St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1869-08-13
From the New York Times 81.
Uses ana L1bUSeS OF Journalism

At tins season, wien All uiuou''i
pose broods over the great deep OF pubic
affairs; when our rulers are dispersed IN
quest of health and recreation, regard
less of
What the swede intend and what the French"
we may be excused for stepping aside
moment from the beaten path of politics
to consider for moment in what ways,
if any, the power of the press may be in
creased and its part in the government OF
the country more Justly proportional to
the talent engaged in it, and to the pub
lie needs.
| |. News as an element of interest i'll
the press has 50 far transcribed all Others
since the construction of the telegraph
that the force Of Il newspaper Is now
| LARGELY concentrated in that department.
Every article of commerce for which
there is a treat demand, CT which COM
mands Il high price, is sure, sooner or
later. 10 he countcrteited. adulterated, OF
in some other way talSiiicd. The com
modify of news is no exception to this
] law, and OF course a great deal Of the so
called news which is ministcred daily to
the curious public is made up Of conjec-
ture, hcar-ay and ignorance. The SUI
pcryision and authorization of intelli-
@ence coming. ;s it does now, from every
quarter OF the world and through aecn-
cies over which i'll many cases we can
exert no direct control, /, of course very
difficult, if not impossible. The press
; can however discourage that species of
reporting, 10y denouncIng it when its
character Is discovered, and by always
refusing TO treat cditorially, statements
coming through unknown or unreliable
channels, till properly confirmed or au
thenticated. The power and value of a
journal lies in the reliability OF It's news,
more even than in thc Soundness of It's
opinions: and any Indifference upon this
point Is a public rs well as a professional
calamity.
II. Incidental to want of truthful
ness in the press i, the practice OF givin"
prominence and notoriety to obscure peo-
pie III whose movements the public i'll
General can have no possible interest. 1t
encourages a depraved taste for publici
ty: 1t dlsturb5 the proper standards OF
public judgment it gives undeservcd
prominence to people whose vanity must
he presumed 10 have provoked it and Is
to he Gratiiied 10y it. and OF course throws
a more deserving class into CORES spending
ob-curity.
Ill. There Is a method OF advocating
4 cause by dcnouncing It's enemies, which
may be, and often i, carried to excess,
especially by youthful partisanS. 1t is
not by harsh maine, nor by persistent de
/ Traction that men are persuaded TO aban-
don their opinions, and those who ply
that sort ut warfare are usually less u
tent on gaining pro-clytcs than in MAX
! me a publ or partisan merit of their
zeal. No one l. lit to be Il Guide To pub
/ lie opinion VINO has not learned that the
bad men an not generally quite 50 bad,
nor the GOOD men Iuite - GOOD a. the IN
temperate partisan l. disposed to believe
hun. and ~utt words often dissolve prciu-
dIcc~ and errors in our adyer>arir~ which
violence AMI drtraclion render solid and
imp r.>h..b.r,
N The iacI.ili,- which a journalist
-N''- "'N "Pi''oIl oI Puo"N
men OIL what they nave d"Hc or have
N"' "'"'' '"I''9'i'> Il temptation 10 treat
'""> may DC uuunt'1 whether All
'"S t'-''Nc i eNt''lScd Oh til9 point
I''i'' ~ comm ~" PeI>oh
.II' ''' 7''''''i'IuSiH "e'N'''-
I"|'.T >t'''' ''' "@''lIii;'t 'u-
- '',,' '''' II 50 mus ~ ie'I'' up
vi - 'u'''''t' ana sustain 't">' sent
the national viii or which rests in last
analysis ;hv peace and prosperity o: a
people.
Y. Happily the personal cuutrovcr-
sic, which used 10 ,.i>igurc American
Journalism have pretty much dJ>apIrar-
ed. 1t L. hope that th,y may di>ap
pear altogether. Editors can never have
Il better yNcU-c than tine qualification OF
personal vanity Tor Washing their dirty
linen III public. They are simply urnan.
OF pubic opinion. and they are falls, TO
their position when they are BETRAYED
INTO an abandonment OF their impcrson-
alIty.
The American press j. responsible. to
Il very considerable, decree. for the adj
r'.,. >.