The Sun.
London, England, 1821-12-14 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL JOURNALS.

The following Letter on the importance df
Newspapers, and which points out the proper
course for their Conductors, is taken from The
Sheffield Mercury. The Editor of that Paper is
understood to be a Gentleman of high poetical

powers, and as far as we have observed the con-
duct of his. Journal, he seems to be fully entitled
to the tribute which is paid to him by his intelli-
gent Correspondent :

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SHEFFIELD MERCURY.
Srit—The periodical press has assumed in this country, and
indeed in most parts of the woild where letters are cultivated,
such a degree of importance, as may well excuse the liberty I
am about to take, in offering you some observations on it. Like
most other things with which we become familiarised, it is apt
to be passed over without much observation, or at least to meet
with less consideration than its intrinsic importance merits.: But
if we were just to consider what would be the consequence of
the loss of it, me shoillicl be able to form some estimate of its
value. I may, venture to assert, indeed, that for real practical
utility it equali;'il not surpasses, all the other modes of com-
municating knowledge to' mankind: It is' true its pretensions
are not so great, perhaps, nor does it assume the portly dignity
of most of the other departments of literature. The' ponderous
tomes which contain the learned disquisitions of commentators,
philologists, etymologists, &c. '&c. may look down on " the
folio of two pages" with some degree of disrespect, as not being
decorated with academical honours • just as a conceited and new
fledged NI. D. thinks himself exalted above the more unpre-
tending and more useful apothecary. But mankind are not so
easily imposed upon by sounding titles. They are accustomed
to weigh the value of a thing in the scale of utility, and by this
mode of estimating it, they will find out-that the Periodical
Press, though it may lay claim to less, deserves more; considera-
tion thanall the labours of all the pedants in the world !-
-There are several very good reasons for this. In the first place
its productions are more generally diffused. There is no man,
woman, or child amongst us, who can read, that does not read
a newspaper, and even those who were born before the era of
Sunday schools and Lancasterian establishments, and who con-
sequently have made little progress in their ABC, contrive to
have it read to them. It is a permanent member of all clubs_
is to be found on the tea table of the fine lady, and the shop
board of the tailor—it is peeped at by royalty in the palace of
the prince, and bedaubed with the fingers of the clown in the
village smithy. Its multifarious information reaches'all classes;
and many who cannot, or who will not, look at any other pro-
duction of the press, eagerly catch .at this. In the second place,
it has the great advantage of being adapted to the tastes of all,
by its indiscriminate admission of all sorts of subjects. The
critic is gratified by ingenious disquisitions on theatricals—the
belle learns the newest twists of ever-varying fashion—thelover
Of the marvellous has his imagination excited by the most
strange and improbable events--while tho '
se to whom
's a little
scandal is a treat are sure to be gratified to their heart con-
tent. But it is to the politician that newspapers furnish the
most delectable repast ; they arc absolutely meat and drink to
him, nor could he continue his vocation without their assistance.
Let us only consider what a vast number of ingenious and
learned disquisitions, on all sorts of political subjects, are !daily
and weekly emanating from the periodical press, and we shall
have some idea of the high luxury a newspaper is to the genu-
ine politician.' Now in this country we are all politicians,—l
should like to see the man who is not,—and thisaccounts for the
otherwise singular fact, that we all know as well holy to administer
the affairs of the country as his Majesty's Ministers themselVes.
Indeed I know a great many who think, and have no hesitation
in declaring, that they could manage them a great deal better !
However, as I do not . think it likely they Will ever be put to
the trial, I should not have noticed the circumstance, had it
not been to adduce it as a proof of the vast utility of news-
papers ; for, -to my knowledge, lnost of those who think So
highly of their powers of governing a country, have learned
the art from nothing else than muting these periodicals ! I
am not aware that any of them have studied Locke or Puffen-
dee, nor do they seem to be particularly conversant with the
history of this or any other country ; but .to make up for this,
they ply hard at the columns of the Newsiwers, and thus make
themselves so far masters of the intricacies of legislation, as
to be able to make a respectable figure in a debating society.
In the third place, Newspapers, by acquainting us with things
at the moment of their occurrence, enable us to form a judg-
ment of them at once. It is an old and obsolete fashion to
judge of things by their results, and to wait for the consequence
before we draw the conclusion. This is but a tedious, mechani-
cal, and disagreeable practice. It is much pleasanter, to be
able to approve or condemn a measure before we know any
thing.of its effects, as this will not fail to increase the opinion
we may have of our own penetration, and give our neighbours
also a higher opinion of it too ! I might adduce many other
reasons why the publication of Newspapers is to be considered
the most useful mode of communicating knowledge: • The im-
portance of these ephemeral works, indeed, is' beeoming every
day more evident. The great mass of mankind are unwilling
to think for themselves, and are therefore the more indebted to
etlainosefourn-hot
aunsdeetrtoakfeoptoindioonsit
wfittlotuhtentni.nli trntohnisblyiayto a man
e
self. lt is only espousing those of the paper he reads, and
'thus he will be enabled to talk, argue, and even debate pn the
'most interesting subjects, with all the' necessary fhia,;,,
--Y; ,the
-indeed, as far as I have observed, this is the most gel eraDmode
of forming our politicians, for it will be found that
.most pee:.

