The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1875-01-22
From Appletons' Journal.

In a recent sermon by the Rev. DR..
Manning, of Boston, occur the follow
IBg passage in regard to newspapers as
@1aides in an estimate oflife and events
1.-THE more we read them (the news
mpers) the less accurate and compre-
Hensive is our knowledge of the actual
cenditiOn of the world; not that they
mean to mislead us, though they often
10, concerning the matters of which
icy treat, but they are occupied almost
vllol1y with a class of affairs and events
which are exceptional, and which turn
sway our minds from the main and
eDmgaon experiences of the race. We
fead of the one shocking murder, and
l0rget the millions who live on i'm safety
md peace under the protection Of the
hWsj accounts of o single c0nfiagra-
bon, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tidal
wave, which has happened somewhere
within the four quarters of the great
lobe, blind u eyes to the vast areas
81 smiling lands full of thriving cities,
Plentiful harvests, and teeming popu-
lations of happy men and wOmen and
little children. One great scandal dark
ems u sky, and we are east down in
oar minds, as though virtue had ceased
rom the earth whereas, the world is
Hill OI SJdillt6S lH11lilIG6s aflu HI&l-
Aearted fathers and mothers, and pure
md noble b and daughters, giving
Id bright hopes of the future, and adj
monishing us that we are foolishly blind
Il we say that the former times were
Better than these
Now, there is not only a great deal of
General truth In these statements, but q
FHry special application to America and
american newspapers as compared with
European society and European news
Mpers. The peculiar misleading char
gter OF events recorded In q leWspa-
peF, 30 graphically pictured by DIR.
Manning, has its most marked phase iii
american Journals. Here more than
anywhere else are tile crimes and the
Randals of the day made the most of;
here they are proclaimed with louder
hngue, and paraded with greater zeal
&ad OstentatiOn here they are specially
dragged into conspicuous position for
TIT uttIiissfoofhf; t Vie eessafssssasEEee 81 = TIE a ~
rhent of the people. This has been
unfortunate enough In It's Influence upon
OR people, but III has been and is pecu-
lfarly Injurious to us abroad where u
ReWspaper records are received as In
dexes III our ciVilizatiOn. There is much
less reserve with us in treating many
tsDies and events than with the foreign
mess Yankee enterprise has little in
@lnati0n to hesitate when racy m0rsels
HI news are lin question ; and then it is
ii euliarly true that the newspapers of a.
Hreign country are more significant
Il an those Of the readers 0Wn-tlleir
Ill iminal revelations are not offset by
liz personal experience on knowledge
ii conditions. To L0ndoner a piece
~ local scandal pertains to the indiyi-
ais concerned alone il is not in tAe
tas6 representatives but a similar bit
scandal coming from New York inn
asses him as national Id character
Wla0le people seem, in d measure,
ponsible f0rit. There is no way to-
sHess our newspapers, but the public
u glt To learn to accept tile tuFbalent
I'd criminal record they exhibit for
nat III il W0rth-as painful enough
8 relafions ct vice and disorder, but as
rtinent only to individuals Or to a.
esss