, 1875-07-02
DR.. J. NJ. GREGORY AND The PRESS.

You hnre heard OF tho man who wakod up ono
morning and found h,nralf suddenly become
famous. Ihuspcct that, Tho day before, ho bud
incontnontv attaokcd tho daily newspaper press,
or, Which would servo tito hano purpose, thas
son,o reporter had done Il In his name. Perhaps
ho lad advised company OF cerRymen not to
spend quito all their loist,ro time roading the
daily papers, thinking i. bettos that they at least
should occaalonalty road book instead. Pos
sibly. he had calied attention to tho shct that
newspapcss in general ato made up Of abort
articlcs, sort Of hash Of subjects, chopped up
in short md spicy discussions, tleir spAco not
permitting TINT full and complete treatment
found In books ana which requires patient and
continuous thi,fting; md It may 10 that, In tho
rlayfulness OF an unrcstKafnea fancy, he may
llayo yenturod upon aaying that ho would as lief
llayo pan OF disl-watcr, [uncannf1y translated
by tho reporter into pail Of Blops) thrown upon
him a. to subject Lis mind to tho e1elaslys
nonrirhmeut Of daily paper.
Now, II ho did all this. no wonder that man
walked up famous. The wonder is that hs ever
bert At all. OF, sleeping, ever lived to wake. In
his ll cams he must hayo econ innumerebl0 pens,
oach M long as that which the Eleotor Of Raxopy
saw in his droam in the Laud OF DR.. Martin Luz
Ihcr, which reached from the door OF tho church
in Wittomberg to Rome. aud ali busy acsa.chtng
FORTH ponderous and eloquout arsiclos IL defs1se
Of tlat daily press which hts rash aud ifloonsld-
orcd words lad brought Into peril. In hla cars
muss hare roBounaol tho mora terrible than
VntIoan thuaders OF innuInerabta steam printing
prosson, ouch flying of its thousands Of sheets
per hour, 10 grost tloir myFiads Of rcadars with
tue uuconquorablo assertion Of their high moral
tendencies, their gEoat intellectual worth. add
| thoir vast public Importance, and to hold
up to tho contempt q mhnkind %
cases, aud To q limited class Of posaons. book
| might sometimes provo more profitable reading
| than neWnpnner. What could tho meu hare
to sleop in quiet in his berth after throwing =
lighted tuutch into tho powder-maghzine2 lie
should have rsad history. 1a tho great city OF
! Epheeus, wherc onco atood that wonder OF tho
was gathering OF tho people ono day, and
cortnln travelling preacher from JoEusatcm
tl,oughtlessly lot fall somo remarks which re-
tlected uniayorahly on the worship Of Diana,
| aud thus threatened to diminish the sato OF
shtiues made by Donotriue, tue nilyersmta.
| Did tho preacher forescc the effect? The poo
plo rushod together, and all with ono voice,
about thc SPACE Of two hours; cried out; = Great
| In Diana Of the Ephesiangi " Paul was famous
| from that honr.
l too. Mr.. Editor, havo suddenly become fa-
mous without intending It, In Ilttle familiar
/ talk, tho other day before a few preachers ut
Dca MoInos, said something about the daiiy
| newspapers, ,-vouturing tla opinion that IN e1-
elusive, or even much, reading OF newspapers
tended to mental dissiGstio9 Tas.o vas some
with 1t. Arcporter was present, anu gobbled up
oyory word with some careless mixing OF tho
figures, and m unintcntional miscouceptlon OF
| boon ou tho ircroase. The papors havo taken ma
| up, not 90 gently as one could wish TO be takep
| UP, aud have hauled NE around, to bc taskcd
about and wtitton about In way almoHt dis
couragtnE to q timtd potaon and only tonight
marked paper oatne to mo from The far~oR
bouth; with 81 editorial nearly : oolnun npd a
| half long, IN which my nAm0 occurs Beyetal
tines with highly 4mpsopcr aaisouVes annexed
to 1t.
Now, Mi. Editor. It being impossible to recall
that littlo speech which the reporter madc for
mo. or to place my own in ita stoad, raEhapa
mon by quoiiug to thnm tho wosaa Of tho Town
Clerk Of Ephcsus, uttered on tho hiator,o occa-
son beforo referred to; t'Yo mon Of Ephosus,
what inap ls there that knoweth not how thst
the city Of tho Enbosiana is . 'wonhlpor Of the
gfoat Rodleas Diaua, aud Of tho image which
foil down from Jupitor7. Beclng, then. that
these things cannot DO spoken against, 70 ought
to bo quiet, mud to do pothEng rushly."
Seriously, Mr. Editor, who docs not know tho
powor and value of tue American press7 Tho
freedom OF tie press stands next to fsocdom OF
speech in tho great charter Of our political lib-
institutions and. with all ita occasional abuBea
! OF It's privileges, and its sonesimea lack OF
purity ind wisdom, he il no fstsnd to his country
s5stea ou And nd 'D1s hs p'ssi ~o ' has e se
have. for months together, tue news
papers Of other eountrica,-- England,
FRANCO. aud Gcrnapy,-wlll easily conte4s the
superiority Of tho American ptcas In quickness,
wit, aud intellectual powor. vcr1ly 6olieye
that tho world ueyer saw bofo1o, or elsewhere.
papers 30 masterful In power, 80 ontnest or just
in purpose, 10 Wldo-reachinR iu scope, aud 80
brilliant In e1prossion, ~ como Of tho great
loatIuK daily aud weekl1 papers Of our uouutry.
but must ngaln oootess that IN my oPicion,
tlle exclusive or TOO abundant Etxding Of nevis
papers tends to montal disslpation. No iutel-
lootual wnrkor, WHO wfthrn to keep Ills mind up
to tt4 ma xtnlum Of working power. cau afford 70
use up his reading hours On newspapers aud Ii,
III with most Of our professional men, his road
Ing hours arc few. 10 nuet Genora0y ba r0utent
to MAKO short work With his daily paper. Ho
among bis fellows, belonging to another sEe
thnn the preaant; but ho who roads nothing buS
newspapers will uover know tho grandest desPs
OF knowledge. nor test tho utmost powers Of his
own understanding. J. II. daEooar.