The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-04-02
IFrom the s;,ribner's Monthly for April

dcrboH at oar -Imcrican Press ia Cen
r,.nI.
IFrom the s;cribner's Monthly for April
AS newspapers, simply, those of Amer
lea are the best i'll the world. The en-
tire globe is raked, and raked clean,
every day, of incident, movement, and
event, to be blazoned upon their teem-
ing pages. Science, religion, politics,
society, commerce, agriculture, mechan-
les, all things of human concern find
place for every fact and phase i'll their
columns. The l~ightnings are their mes
sengers, %winnowing the midnight world
with their wings, and bearing in their
bcaks from the harvest-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 mountains and
on the seas, watching kings, watching
parliaments, sitting by the side of the
astronomer in his vigils, recording the
message of the preacher, counting the
steps OF scientific progress, and hearing
the product of all this enormous enter
prise and industry, morning by morning,
to the homes of the nation. The out
come of this worldwide inquisition and
exposition rises almost into the realm of
of miracle. We have no words TO ex-
press our admiration of tho phrases
by which we can measure the height and
depth and length and breadth of the
eXertS.
Thus much we can say with entire
truthfulncss thus much we do say with
thorough heartiness. 70 preside over
a 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.
Frc;ghted with the worlds great affairs,
loaded down with the hopes, struggles,
misfortmles, crimes, triumphs and
achievements of humanity, We expect to
find it earnest, dignitied and catholic.
The first thing We see is half Il column OF
sensational headings, addressed, perhaps,
70 the prlrient curiosity Of the basest
men. We open a Western paper Chi
a Times and find over an item Of
Intelligence, or OF falsehood, concerning
Il gricv0us scandal the word "HEEL.'
i'll us large letters as can be squeezed INTO
Il column. This is followed by minor
heads, every one of which is intended to
produce a sensation. We go on through
the paper, and it is all sensation. Often
times 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 APP
peal to the sense of the marvellous, to be
stunning rather than simple and true,
are the apparent motives OF the CON
ductOr.
Is this an extreme ease? We can fur
nish papers by the hundred that steadily
! pursue this course as & matter OF policy.
1t. is not enough that we have party
presses in religion and politics that give
a party shape to everything that zones
to them. 1t is not enough that wa have
! presses that rejoice in scandal and crime,
and take greater delight in them,
and greater pains with their details, than
are excited by those affairs which mark
the advance Of the world in goodness
and wisdom. 1t is not enough that
there are papers which mold all
things that the touch to the per
sonal purposes and prejudices o. their
conductors. If 4 thing IS tame it must
be whipped into q startling appearance.
II it is sad-inexpressibly sad from its
! badness-its badness must yield the
requisite sensation. Great and good
names are tested with. Topics which III
volvc the most precious interests Of the
human race are tossed fi~iprantly about,
like the balls of q juggler, to attract the
eyes of the gaping multitude. Subjects
- l.
little are laid before the family eye as
familiarly as if they were not stepped in
shame. To receive the worlds news, in
the spirit and shape in which it is pre-