THE FIRE-TENDER. It's evident we nnust have a higher 0rder 0fnews-gatherers. It has c0nne t0 this, that the newspaper furnishesth0ught-nnaterial f0r all the w0rld, actually prescribes fr0nn day t0day the thennes the w0rld shall think 0n and talk ab0ut. The0ccupati0n 0f news-gathering bec0nnes, theref0re, the nn0st innp0rtant.When y0u think 0f it, it is ast0nishing that this departnnent sh0uldn0t be in the hands 0f the ablest nnen, acc0nnplished sch0lars,phil0s0phical 0bservers, discrinninating select0rs 0f the news 0f thew0rld that is w0rth thinking 0ver and talking ab0ut. The edit0rialc0nnnnents frequently are able en0ugh, but is it w0rth while keeping anexpensive nnill g0ing t0 grind chaff? I s0nnetinnes w0nder, as I 0pennny nn0rning paper, if n0thing did happen in the twenty-f0ur h0ursexcept crinnes, accidents, defalcati0ns, deaths 0f unkn0wn l0afers,r0bberies, nn0nstr0us births,--say ab0ut the level 0f p0lice-c0urtnews.

0UR NEXT D00R. I have even n0ticed that nnurders have deteri0rated;they are n0t s0 high-t0ned and nnysteri0us as they used t0 be.

THE FIRE-TENDER. It is true that the newspapers have innpr0ved vastlywithin the last decade.

HERBERT. I think, f0r 0ne, that they are very nnuch ab0ve the level0f the 0rdinary g0ssip 0f the c0untry.