Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1861-04-05
Scattering Drops, No. 3.
MEssRs. EDITORS

There are many ques--
tons that arise in the mind that are mat
te1s of attention to the public as well as
private individuals, one of which is news
papers. The American people are, per-
haps, the greatest newspaper readers in
the world. So far it is an admirable trait
but when we consider the kind that the
great mass are interested in, it becomes a
matter of more than ordinary Importance,
as question of fact and morals There
is at the present time such morbid de-
sire, amounting almost to a monomania to
devour with avidity the contents of such
papers as the N. Y. Ledger and Mercury
and those Of similar class. as to cause to
the mind as disastrous consequences as a
course Of ''mercurial medication" does to
the human organism. Those wild, errat-
ic, anu highly wrought pictures of cloves
tancies' are stretching the strings of the
imagination to their uttermost tension,
carrying the sentiments and passions of
the human soul into the mild regions Of
aerial fancy; creating rnreaI anticipations
of future joys to be experienced in the
gorgeous palaces of the rich on the expect
ed pleasures of Glove in cottage" and
In many cases swapping the strings of COM
mon sense that totally units the body and
mind to meet the realities of life with
calmness and reason. Again, the reading
of novels, as published in the class of
papers spoken of above, destroys the de-
sire for the more solid intellectual treats
that are to be found in the works of sound
and thoughtful minds, and theibriglt spark
ling ideas and thoughts that find their way
into their various scientific journals of
the day, whether they be mechanical, edu-
cational or agricultural or of books,
whether they are historical, geographical,
biographical, or philosophical, and in real
ity creates disgust for work of highly
moral ana religious character.
The question arises; are such deyotees
to romance really fit to become fathers and
mothers, or to take uron themselves the
management Of the business of life or to
control the destinies of nation. To-day
our beloved country is in a feverish state
Of political excitement, and the least unu-
sual movement of an eminent statesman,
sets the majority into a wild delirium, that
the calm judgment and cool reason of the
thoughtful and conservatives minds is
scarcely able to control. To my lnind one
of the most prominent causes of this state
of things is, and has been, tie perversion
and depraving the true sentiments, feel
ings and intellect of the masses by the
false style Of writing and reading of the
high pressure romantic novels. | am well
aware that the argument commonly used,
is that there are great many good pieces
and much information in that class Of pa
pers. I am equally aware that many of
the quack-mad pills of the present day
are sugar coated" but is there any the
less nauseating drugs in them? A spoon
full Of honey will tempt child to take an
enclosed emetic, and the cloak of religion
often excuses the polluted carcass of a
consummatc rascal, who, like the Phari-
sees Of old, "outwardly appeared unto men
to fast, but inNardly were ravening
wolves" This may be considered by some
severe, but I think no more severe than
true
Ny object. sir, at this time, is to call at
tention to what seems to me to be a matter
of duty, namely, to induce support of those
papers which are really indispensable to
the public good, and by these we mean our
home papers; papers published in our own
counties and state without which no peo-
pie can possibly afford to do. Let it once
be known that County has no paper, and
the remark is spontaneously make, that
You must have poor county for man
to get living in, if they cannot afford to
support paper and in few years the
inhabitants of such a section of country
will be such as no really intelligent and
progressive man or woman would wish to
associate with. Many say they prefer a
'scity paper" do not object to any
mans taking city paper, but rather he
would after he takes his county paper
Let ali the county papers be stopped for
want of support, and how meager would be
the News Department Of the city Week
lies But, says one, "Our paper is dull
thing" I ask the question Id moment,
"Do you ever send all item of news, or
write an article - ''No SIR - is the an
swer, No wonder, then, that the paper IS
''dull thing" Let every man who has
an item send it along. Is there drunken
row, or revival of religion, a marriage,
or a death, or child drowned, barn
burnt or built, a failure in business, or
new store or other business started, man
getting divorce or a woman that wears