Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1829-06-26
From TIE Boston Courier.
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE PRESS.

es TO make an impression on the minus VI i
Jury in fas or Of the strict morality and in'rgrl-
~ "f his client, whether the trial be Tor ioei'
a ia,ceny or an assault, he must have dab Al
The press, and talk Of the scurriity OF The news
paprrs. Ir preacher finds his audience 60
ing 10 sleep under the operation Of his somni'
tic theology, or the war,n,wa,er ibsipIdi'y oil
his ethics he lays hold Of The press and endes-
vars TO awaken his hearers by talking OF the
destruction Of their civil liberty and he utter
perdition to their Immoral souls, which a IL
cen,,ous press is bringing upon them. - l.,
perhaps. is all RICH, enough, II being merely
in the way of thsi, profession TO admoniNh,
censurr, and abuse whoever and whatever is
Stumbling block in their way; and II is. more o.
YER ex cedingly fortunate Tor these grntlemsn
III 81, the Sar aud the pulpi, are so hedged about
with law and divinity, ;as' s.:,@s: any thing
NAV ~ Illuminated ,herefrom with impunity.
But thai editors should undertake 10 make
amends fur the bArreuness of other tor les by
wiring homilies upon the RIGHTEOUSNESS Of The
press and sdmonishing heir professional CO.
iempora'ies in the style Of The dogmais and
the phaiisse, is not, in opinion, very
praiScwortLy practice. Some uf the editorial
sermons Of this sort, which We have recently
seen, remind one of lhe proyerb o! the bird
that hewTays is own nest.
We DO not claim for The newspaper press
character unsuscep,.ble of improvement. As
s;eno' disciples Of the doc'riue of human
pcsi-. .;A:lIy, W. .assse M expectation that the
press, s. long Is it is guided and controlled by
humvu bsings, subjeeI % all the passions, pre-
jadices, aud Iralties Of humanity will exhibit
any thing o! supsr-humaD purity, or be exempt
from The imperteo tions that mingie vita all
morta; spursuira, professions, ana Sciences
Ina, which we di,s2prove, and which we would
thana Ni,atn at.IaN he
D ac,ice Of those who would pass for saints,
teachers, and apostles, ~ inveigh agains, the
pr-ss as one Of the mps: corrupt, wickrd and
ah, niinahle of all ms buttons, aud TO pour on,
their ana hemas in sue h general md i adiscrmi-
nate language, that The specia, objects of their
di,plr Asure cannot be identified, except BY IN
ference, after We are iuformt Git the info,m
zion eau be obtainrd) 10 wha' party in politics
or what seci in religion, the aforesaid saints,
asce'cs or restals belong If III rePr, s n,a
lions Of these reiormers o! the press can be
credited, no evil that has ever fallen upon our
forsaken race Gan be compared To the invention
OF a pruning press, and the arch enemy of
man, triumphs in the consciousness hal his
own abolcal seiuainn can contrivr no ,e'.
ter means of bring ug he whole living universe
iu,o perdi'ion, 10 share his toriur aud hi,
eter"iIy vi punishment, than he circula ion Of
newspapers.
Among other articles which have lately APP
pencd, to which the preceding remarks ar,
applicable, two are qnite promiuent, and prob
ably fresh ia the mind, of some readers OF
Que Of hem We hardi, dar, 10 sp,ak IN more
direct terms because of me saaciity of is char
at,er aud least should fall wi mia hY dan
pc, of the remedy proposed Those who heard
III discourse la,,lv delivered before The An
= cieHt sud Honorable Artillery Company Of
LassAchuset,s,' viii recoliecy the glowing pic
turr drawa by the reverend preacher, If the Ii
c,n lou, mes, pf The press and his moving APP
PEAL 10 thai 'veerau Cops Gentlemen, will
tou not provide some remedy agains, This
= threatening dsnger!' Whal remedy the gen,
,lrman would propose does distinctly ap-
nra,; but We presume he could no: mean to
urge the 'Aucient Honorable Artillery Com
,any Of Massachusetts To turn their bayonets
ayains, a few insisnh ant prin,ers,or to march
wilh their SIX founders 20 bauer down our
Rus, & rurnev's patent cast iron press, or ur
neighbours patent power pres. The pobahili-
" - that he merely meant 10 tell Ihe Ancient
and II 1norab.e Artiile y Company Of Mas,a-
chu,rtts' To persevrte in the remedy against
the hcen ,ious"ess OF The press watch they
adopted few years ago in regard TO he editor
Of he Dairy Advertiser, when he ,entured 10
give uueranoe ~ his icen' iousness' and say
that the Ancient and Honorable Artillery
Company of Massachusetts performed their
mill AIRY evolu lions on the common in he pres
ence and very nsuch to the grai6caIion Of all
tbr little boys and girls Of he town. The rev.
erend preacher however, must be forgiven,
and we call upon the conductors of me press
TO forgive him for this Houtish SIM e he had the
franknt SIS to sdmi, that even The pulpit had
become licen,ious,' and as well as ll:e press
oueh, TO be- Confined TO its own sphere of du,
We hope he viii b. permitted. beiore the lapse
Of many years. TO preach before the Conven-
ton OF Ciergymen Oh the Day after the general
elec ion, and deal with them as he would with
the fraternity Of edi ors
An article emitted Newspaper Abuse ap-
pesud in the Christian Register ON the ins |
which pprars 20 rs ah..g 'hrr unworthy ofi
The character OF shs. paper, ana OF The gentle.