The Evansville journal., 1869-11-29
communicated.
"NRHsnaDerS. .

lHluB VI every tulug. Dut the age HC
more imperatively demands knowl-
edge, than it demands money. Science
itself is oniy tributary to material en-
joyment. But to reconcile the pur-
suit Of knowledge with the pursuit of
money--to bring the vast range of
modern thought within compass
possible for the survey Of minds by
no means the most active, or the most
enterprisiug-is a feat whose achieve
ment was reserved for our day.
The newspaper IS the instrument OF
its accomplishment. The anelents
knew nothing Of neWspapers-that is
to say nothing of them III the sense
in which a modern understands them,
as a relaxation from the fatigues of
graver pursuits as well as source OF
information on subjects, the most
subtle and the most reconcile Their
public life-meetings at the bath, at
the gymnasium, at the forum, at the
booksellers shop--supereededi the
use, and TO some extent obvlated the
necessity of newspapers. journalism
has grown out of want of the mod
ern mind. Down to a time not far
removed from our own, knowledge
was the property Of the Ticn and the
learned few. Until long into the
eighteenth century, literature was the
slave of patronage. Men of genius
toiled for bread In the service of
party. Their writings but reflected
the narrow aims of selfish politicians,
and the corrupt arts Of Intriguing
courtiers. Nor was he, who had
talent Of elegant satire and brilliant
wit, and who did not scruple to turn
it to account, In the employment Of
his ambitious masters. without his re
ward Dryden, the ablest satirIst of
his time, was the poorest paid Of all.
| Addison got a good Office for writing
tolerable poetry, and a better one for
/ writing hrst-rate prose. Swift was
made Dean Of st. Patricks, and
might have been a Bishop had he not
beer a Tory. and q most invete
rate hater. Besides, on subjects, other
than political, these men seemed to
i have no feeling IN common with the
body of the peOple-no broad views
cf duty to humanity. The applause
Of the heads of powerful families sat
isfied their ambition; the little circle
of some favorite coffee h ouse filed
the measure Of their sympathies. liz
is, perhaps, not too much to say, that
| Mr.. Addison, in the composition of
his elegant essays for the Spectator
and the Householder had the masses
of the English people as little III his
mind as Mr.. Dickens might be sup
posed to have had tribe of wander
I Wfr-Ar-et Nhn TuG, fa 81
Kamschatka when he wrote Bleak
House" or Barnaby R0dge." The
tendency long manifested itself
to popularizs knowledge-to bring
it to level with the general
through tho bounds Of class aud privi.
lege. Journalism. through its many
phases, has contributed its full share
to this result. Newspapers, for many
years, In Eugland-and on the Con
tineat too much so still-weTe devoted
to the publication of court gossip and
to accounts of foreign affairs. Domes.
tic matters of a political cr religion;
character were little discussed-at
least not 10 q broad and tolerant spirit
The old newspaper men were mere
hacks, with some talent, without taste
for the most part without principle
the circle of whose ideas was bounded
by the details Of party intrigue, anC
whose pens were dipped in gall. y.
this class were the L'Estranges, tht
Birkenheads, and perhaps Heylir
himself, the ablest of them oil, wa
not free from the suspicion of prosti
tuted talents and corrupt practices
No one went then to the weekly peri
odicals for information. No writer
of real eminence wrote for them
Such men as Milton, Harrington anC
Locke found expression for thei
ideas Of civil and religious liberty IL
treatises, which, notwithstanding thei
wealth of thought, and in the case o
Milton, splendor of dic,ion, now at
tract no readers except the curious
, or those whose business 1t is to pu
older and better thoughts than thei
, own into new and more popular form
Since those days q great change ha
been wrought. The man Of geniu
4 does not now, as IN days gone by, ik
{ poor johnson, stand waiting tor
. smile Of favor at some lordly patron
door, or sacrifice his independents
for the crumbs of bread that fall froI
q the rich mans table. It is the miilio
who now read, and who pay for wha
y they read. And by consequence jour
y nallsm IS power N the world. Th
!. daily and weekly newspapers cal
9 forth expression on every variety c
I subject, and solicit every grade of tai
! ent. The man who can but write
J paragraph. and the man who ca
:, write a book, find here an appropriat
. channel through which to reach tn
g public attention. Mark Twain tell
c the world some wholesome truth
under a semblance of nonsense, an
5 Mr.. Greeley gives US a lecture o
: Political Economy In the same issu
!, of the Tribune. Beside the colum
Of scandal, is found the account of th
: recent scientific discovery, and sid
q by side with the insidious hints {
0 skepticism is found the jealous dc
i Tense of the tenets and practices {
q the old faith.
i Nearly all the great writers OF thi
5 century have maintained an intimat
). connection with the public pres
g Sir. Sheridan said his smart thing
Q through the Morning ChropjcIe, an
i Dlr. Fox is reported not to havo bee
sparing of his fayors to the sam
8 journal. Mr.. Dickens gained his in;
: laurels on the True SUn. :" Old Re
q Sand Stone" Hugh Miller's create.
e woTk,wGs originally given to the worl
/ through the columns Of the Witness
" the organ of the Scottish Ere
: Church." Mr.. John Stuart Mill is
ie frequent contributor to the MoYnin
Chr0nicte on subjects conueete
= with his peculiar studies. Thacl
IL eray toiled for Years like ar
is Bohemian" for the leading iourna
" until he brought the world to h
l. feet, BIZ the Brilliant success
S VANITY Fair" The splendid speei
n lations Of Coleridge, the quaint, eli