The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-04-08
OUR NEWSPAPERS.
DIR. Holland hns n Word to Say About the
Newspaper Press and its Conduct.


month from the newspaper press, say
DR.. Holland, editor of Scribner's maga
zine, have placed us under many obliga
tions, which, we are bound in honor t,
confess, have received little practical &c
acknowledgement. We have endeavored, j
is true, to profit by all wise suggestions
and tried to show our gratitude by max
ing our monthly offering more and more
valuable to its great host of readers ; bu
we have had too much the feeling of ,
junior, or protege, to presume to make
any return in kind. Shall we be pardon
ed if, for once, we break out of this yer,
pleasant position of a recipient, and try
to realize to ourselves how much NOR,
blessed it is to give than to receiver
AS newspapers, simply, those oi
America are the best in the world. The
entire globe is raked, and raked clean
every day, of incident, movement, and
event, to be blazoned upon their TEEN
ing pages. Science, religion, politics,
society, commerce, mechanics, all things
OF human concern, find place for every
fact and phase in their columns. The
lightnings are their messengers, winnow-
ing the midnight world with their wings,
and bearing in their beaks from the har.
vest-fields of thought and action every
precious seed that has ripened and
dropped during the day. No cost of toll
or gold dismays them. Their servants
are on every battlefield, in the thick OF
every mob, in the forests and the deserts,
on the mountainsand on the seas, watch
ing kings, watching parliaments, sitting
by the side of the astronomer in his
vlgils, recording the message of the
preacher, counting the steps of scientific
progress, and bearing the product of all
this enormous enterprise and industry,
morning by morning, to the homes of
the nation. The outcome of this world
wide inquisition and exposition rises al
most into the realm of miracle. We have
no words to express our admiration of it
no phrases by which we can measure
the height and depth and length and
breadth of the largess it contains and the
influence it exerts.
Thus much we can say with entire
truthfulness; thus much we do say with
thorough heartiness. To preside over
great American newspaper is to hold
and exercise one of the most dignified
offices of the world. Now, let us open
the newspaper, and see how it looks.
f'reighted with the worlds great affairs,
loaded down with the hopes, struggles,
misfortunes, crimes, triumphs and
achievements of humanity, we expect to
lind it earnest, dignitied and catholic.
The first thing we see is half u column of
sensational headings, addresses, perhaps,
to the prurient curiosity of the basest
men. We open q Western paper, and
find over an item of intelligence, or of
falsehood, concerning a grievous scandal
the word HE'LL" in as large letters
as can be squeezed into column. This
IS followed by minor heads, every one of
which IS intended to produce sensa-
tlon. We go on through the paper, and
IL Is all sensation. Oftentimes the
headings mislead as to the real character
OF the intelligence to which they are the
preface. All the news chronicled is
wrought up into its most startling
forms. To pique curiosity, to raise
feeling. to attract attention, to appeal to
the sense of the marvellous, to be stun
nlng rather then simple and true, are the
apparent motives of the conductor.
Is this an extreme case2 We can
papers by the hundred that
steadily pursue this course Us a matter
Of policy. 1t is not enough that we have
party presses in religion and politics
That give party shape to everything
mat comes to them. 1t is not enough
that we have presses that rejoice in
scandal and crime, and take greater de-
light IN them, and greater pains with
heir details, than are excited by those
aifairs which mark the advance of the
world in goodness and wisdom. 1t is
lot enough that there are papers which
mold all things that they touch to the
personal purposes and prejudices of
heir conductors. If thing is tame it
must be whipped into startling appear
lnce. If it is sad-inexpressibly sad
rom its badness-its badness must Weld
he requisite sensation. Great and good
lames are jested with. Topics which
INVOLVE the most precious interests of
he human race are tossed hippantly
bout, like the balls of juggler, to at
ract the eyes of the gaping multitude.
subjects of which children can never
NOW too little are laid before the family
'ye as familiarly as if they were not
teeped in shame. Toreceive the worlds
Jews, in the spirit and shape in which it
$ presented to millions of readers every
lay, IS to suppose that all the worlds
events are conceived in fever
nd brought forth in Mysteries.
If anything were really gained by this
curse there might be a poor apology
or it, but nothing ever was gained by it.
The papers which indulge in it most
re least trusted. The moment an edi-
or becomes thoroughly conscientious,
nd recognizes the Importance and
lIgnlty of his position, he drops his
ensational headings with disgust. If
e has news from Zanzibar, the heading
+ his item states the fact; and if the |
eader is interested in Zanzibar he reads |
he item. If he has important news from
zanzibar his heading states that fact, and |
very important news from Zanzibar,
hat fact; and the reader finds the facts
S represented, and judges of the facts
nd their relations without having been
llsled by sensational headings. 1t is q .
ood newspaper rule to hit every subor-
mate, sensational head wherever the |
ditor sees it. All news with more than
he head is guilty of a crime against
ditor and reader alike, and deserves
Shall we mention another sin? Have
e, to-day, any such thing in America
! private life? Is private man, or
ven a mans family, safe from public
lention9 Alas that the press has an
oology for its familiar handling of
rivate names and private affairs! Alas
nat there are SO many in private life