Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-04-22
Errors Of the The Press.

EEESTS VI LhC Nv
The Rev. DR.. fairfield preached last Sat
urday evening at the Arch Street Methodist
Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, from James
ill.,, I; Doth a fountain send forth, at the same
place, sweet water aud bitter?" The subject OF
his discourse was the character and Influence OF
the newspaper press of this county. He said, in
substance;
Much tina: shall say will be in tho form of
criticisms of the average newspaper OF our times.
I freeIy concede that there are many papers to
which these criticisms do not apply. such will
not be di.tur oed by discussions like that upon
which We are about to onter. There's can be no
we'll conducted newspapers They are among
the best fruits of an advanced civilization.
| Every such press is fountain sending forth
| sweet and living waters, and it takes its p lace
| side by side with the Church and the School rs
An agent for enlightcning and blessing the
! world a good newspaper is US necessary to u
| family as pure air, and wholesome food and
drink Among the prevalent faults Of news
| papers notice:
| First. heir impcrtil cnt ntermedlling with the
private affairs OF Individuals and famli cs. This
POSSE, sion o; II printing press releases one
| from the obligation to mind bis own business
! individuals and families have secrets with which
the outside world has no right to lnterlncid die.
| 1t is shame that newspapers should ever Do
degraded by retailing gossip and scandal.
Secondly: The personalities in which they
| indulge Bitter and scurtilous quarrels among
editors ara often obtru led upon the public.
Such terms us knave and liar are banded to all
| fro [ have lately seen in daily newspaper
prominent citizens described by the following
epithets: Moral intde" old pcrsm non
tnce hypOcrite," Industrious and grandiloquent
blstherski;e These personalities are Il stream
of very bitter water.
Thirdly: The unfair treatment Of political OPP
poncnts is q serious cause OF complaint: the
press is not called upon to expose the tralltes OF
| private citizens, but it may SPEAK the truth
about those who ask to be elected to public
office The truth should be proclaimed with
candor and decency. No newspaper is Justified
in utlering falsehoods about political opponents
or in dishonesty defending pc ticsl friends.
Do l eXsggerate when say that the public
have ceased to expect truth from political pa
pers? They hsve become SO unjust and uncan-
did il their treatment of opponents that they
are fast losing their Influence with the people
Franklin once advised any ono abused by I'll
editor to take club and break his head and
from his time until now club law, has been about
the only one available for those who sutler from
the lccntiousness OF the press. Recourse to the
courts often results i'll many rrpetltlons OF the
original libel, and in the printing nj last of such
an account Of the trial rs sggravatc5 the original
offence while If the injured party gets verdict
the case is appealed on some technlcnl!ty. The
abuse Of public men has been carried to such All
extent that many of our best citizens refuse TO
| be candidates for office
FuurthIy: The accounts of vice and crime
which occupy SO largo sspsce are highly obJcc
tonable II may bu necessary for class of
persons to collect and examine the statistics of
! crime rs it is Tor another class the diseases of
the human body, but the accounts ot horrid and
unnatural crimes with which the papers are
filled cannot fail to defle the public mind and
arson rape and murder are not fit to be read out
side of u brothel The yellow covered literature
which we hear so much about Is not much worse
thsn the police reports published in many papers
claiming to be respectable.
Filthy: Not few Of the daily papers allow
their columns to be used to promote inlnorall-
ty. lntemperance Is promoted By calling at
tcntion to the business Of the drunkard- maker
and gambling is encouraged by advertising lot
teries and gift concerts. Ignorant charlatans,
by their 50. called medical vertlsements,'
| are permitted to p ,rsuade men and women that
| they can violate the laws OF God with IMMUNITY.
The personal Notices" it Is hard to speak Of in
! fitting terms before apronlscuous congregation.
| They are useI rs q means tor promoting ilcen-
| tiousness. The evils | have spoken OF are OF
| slow growth, and the most we can hope is that
they may be- gradually corrected. 1t is to be
remembered that tho people who patronize
newspaper are largely responsible for It's ch"rac-
ter. The publ: hers sim to furnish an article
that will sell. l venture to suggest few meth
| DDS by whlrh the evils we are leploring might
| be corrected. Every person who writes Tor
newspaper might be required to append his
proper name to his articles, bat on this point L
! spcak rather tentatively than dogmatlcaly. The
impcrsonsiity of the press, while 1t has its ad-
yantages, is constantly operating in many ways
to the public detrment and chiefly By giving
fictitious importance to the utLcrances 81 worth
less men. Ii we knew who the Bohemian was
who hides behind the editorial, We would often
care nothing for opinions and predictions which
now mislcad US. More stringent laws for the
punishment of libel are needed in many of the
States. Editors should also be held to a moral
ard social responsibility for the character of
their Journals Ifthcy scndout sheets adapted
TO the atmosphere Of grog shops and brothes,
they are doing the work Of blackguard, and
should be consigned to Il backguards place and
| excluded from decent society.
The chic; method Of reforming tho abuses Of
| the press is, however, Tor respectable men to
putroniz, only respectable newspapers Tho
duty of all good citizens toward unprinciplcd
| papers is to let them alone severely. Such
course would abate u nulsanc, that has become
iEtoerate. Who is on the Lords aside? Who
will stand up against the evil dotrs?