Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1859-11-30
THE PRESS:
IT'S cHARACTERAND1

AANS1S0 4aSG ulSAL 4tbGAS oeSOHu EE6SDYL eFI.
an Church, before the Young MEMS Chris
tian Association, by G. Il Cranmer, Esq,
Mr.. Cranmer commenced by observing
that the physical age of the world in
which mankind perpetuated their man
ners, customs, laws, and opinions upon
pyramids, monuments, temples and fanes,
has been supplanted long since by tho
mental age, whose lofty mission it is to
deYclope thought, correct errors, and to
diffuse Knowledge And while many po-
tent instrumentalities are employed in this
great labor, perhaps there is no,single one
of them more entitled to consideration
land influence, than lis he.subject of our
idiscussion on this occasion-the Press.
1t is a fact which admits of no doubt in
this day, that an suptrammeled press isYa2
necessary and essential ingredient in afree
government. As there is no more certain
means of striking the letters from the
| limbs of down-trodden and oppressed
people, and. bestowing liberty upon a
.nationJi than by recognizing a free
tpress in all its majesty and dignity,
l9so is it no less true. that in proportion to
4 the freedom of the Press, in like proper
ton is its liberty enjoyed by the citizens.
FIN looking at another-p people than our
townJas an illustration of our position, we
may refer to Great Britain; where subjects
enjoy. the greatest degree of liberty of any
,peopleswhose form of government is that
of q monarchy. So. we'll is this under
stood by rulers and ruled in that great
country, that any attempt to shacklc its
freedom would be but q .fre-brnnd which
would light a flamc6 whose consuming
Ebrcath would devour the prerogatiyes of
skingly power
| IL "a Ill
we the time and were this fitting occa-
sion to note the slow but sure and steady
progress which has been. made by the
English press within, the last three hun
dred years. Concession after concession
has been forced from unwilling rulers.
Inroad after inroad has been made upon
aristocratic privileges, and step after step
has been made in the path of progress
and Improvement. 1t has boldly met and
vanquished those feudal hostilities and
customs which had naught to recon-
mend them but the pride of aristocracy
and the selfshness of titled nobility.
Watching, too, with q jealous eye, the en-
croachments of power, it has suffered no
step to be taken backward. Alta moments
warning it is ready to take the alarm, and
hurl its anatllemas, against the hand which
is raised in opposition to the clearly de-
fined and fully established rights of the
people. So that, with truth, it may be as
serted that. the rulers of that people fear
more the thunders of the Times and the
lamp0ons of Punch, than all the elements
of opposition in the realm combined
We have but to turn our gaze away from
England, across the channel, and behold
the contrast, Louis Napoleon we'll knows
that free and 'unshackled press would
unsettle the security of his power, and
hurl him headlong from his despotic throne
i'll less time than IL twelve month. lie has
tried the experiment, and found that free
press is wholly incompatible with that
rabid and piratical despotism which he
has established. Hence that system of
espionage and censorship which is SO de-
trimental to the rights and derogatory of
the privileges of the people, system
which letters thought, stultifies intellect
and destroys purity of engenders
superstition, big0try, and fanaticism, and,
over all things, spreads the Cimmerian
pail of ignorance.
Mr.. Cranmer, after turning aside to show
that such condition of things as existed
in France could not long exist, because it
was SO entirely repugnant to the spirit of
Progress, went on to observe that there
was n period in the history of the past
when mind was exercised only in the cell
of the recluse and the monk, and when
from the dormitory OF. the monastery alone
emanatcd the Scintillations of intellect.
But, thank Heaven, that day is past and
through the mighty agency of the Press
that darkness which for centuries obscuredi
mans reason ,iand beclouded his intellect,
was dissipated and is being dissipatcd even
as the mists of the morning. And so we
have the faith, the speaker added, to believe
that ere long it will be with France, and
not. only with France, but with Spain,
Austria, Russia, together with all the mo-
.narchial powers of continental Europe.
After having thus considered the Press
in its chiefest andgreatest light, as the pal
ladium of the worlds liberties, the lecturer
turned to the rehearsal of some of its other
functions. 1t had literally dragged the
very chariot of civilization in its truth
full wake. It had been the patron of the
arts and sciences always. 1t had aroused
effort and stimulated invention. 1t had
reported and elaborated plans and schemes
of oil sorts, 1t had given commerce p q
new impetus. After having at some length
considered the Press in1this light, and af-
ter having drawn contrast.between what
seemedto be the mission of the European
and American press, the lecturer proceed
ed toishow that in country such rs ours,
diversified rs it.is,in climate, soil and, pro-
elections; possessing asait does, so.$nany
local9and physical characteristics andspc-
the Press should, in its particular fea-
culiarities it is utterly impossible that
lures, entirely, correspond. Unjust inz
eVitablY; be governed, in no small degree,
by local prejndices and sectional attach
ments. Hence, while the Press income
quarter of our widespread Republic may
earnestly advocate and maintain onc1linc
of policy, the sdnepolicy may very lcgiti-
matelys call forth in MI other sections the
severest animad diversions. So also is. it in
reference to our literature, which is as va,
ried in its differences and Influences as are
the customs and manners, of the different