Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-07-20
NEWSPAPER IMPROVEMENTS.


There y nothing in private business,
winch more concerns the public good than
the conduct and management of our pablie
press Newspapers have long ceased to be
p'ere vehicles for the dissemination of news
They are now required To be instructors Of
the public as well as entertainers Of leisure
hours, and everything which concerns the
publle interest il expected to be discussed
lnteiligently in their columns. a vast i'm
prDyement has been made within the last
quarter OF o century in these publications.
formerly they were oaly the organs of
cllaues or pa, tres established TO promote
the interest of individuals or party leaders
Then they were reyi0lent, yitnperative. iSfiAm-
matory, untruthfi1i, and being without the
elemeAts of popular support, were depend
emf and ebsequl0Hn Al new class Of papers,
the independent Press, having sprung
up, newspapers very materially began to
change their characters for the better The
proprietors of them were men of capital or
OF credit, and could. therefore own their
columns and control the conduct of their
Journals. They established them sonndly
on business principles, and being self-depen-
dent could afford TO be thoroughly indepen-
dent IN the management of their papers
The power of the mere party organ began
10 absorb the whole dc public attention and
discussion Men of education and intel
leetual resc urces became connected with the
independent press and the whola field Of
politics, American and European, was not
too extensive for their research, science phi
losophy, morals, ethical criticism all the
great interests of mankind affords themes
for the consideration and instruction of read
ers of public journals. These were certain
ly very great strides towards perfect daily
literature, which should benefit the reader
and advance the interests ofInankind. But
as these popular publications grew more
geneFaLiu their use, they became liable to an
evil which marred half the good the1 were
capable of ifnparting, though it contributed
largely to defraF the heavy pecuniary
expenses which attended the publication of
journal of large circulation. Persons who
could not directly, without offending against
the laws. publish advertisements of vicious
character, found the advertising cOlamns Of
the popular press the very best vehicle for
bringing the victims of vice and their pro-
fessed benefactors into intimate relations.
Hence the columns of the most respectable
and respected of the independent press ex-
hibited these disgusting infanlies by the side
of an original essay distinguished foT learn
ing, ability, morality, and a high sense OF
social propriety. This juxtapcsition was
disgusting, and now an effort il being made
ia England and in this country to separate
things so ineongrHous, The subject is being
fairly discussed, and il only needs ventila-
| ton for a correct decision to be speedily
reached. Teat II should be preached in
England is not surprising There the press
is In the hands Of capital able to MAINTAIN it
| in any rule they may think the public inter
est requires, But In this country, where
thecapital Ia newspapers is not SO large, it
tells well for those who have the press in
charge, that they are likely to be the first
to establish a rule-that nothing offensive
70 deceacy should be published in journal
which enters into all classes of society and
Whese aim should be to strengthen and
improve the moral tone Of the public. Ma
king merchandise of the great vices of soci-
ETY. must cease before long to be the practice
of any journal having decent respect for
itself, or desirous of that Of les readers
/ E,rehdnae