardly say that those who 

 wield the power of the press should be 

 free from and entirely above, if it 

 w-ere possible, all feelings of preju- 

 dice, spite or jealousy. The wants 

 and needs and rights of his readers 

 should be all equally dear to him. The 

 peculiarities and, perhaps,weaknesses 

 of each member of his large family 

 should be held sacred and touched 

 upon with the greatest gentleness; 

 and he, above all others, should have 

 a wide charity. 



Think gently of the errinK; 



Ye may not know the power 

 With wliich the dark temptation came 



In ?ome unguarded hour. 



Whatever appears in print is a pub- 

 lic matter. It is more public than any 

 thing that can be said in any public 

 meeting, because it stands there to be 

 read of all men— ay, and women and 

 children too. When we have visitors 

 at our homes we are very careful to 

 be courteous to them, and we are on 

 our best behavior as it were ; for who 

 would think of indulging in little 

 spites, or unkind words, before com- 

 pany y I fear we sometimes forget 

 lliat whatever is printed is before a 

 very large company. Few can realize 

 how it cuts and smarts to be held up 

 in derision in public print, who have 

 not passed through it. It may be 

 urged that this dread of being pub- 

 lished is a most powerful restraint to 

 one who is strongly tempted to do 

 wrong, and I grant this, and would by 

 all means advise warning the public 

 when the matter is something de- 

 manding that they should be warned. 

 I think we all agree in this ; but at 

 the same time I believe in putting it 

 mildly, and using a few kind words 

 instead of harsh, to do the most good. 



There is one kind of temptation into 

 which we may all of us be drawn, that 

 I would speak of. Sooner or later 

 somebody will "comedown" on you 

 a little roughly, and perhaps a trifle 

 unjustly, or what amounts to the same 

 thing, you may, if you are of the 

 proper temperament, imagine some one 

 lias publicly insulted you, when such 

 is really not the case. In either in- 

 stance, what should a real live man 

 do, when publicly and falsely accusedV 

 111 a great many cases I would say, do 

 nothing at all. One reason for giving 

 this advice would be, because if you 

 say anything you will say too much. 

 While it is bad for a contributor to (ill 

 a column or more in endeavoring to 

 set himself right before the people, it 

 is still worse for the editor to use space 

 in this way. 



Years ago some one accused me 

 unjustly, through one of tlie bee pa- 

 pers. 1 have forgotten now what it 

 was about, and who it was that wrote 

 it. 1 thank (Jod I have forgotten, 

 dear friends ; for if I should meet the 

 man liere to-day wlio wrote it. I could 

 shake hands witli him pleasantly, with- 

 out even remembering it was he who 

 %\Tonged me. Well, I was so badly 

 stirred up 1 could hardly write with- 

 out trembling. 1 would write only 

 just a few words to set myself right. 

 Those few should be right to the point. 

 I wrote and wrote and wrote, and still 

 there was just one more very import- 

 ant point that you all ought to know 

 in the case. I had neglected my work 

 an hour or more ; and when I looked 

 at the long manuscript, I had a sort of 

 misgiving that there ought not to be 

 any occasion for any such a long rig- 

 marole, no matter how much I had 

 been abused. At this crisis our pastor 

 happened to come in, and I laid the 

 matter before him in a general way. 

 " Brother R.,'" said I, "is it not a fact^ 

 that there is something wrong, when- 

 ever it becomes necessary for us to use 

 that amount of space in self-defense':"' 

 and I held up the long manuscript. 

 His assent was more in his kind look 

 than the words: "Yes, my friend, 

 tliere is something wrong when so 

 much needs to be said, or seems to 

 need to be said, on either side." Down 

 it went into the waste basket, and you 

 can hardly tell how thankful I am that 

 it did go there. The controversy 

 stopped at the beginning. I do not 

 think I ever suffered much in the es- 

 timation of any one, for people judge 

 more by the life a man lives ri^ht 

 along year after year than by what 

 somebody says about him, even if it is 

 said in print. 



Do vou ask, then, what harm these 

 unjust attacks do in a paper? My 

 friend, it harms the one who writes- 

 them ; it harms the editor who gives 

 place to it, and it harms those who 

 read. If every word of it be true, and 

 it be written in an unkind and un- 

 christianlike spirit, it harms tlie guil- 

 ty party, for it makes him harder and 

 more wicked. As quarrels are conta- 

 gious, and ill one sense fascinating to 

 the young,— are you aware, friends, 

 that a dog-light has its fascinations 't 

 —well, our children, growing up at 

 yourhouse and my house enter into 

 the spirit of these controvei'sies, and 

 get to thinking it is the way to do 

 business, to light it out in words in 

 this way, both parties get stirred up, 

 and fearfully exaggerate without 

 meaning to, or, in fact, without know- 

 ing they have done so, and on and on it 

 goes, and, it may be, ending in law- 

 suits, and years of quarrels. Did you 

 never observe, that when a man has a 

 quarrel or controversy with one per- 

 son, he is pretty sure "to have another 

 very soon with somebody else 'i* He 

 has got mentally sick, as it were; and 

 the W(nst part of it is, he does not 

 know he is sick. 



It is not alone we, who are compar- 

 atively without talent, and a high or- 

 der of education, that are guilty of a» 

 want of courtesy through the papers ; 

 but it sometimes haiipens that minis- 

 ters of the gospel, and professors in 



