He Will Have to So Construe.
By Editor
A reader of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES writes from a central city of the United States as follows:— "I think it only fair for you to give me a chance to reply to your articles. The papers published by the world do this. Give me a page or more and you or some one reply in the same compass. It will increase the circulation of your papers—you must agree to print mine fairly as I write and whole." And he closes by holding out this awful threat, which, perhaps, we do not fully appreciate, "Any refusal will be construed as cowardice." Now the question is not what this man may have to discuss; it might be of interest or profit, and it might not. There is a deeper principle involved than this, which this writer does not see. If he has read the SIGNS OF THE TIMES at all candidly he would know that the paper was published for a purpose (whether wise or unwise, matters not). It has a message to give to the world concerning which its publishers have no doubt. It is not published as a financial enterprise; nor can it give away important space to unknown writers to increase its circulation. It owes nothing to this writer; there is no reason why it should give him space for the publication of his views. A paper of the kind of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES can not be classed with "papers published by the world." They are designed to reflect the world and to please the world; the SIGNS is published to save from the world. Could a man, who, under such circumstances, demands a page or more of valuable space, as a right, write "fairly"? We do not believe he could; for fairness, if he had it inherently, would never have allowed him to make such demand. He could ask for space; many do. But he would have conceded the right of the paper; to refuse without his placing upon it the brand of "cowardice." Now, in the first place, we have no space to spare for unknown productions, or flat oppositions to the truth; (1) we promise to publish no articles which we have not seen; (2) we design to publish no articles without previous examination and approval, at least as to the intent of the writer, except for purpose of comment; and (3) we make no promise whatever as to limits of space for ourselves. If this correspondent wishes his articles published, he will submit them in due course, as do all others. Or he may "construe."