Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-02-27


as an educator. The reason is obvious.
The newspapers have habit of telling |
the people too much about the maynard |
doings of himself and his party. They |
ventilate too many Of his nicely plan
ned jobs. No rogue e'er felt the halter
draw, etc. This is OF course the animus
Of his onslaught upon the press made
in Congress on the 18th INST. Yet
there is enough Of truth in his denun-
Citations to merit respectful hearing,
and newspapers can afford to learn
something from even an avowed enemy,
The substance Of his arraignment is
contained in the following extract:
"He knew that the newspaper was a
great educator. No man had an idea
how great an educator it was, and how
it educated. They heard now of muir
der, arson, rape, larceny, and counter
feiting all over the country, and why :
Because of thenewspapers. They pub
ished every detail of how murder has
been and may be committed; how
counterfeiting can be practiced; how
banks are opened; how safes are robbed
the very minutie. A man with an
insane delusion about murder is taught
how murder could be done safely. The
last words and speech of the murderer
were transmitted as precious Informal
ton. If there was case In court
where purient. details must come out
for the purpose of justice wien they
ought to be heard IN silence, and where
in old English courts women and chill
dren were ordered to withdraw, they
were all spread out in the newspapers
in their most sickening and disgusting
details. And yet these papers were to
be sent free through the mails to edu-
cate the people and children in the
ways of crime"
In its last analysis, knowledge is,
ike steam, nothing butpower-a power
that may be used for evil as well as
good. So Of the newspaper, as a lever
for disseminating knowledge. Perhaps
Ben Butler knows as much about using
for improper objects as
any other man. Beelzebub has his
emissaries that appreciate and use the
power of the press as literally as the
Bible and Tract Societies. The aver
age of the daily press are not as pure
and prudent as they might be, in the
reading matter that they lay before the
millions. The effect Of the most IN
vanished tale of CRIME is not entirely
healthy on the young and sus-
ceptible. The people are partly
to blame for this matter, IN
somuch as they patronize and
support newspapers which trespass
the limits of decency and good morals.
Yet we do not hold the newspapers
altogether guiltless. By pandering TO
unhealthy tastes, they tend to propa-
gate such tastes. The newspaper, ike
the railroad, creates its own public
and patronage, TO some extent. 1t
cannot directly change the tastes Of the
public, but ii can do great good or
great mischief, by encouraging one set
of sentiments and discouraging another
set. 1t may be impossible for news
paper to suppress local scandals; it can
do SO only at the expense of its own in
fuence for good, if a rival sheet mis-
takes such matters for enterprise. But
this securing Of the whole earth daily,
for all manner OF moral filth
to lay on quiet breakfast
tables, has, we think, been carried far
beyond the bounds of legitimate enter
prise. Jim Fisk, for instance, re-
ceived altogether too much attention
from the press and the telegraph.
Every minutia OF his useless, voluptu-
ous life was laid before the public with
a diligence and pertinacity worthy of
better cause. 1t is not sufficient Justi-
fication to say that the public want
these things and expect to find them in
the paper Such expectation must be
based on previous pruriencies. And
what public Is 1t that wants them?
The Police Gazette has its public. The
naked pictorials have their
public. Let such seek their wants in
that class Of papers, and no doubt they
will be gratifed. But that is not the
sort Of public whose tastes should be
consulted in the family newspaper.
One Of the most delicate and difficult
tasks imposed upon the Conscientious
journalist, is how much or rather how
little he ought to publish of the current
corruption of the times. To assume a
Puritanic role and absolutely exclude
all matter of doubtful moral tendency
from his columns, is to kill his journal
and leave the field to those less scrupu-
lous. The only rule t2 be given is an
one. However 1t has
come.about, partly through our own
fault no doubt, We find that the tone
of public sentiment on this subject is
not sufficiently elevated. While obliged
to yield to It in i measure, our con-
slant endeavor should be TO improve
and purify it, in the hope Of ultimately
realizing that desirable era, when a
paper can ignore scandals without be-
ing regarded as lacking in enterprise,
and when representative journal will
not be expected to represent all man.
Ter Of wickedness.
The Philadelphia Ledger says Drexel,
Morgan & Co. have cable advices from
iheir London house, that the subscrip
tions TO the 100000 loan of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railway Company,