The weekly clarion., 1873-06-19
E'roude ON the FunctIon- or "a Ere,
Press.

At % recent anniversary diuucr uf thu
newspaper press fund Mr.. Froudc said
" The functions which now belong tD thu
press were once exercised by che Roman
Catholic church. Besides the charge Ut
teaching religion, the church claimed 10
very wide dominion In the name of right
and wrong over thc practical business ui
lite. In moral questions, social questions
political questions, thp church iutpriCred UU
q hundred sides, aud with It's spiritual rou-
Surc- 10 coufriycd to make itself uOcyud.
From kings cabinet 90 village alC-hUusN.
nothing was too high for it-nothnE was
too low. IL cuCrCcd statesmen, DO huIIIrI
-quircs and barOn-, 10 iuicrposcu between
fathers and children, and 30 controlled llirrr
aturc. 10 wa. an Omuiprc~cnt power urr-
vadiug the entire circuit of life iu christian
countries. Its preteusions did NOT emo win
the reformation.
'Ecclcsia-ticaI discipline wasucvor harsh
er than among the French lluguguuth COZ
the Scotch Calviui-ts Even iu England
down to the seventh century, Protestant
sermons were as often ns not political
speeches.
In this country the change came with
the restoration. The church was sent iU
the organ-loft, as Mr.. Carlise puts it io
pipe and nldlC. aud interfere With nobody
practice any more. When the church lrt
fall It's authority, The newspaper press looN
it up, and from feeble beginning has grown
90 what we see. Who now sits in Judgment
as kingsT Who arraigus miui-tersr Who
discusses debates, argues and comes tu ruu-
illusions on the great questions OF eNpedl-
cucy and Justice which was once chat
church- pToynceY The public conscience
is not now represented in pulpit or ui altar,
but in the newspaper press. VINO, hEuIHr
now iu0lCts pvultruttU htHstpliu" "h pfN.
Vate offenders against society once tNuV
were made 90 carry taperr in procession ur
stand iu white shirts in the cuurch ni-Ins.
They escape that form Of pcnunccr uut
they exchange it for "a worse. They uud
their mi-dccds are now hung up boo -i2ht 40
an mankind Ina the columns of the news
Again. who now looks after the books
that are published We have not now tU
apply for au imprimittU to committee oi
orthodoxy. We are not liable 20 be- burnt
OUr-clvC-, OT TO see our books burnt by tHr
haugmau, but the instant we make au Hp-
pearaurc Wr are brought before tribunal
which can bc sharp enough tu lts way, AND
ii loss particular about orthodoxy l-t hnu
ought tu be, extremely iutoleraut Of -tu-
pidity. lu other professions men learn
their business first boz practice, and only ar
rive at last at the functions of Judges. Iu
literature, observe, the pracucc lt JUST fr-
yerscd. "A young writer commences With
sitting iu judgment on others, ana having
served his time ON the bench, descend iO
practice ON his own account at the bar. bf
course, newspapers are All inialllDlef Due
then they are not unanimous, winch pre-
vents lNihllUUll8 lINm hNlHG Nll1'Nl'l. "
free stage and no favor, for lll iOrm- of
opinion this is what the press onrra5 and
it Is the continual motion, the continual
conflict and collision of opinions which
keeps the intellectual atmosphere fresh aul
healthy.
The press 30 present is lu the state BOO
which ths church was before its doctrine
cry-tallized. IL Il "a system of thc pure-'
yOluntaryi-m. With no connection with
the state. with no hNity Of tenure. each
organ lives on the good viii % it- vOluu-
tary supporters. To what heights tlc
press may one day ascend, or what form t
may hereafter assume, the most iar-siphtUI
political prophet will not hazard 20 guess.
That it should grow healthily nOw5 lu the
days Of it, youth, that between the press
and the public there should be mutual c0u-
idence aud good will, is Of greater eou-e-
queuce than we 40 all times remember.
The Attorney Generals Office is informed
that the processes against the defendant boo
case of the Credit Mobilicr have been
served. The papers in the Injunction which
the Government counsel propose tU ask fun
courts TO grant against certain named de-
PENDANTS, restraining them from di-pu-.ug
OF their property during the litigation