Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-12-18
Education in Newspapers.

we Jue lOllOWlUS lGOln IDc LCHlStCT
(Ireland) Independent! 1.-The majority of
persons who subscribe to Il newspaper re-
gard it in too narrow point of view.
They regard it as a gossiping visitor who
affords amusement and instruction to
themselves. This it is, of course. But it
may fulfill a more important Office in a
household 1t may become powerful
auxiliary in the intellectual Improvement
of the young. The boy who reads aloud q
good newspaper for the elder members of
the family can not fail to be advanced and
elevated by his occupation. Such an ex-
ercise will gradually wean him from the
puerilities, follies and toys of childhood.
1t will fill his mind with varied, curious,
useful and solid knowledge. 1t will edu-
cate him unconsciously. Ii will, to use a
vulgar phrase, make man of him. This
might be demonstrated by the example of
America. One of the reasons why young
Americans are so intelligent, so enterpris-
ing, so "wide awake" is, that in their
boyhood their mental alment consisted
in great degree of newspapers. School
boys in America not only read, they some
times write newspapers In consequence
of this, the young, keen-eyed American is
not only abreast of contemporary events,
but he projects his mind into the future.
He makes " the time to come his own.n
All that wonderful variety of curious in
vention which characteriZes America may
be attributed in some degree to the pre-
cocity produced by newspaper reading. 1t
has often been remarked that if England
rule the sea, if France or Prussia rule the
land, the future is the dominion of Amer
lea. The newspaper leads their young, as
it were, to the bright horizon of human
knowledge, where, like the Arcadians
pursuing the sun, they stand aloft and
contemplate the golden effulgence, when,
lost to other eyes, it Eliminates the eni
chanted regions of the untrodden future.
They do not think of what their country
has been, but what it will be. They an
ticipate the time when America will be
as populous as China, as military as Prus.
STA, as maritime as England, as powerful
as pagan Rome in the plenitude of its i'm
perial domination. They not only dc
this; they endeavOr to make their own
country what they imagine.
The youth of America are, generally
| speaking, able to discuss the important
questions which agitate the minds of the
| greatest statesmen. In reading the eulo.
giles of eminent men, which so often occur
in the newspapers, n spark is sometimes
struck, a flame kindled, love of fame
engendered, which animates them through
| life to struggle for prominent position in
| society There is no description of litera.
ture which eXcites so much attention in
the old (and consequently makes so great
| an impression on the young as gOoC
newspaper. The pinions of the intellect
wax strong in the perusal, and become
capable of wide range of profitable
excursion in the world of inquiry. TC
read modern newspaper requires a grea
amount of information. Without q knowl
edge of geography, for instance, news
paper is untelligible. No boy who under
stands newspaper can grow up a dolt,
NOPE, a child-man. He must be capable
| of IN tho oct cnhiantq N
popular discussion. In short, the fathe
who refuses or fails for the sake of a paltry
expenditure, to Introduces newspaper int,
his household, deprives his children of
great intellectual Inheritance. He inflict
an irreparable injury on his offspring.