The Cedar County advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Iowa) 1853-1856, 1854-02-04

The Moral, Hkt0rical and Statistical Power II
the Public Press.
by THE HON. ERAsrus RRooI


Last evening Mr. Brooks lectured as
above at the Mechanics Institute, No. l
Bowery. There were about fifty persons
present After being introduced by the
President, Hon. Zadok Pratt the lecturer
spoke thus:
The art preservative of all others is
, that of Printing. To do Justice to so
sublime a subject is more than can hope
for. The creates, blessings bestowed
upon the wol Id are those which are least
appreciated. The air we breathe, the
senses that we ENJOY, are the commonest
! gifts of life in the abundance OF the
goods given us we fail to acknowledge
their value. The printing press has been
the only worker OF miracles since the
days of inspired man; the powers Of
magic do not approximate that OF the
steam-pr press, or the skill OF the man who
makes words for the millions. This art
! has clothed the world above and around
us with splendor, i, is the be all and the
end all of our existance and 10 solne II
is even more than the good tidmgs"
which il serves TO perpetuate. In the
daily press the merchant gagues what
are TO him the great transactions OF life.
The sins of ignorance should not be
charged on the political or commercial
press, but TO the errors of its intofmants,
who ough, to be better infortpd. The
best intentions OF the controllers OF the
public press are often construed into the
worst motives, and the worst into the
best. Public sentiment gives tone to the
public press; and il 50, who IS response
BILE If can show depraved news
paper better supported than one which
speaks the truth where It ought to be
spoken, whose is the fault When the
public ceases to pay for immoral news
papers, their proprietors will cease to
print immortality. ! have heard it re-
:. marked Of popular editor that he tried
to be a gentleman, and nearly starved ;
but when he altered his system, prosper
ity followed him. have drawn this pic
,ure more as descriptive Of the true au-
ithors OF immoral prints than as a defense
of the men who are base enough TO pam
der to depfaved public opinion. The
freedom oil the press Is one oil the glorles
Iof cur institutions; and with such instl-
tu,ions il is no compliment to our country
to say that tile press Is ireer here, with
out being more iioentlous, than III any
other country. | speak Of the periodical
press. Burke has dliined newspaper to
be "a history Of the world for one day :
this Is particularly true OF American
newspapers. Census returns show some
ID aces henighted; Nirginian represen.
tafiNe once toasted that there were nc
newspapers in his district; and found
there were there more people who could
NOT read and write than IN any other par
OF Virginia. Ii is sand the first paper
. published i'll Virginia was ia Williams
burgh, III 1880: the subscription was S5t
wear advertisements Sl0 Tor the irs
week, 81 after; the issue was once 9
week, 50 that the cost was 96c a number
and this was l73 years alter the settle
ment Of Virginia, and 64 years ai,e
Cox. W. Berkeley said 10 the Lords Of til,
Colonies that he thanked God there wer,
nether free schools nor printing, as th'
ormer led to heresy and the latter 10 re
bclion. A similar sentiment was utter
: ed during the present December in Con
gress. would could forget that thcr,
: ever has been such thing as licentiou
press. | would rather say let there b.
none. wish for pure and free press
: land by freedom do not mean excess. =
,:ll renembc. Madame Roland's words -
4" Liberty, liberty, what horrid crime
La,., s,a,, .,,an....cI thy ,,anas. VI
Let the pTess. not be the vehicle of tn
passions Of man,of whom it may b
: said:
..H;s word is gall his tongue is fire;
His soul too base for generous ire"
J The proper principle OF the public pres