Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1876-08-29

cutcheOn, the soul oi Ehlih LoYelOY
went out with the wild night. No con-
trast could be sharper than this between
the literary and the political journalist.
Addison and Steele were courled in
lito and honored in death. LovejoY
sleeps in u martyrs grave, which bears
the inscription "pdrcc jam SepHlcrO." l."
Joulnalism was welcomed to the
realm ol letters as The messenger bring
log freedom of though. aud elegance OF
oppression. JJurnIlisn was admitted TO
the realm OF politics only after a hard
/ light and mauy defeats. Do The lacls
sustain these Judgments? Has journal
ism become the queen ol letters and the
hangman OF goyernmeI? Americas Ger
ury OF experience seems 10 auswer''nO.' "
To-day our newspaper makes impcra-
| tive demands upon men OF brains. But
/ II induces the IN TO enter IA narrow sphere
/ OF action. The primary conditions oi
artistic and CuduIing WORK are lGckiOg.
/ No muse can be caught TO III her
wings and walk soherly down the COL
Umus OF The mornings leader. To the
editor fame Is Thing OF to-day. He
7 writes Tor the composlLor, not lot the
critic. We have but one William Cullen
I Bryant, while We have luucteds O.!
/ George ArbOids-Men who give Us a
single glimpse OF their possibilities and
then aIe beguilOd iato hopeless senti
mentality aud lrasuiness.
Again. pure English is not to be
7 found 10 the columns oi sN American
new, ,plp,rs. Fungi ol language are as
surely produced rom them as iuiusoriA
/ from the dococ ION OF Basiiln. So we
are forced to conclude tbs. the literary
|luhuence OF jpurua.ism is fatal. both
because j, conupts the language aud
/ bcCause ID pereits 10 common usts tlc
artistic strength Of geuiu, Now, let as
+ ask ourselves wha, is is relation 20 our
government?
National effects are produced By iGI.-
/ yiduai and -uCla. cau-t-. The lever
which would move that intangible mass
The uaiiuu-mu,t have luicrum OF
mdiyiJuli character. So whatever force
an, ,cl, The home. tao uuit OF national
T Iiic. j., miah,y. Ne; a single member OF
/ iGs family could co without The news
paper. l. j. Indispensable 10 them.
,scry one, ilo,u The young g.rl who goes
"a miu a rCvCJig over = single line IN
the column OF marriages. OF DC may he Of
deaths, % tho father, whose breakfast
rrovs cold While he studies The money
market Tac lie OF each Of rs IS broad
eled by couiae. with this micrOcosm Of
gi! uir. The whole word Is brought
WITHIN the scope OF cur vision. Think
II il. =" says Lowell. "iOr threo dollars =
year, | DuY season licSet u this gre1-
G.uUe Theatre, fOr which God would
w!l,c tho drAmls (un,y that sc Ike larces,
spoctac,es aud The tragedies OF Apo!J on
better, whose scene-,Liiter Is time and
whose curtain Is rung down by Dea'h).' ~
We cease 20 remark the novelty and
yastucss oi TIC spectacle. but II goes on
a.l the same. We glance carelessly At
the sunrise. aud get used 10 Orion and
the Pleiad,s. The wonder wears cl,
and to morrow this sheet which was let
down To- US from Heaven shall be the
wrappage tor - bar OF soap, or the plat
ter ioI bes9ar's broken yiciuals.
From The days when the letter. Oi
Junius ,ct al Eng and allame against
tSrauuy, 20 the lime when The tederallst
helped ID bu, firmly the foundations OF
our republic, when IN our great national
struggle The TIbuuc kept alive lhe d.
ny fires of patriotism IN million homes,
.hr press has been the most iucoTrupuoie
supporter ui Justice and liberty. Inc
investigations OF the past year would
.,.er nave been begun II such papers aS
ihe Nation. the Tribune, and Post
had no. held up 10 scOsn the statesmen
who we're afraid % open The colin Ol
aRiriul honor, even tor the sake ui drag
ging totth Hlti0Hai honor irum the mass
ot corruption. Who cares II railroads
ate run on stolen capital, II cadetshIps
are sold. il armies are detrauded--wEO EO
cares Tor a.. this, II tho private American
citizen does not Through the news
paper. as the expression Ol the most ln-
lelIIp,nt ol citizens, comes naturally the
protest against fraud and dishonesty.
The tree press is the rOdder which viii
keen Us from shlpwreck on the rock
which stranded the Roman Republic and
which threatens 10 ruin the French Re
puluc-,he rock Of popular lShUTance.
4 single ray Ot .iSht i able TO grappie
with and overcome the power OF cheml-
cal attraction IN some OF The silver COM
pounds. aud TO set free The gIstenlng
metal which the strength OF Hercules
could not have dragged rom It's combln
alton. So we need not seek long aud tar
tor the force which shall conquer tue cor
roding powers a. wOTk IN Our republic.
fl il ~ our very doors. IL Is the power OF
I l.ls Nj nt4n N
stand before il. Says WendaU Philips,
1.-The penny papers OF New loI& DO
more 10 govern this country than the
White House at Washington Mr.
/ Webster says eve live under govern
ment OF laws He was mistaken. We
live under a government OF men-and
morning newspapers.
AS nation trying earnestly and
bravely the experiment OF republic, we
rely upon the free press rs our surest
support. As i nation ambitious ior the
highest art in literature We must ac'
knowledge that this great uDhewn
pillar mars the beauty OF our growing
cathedral. journalism is the foe OF
rhetoric but the friend OF reason. Com
mon sense is the basis OF practical gov
ernment. Imagination is the basis OF
artistic literature. Athens was the birth
of Greek ait, but Sparta was the cradle
OF Greek patriotism. We mist be con-
tent to be a practical nation for some
wears TO come, aud as such the news
paper is invaluable to US. We will for
yet what it does for our letters for the
sake of what it does for our government.
When our friends are one-eyed, let US
ook at their protiles.
The question of gravest import to US
t,-Jav is. not who are the murderers OF
the Kings English, but who are the mu:-
.Ierers OF citizen's honor, not what are