plc's sentiments on these matters are just those fieWSPalnr
they happen to read.
It is an old proverb that teaches us to judge of peiiple~t cha-
racters by the company they keep • but I know not whether as
good a criterion might not be found in the newspapers they
take in. This fact sets in a striking point of view the position
lam endeavouriny, to establish : shelving the great. import-
ante of the periodical press, and, consequently, the heavy re.,
sponsibility the conductors of it incur in the discharge of their
office. In truth, there is perhaps no situation which enables an
individual to do more good, or to effect more mischief, than that
of the editor of a newspaper. He wields an instrument of gigantic
power—a lever that may move a world ! If from the sordid love
of gain, or the more mischievous spirit of faction, he endeavours
by crafty arts, insidious representations, or false statements,
to excite the passions, blind the understandings, or pervert-the
sentiments of his readers, he is criminal in no small degree,
and may justly be considered as the pestlof the society to which
he belongs ; but if, actuated by the love of truth, he impar-
tially discloses what he is' persuaded is fact—if he admits no-
thing into his columns that would tend to engender faction or ,
discontent—if he treats with becoming respect the important
concerns of religion and goV,!rnment, and makes his paper a
vehicle for useful information on every thing connected with
them, then he is honourably fulfilling the duties of his calling,
and unquestionably deserves the countenance and approbation
of every well-wisher to his country. In all this there is nothing
to preclude his free and unbiassed remarks on whatever may oc-
cur worthy of theni:aand, indeed, to manage the concerns of such
a work with dignity and effect, it is necessary that the editor should
be perfectly independent. This a character, 1 know, to which
a certain class of editors lay enclnsive claim. With peculiar
modesty they arrogate to themselves that perfect freedom from
restraint, which enables them to scrutinize the measures of
government, and give their opinions on them impartially,
which they yet deny to all others. But are they free from the
influence of prejudice, the dominion of faction, and the spirit of
party, which exercise as potent a spell on their conduce.and senti-
ments as ever did the hope of a place or a pension ? lam con-
vinced that the most of those who are so clamorous about their
independence, and who are so fond of imputing servility to all
those who differ, from them, are so bound by prejudice, party,
'or faction, as to be as,destitute of genuine and honourable inde-
pendence es the veriest tools of an Administration. Corn-
inehtl me to the man who can dare to blame,. and is not afraid
to approve, whatever his judgment tells him is cleservinF either
praise or blame. But whether he approve or not, he will • still
shew himself the patriot, anxious to promote the happiness,
and not too zealous to expose the misfortunes, of his country.
Her prosperity will he the theme a his exultation and honest
pride, for his is not that pseudo patriotism that delights to ab-
stract from the fame,lor to snarl at the glory, of his native land.
flow different from all this is the character of some of our pre-
sent journals, which one finds some difficulty in believing. are
edited by Englishmen ! They look more like the productions
of some foreigners, to whom the greatness, the glory, and the
happiness of Britain are wormwood ! I shall conclude this long
digression, by expressing my conviction, if you will allow me to
do so, that this is far from being the character of the Sheffield
Mercury, or its editor ; and that I never have occasion to see
in its pages any thing inconsistent with the genuine independ-
ence, or the honest patriotism, of a British subject.
COSMOPOLITE.