The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-06-08
Newspapers.
Speaking of newspapers, DIR. j. G. Holland
says, in iScribner's Monthly for April:

says,in Scribner'S Monthly Tor April:
newspapers. simply, those Of America
are the best 10 the world. The entire globe
is raked, and raked clean, every day, OF
incident, movement and event to be blazon-
ed upon their teeming pages. Science re-
hgion, politics, society, commerce, 'agrlcul-
ture, mechanics, all things of human concern
find place for every fact and phase in their
columns. The lightnings are their messen-
gers, winnowing the midnight world with
their wings, and bearing in their beaks
from the harvest-felds of thought and &C
ton every precious seed that has ripened
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 noun
tains and on the seas, watching kings,
watching parlaments, sitting by the SIDE
of the astronomer in his vigils, recording
the message Of the preacher, counting the
stems of scientific progress, and bearing the
nrnduct 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
almost into the realm of miracles. 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.
This much we can say with entire truth
fulness thus much we can say with
thorough heartiness. To preside over
great American newspaper is to hold
and exercise one of the most dlgnltied
Offices of the world. Now, let us open
the newspaper and see how it looks.
Freighted with the worlds great affairs,
loaded down with the hopes, struggles,
misfortunes, crimes, triumphs and achieve,
ments of humanity, we expect to lind
it earnest dignifed and catholic. The
first thing we see is half column OF
sensational headings, addressed, perhaps
to the prurient curiosity of the basest
men. We open Western paper, anC
find over an item of intelligence, or o.
falsehood, concerning a grevious scanda
the world HELL p in as large letters al
can be squeezed into column. This il
followed by minor heads, every one O
which is intended to produce sensation
We 90 on through the paper, and it is al
sensation. Oftentimes the headings mis-
lead as to the real character of the in
telligence to which they are the preface
All the news chronicled is wrought VI
into its most startling forms. To piqu
curiosity, to raise feeling, to attrac
attention, to appeal to the sense of tn
marvellous, to be stunning, rather thai
simple and true, are. the apparent mo
tives of the conductor.
Is this an extreme case We cal
furnish papers by the hundred tina
steadily pursue this course as matte
of policy. 1t is not enough that W
have party presses in religion and polite
that give party shape to everything tina
comes to them. 1t is not enough that W
have presses that rejoice in scandal an
crimes and take greater pains with thei
details than are excited by those affair
which mark the advice of the world
goodness and wisdom. 1t is not enoug
that there are papers that mould all thing
that they touch to the personal purpose
and preudices of their conductors If
things is tame it must be whipped into
startling appearance. If it is sad-inel
pressibly sad from its badness-its ba(
ness must yield the requisite sensation
Great and good names are jestet
Topics which involve the most preciol
interests of the human race are tosse
flippantly about, like the balls of juggle
to attract the eyes of the gaping mu
titude. Subjects of which children ca
never know too little are laid befol
the family eye as Familiarity as if the
were not stepped in shame. To receiy
the worlds news, in the spirit and shar
in which it is presented to millions
readers every day, is to suppose TIL
all the worlds momentous events a.
conceived in fever and brought forth
Mysteries.
If anything were really gained by th
course there might be q poor apollo!
for it, but nothing ever was gained |
it. The papers which indulge in it mo
are least trusted. The moment an edit
becomes thoroughly conscientious al
recognizes the importance and digni
of his position he drops his sensation
headings with disgust, II he has ney
from Zanzibar, the heading of his lite
states that fact; and if the reader
interested in Zanzibar he reads the iter
If he has Important news from ZanZib
his heading states that fact, and the read
finds the facts as represented, and judges
the facts and their relations without havir
been misled by sensational headings
is a good newspaper rule to hit every subor
mate, sensational head wherever the edit
sees it. All news with more than OF
head is guilty Of crime against edit
and reader alike and deserves decapi
alton.
Shall we mention another sill? Have '
to-day, any such thing in America as pl
vate lite? Is private man or even a man
family, safe from public mention? Ala
that the press has an apology for its famili
handling of private names and priva
affairs. Alas that there so many in p
vate life who rejoice in the public airing
their personalities and their personal NOV
ments! Alas! that the details of priva
life are devoured so greedily by so maj
who do not seem to know that the love
notoriety is vulgar, and that their desire
pry into the lite of others compromis
their dignity and their neighborly goC
will After all, is it digni6ed business f
the press to minister to his low and IL
healthy greed? Is the world so barren
great topics that the press, perforce mu
transform itself into neighborhood tattl
and public gossip? Are valuable opinio
and valuable intelligence so scarce that
must send its prying interviewers o
among the ranks of prying men, to wor
out their secrets, on pain of misreprese
alton and abuse, and spread them befo
curious public? The American press
the future will not do it, unless civilizati
shall retrograde, and our nation remain
nation ofchildren.
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