Journalism, so far as it is more than mere reporting and mere money making, so far as it undertakes to frame and guide opinion, to educate the thought and instruct the conscience of the community, by editorial comment, interpretation and homily, based on the news, is under obligation to the community to be truthful, sincere, and uncorrupted; to enlighten the understanding, not to darken counsel; to uphold justice and honor with unfailing resolution, to champion morality and the public welfare with intelligent zeal, to expose wrong and antagonize it with unflinching courage.  If journalism has any mission in the world besides and beyond the dissemination of news, it is a mission of maintaining a high standard of thought and life in the community it serves, strengthening all its forces that make for righteousness and beauty and fair growth.

This is not solely, nor peculiarly, the office of what is called the editorial page.  To be most influential, it must be a consistent expression in all departments, giving the newspaper a totality of power in such aim.  This is the right ideal of journalism whenever it is considered as more than a form of commercialism.  No newspaper attains its ideal in completeness.  If it steadfastly works toward attainment, it gives proof of its right to be.  The advancing newspaper, going on from good to better in the substance of its character and the ability of its endeavor, is the type of journalism which affords hope for the future.  And one strong encouragement to fidelity in a high motive is public appreciation.

—­The Boston Herald.

EXERCISES

Give as complete an answer as possible to any two of the following questions:—­

1.  Why do fish bite better on a cloudy day than on a bright one?

2.  Why should we study history?

3.  Why does a baseball curve?

4.  Why did the American colonies revolt against England?

5.  Why did the early settlers of New England persecute the Quakers?

6.  Why should trees be planted either in early spring or late autumn?

7.  Why do we lose a day in going from America to China?

8.  In laying a railroad track, why is there a space left between the ends of the rails?

+Theme LXXXVI.+—­Choose one of the above or a similar question as a subject for a theme.  Write out as complete and exact an explanation as possible.

EXERCISE

Write out a list of subjects the explanation of which would not answer the questions why? or how?  How many of them can you explain?

+Theme LXXXVII.+—­Write out the explanation of one of the subjects in the above list.

(Read what you have written and consider it with reference to clearness, unity, and coherence.)