The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-01-16

A strict analysis of journalism will reveal a
class OF persons controlling certain portion
of the press of tho country who have earned
for themselves reputation that fairly entities
them to the designation OF journalistic Demons.
You will find this character in the larger cities
controlling the pages OF police gazette, or an
elegantly executed pictorial sheet, or other
obscene weekly; or he may sometimes be
found catering 10 less numerous population,
by the publication OF a village weekly, the con-
tents OF which are unfit to meet the eye OF
decency. OF this class. Waldo NJ Potter. Esq.
of the Davenport Iowa Gazette, one OF the
ablest and most perfect model journalists IN
he West, thus speaks IN an address before the
Iowa Press Association. He says:
'The editor who cares not for the moral re-
suits OF his work is an intellectual demon. 1t
matters little what may be the kindness Of his
heart or how much he may outwardly respect
the decencies Of life. he is an enemy of society
and traitor to the race. lie knows the power
or bis press--he is conscious that his paper
psnetrates the family circle, and will mould aud
influence the minds OF those who read it But
he IL either sordid aud remorseless, or careless
and sensual. He gives his own depraved appt.
tiles and passions full play, or he takes saw
age delight in minstering to the meaner in
stincts and the grosser passions of tue body
polite. lie deals in sensation, that the young
aud excitable may be lured to his columns. He
serves UP the worst domestic scandals, because
aware that there is degraded side to human
nature which secretly longs for such purent
food. He publishes the details OF crime, though
convinced that nc is stimulating many rnlnds
into channels of thought which may prove
temptations. lie undermines belize in moral
accountability because he himself acknowledge
es no God but gold and the qualification OF
sensual desires And so day by day he pours
his communicating food over society poison
ing misleading, betraying, running; and still
he can Sit quietly at his table and coolly look
over the moral death which his Ire has
wrought
HIGHER STANDARD or JOURNALISM.
Judging from the increasing number of press
associations springing up III each State in the
Union. and the high order and aim o. the reso-
buttons and proceedings OF their State col.ven-
tons, and from the increasing ability aud high
or tone Of the newspaper press itself, it is evil
dent that journalists are beginning Ito realize
in these latter days, il they never did before,
the great influence now conceded to the daily
and weekly press, and are becoming more than
ever impressed with the importance Of aiming
at higher standard Of journalism. They
FEEL and the public realizes the fact, that the
newspaper press is more effective than any 9TH
err method-and is, in fact, superceding other
methods OF reaching the public mind. That
truth VAS clearly brought out at the recent
State convention OF editors, by Henry Ward
Baecher. W. NJ. Potter, quoted above, and 9TH
er members OF the editorial brotherhood. These
conventions will be continued and increased
in number, from year to year, and will proba-
by DO followed by national convention III
Philadelphia in 1876, when editors from every
part OF the Union will unite as one common
brotherhood, to exchange views and adopt
measures to elevate the tone and extend the
usefulness Of that great engine for good or
evil-the newspaper press of the United States.