The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-03-04

uuSiueSS HeTltS Only. me public
thus escapes the bother Of being
versies and squabbles, which fill such
large space in nearly all the Cont
mental papers. Furthermore, outside
contributors are frequently the most
likely men to furnish valuable articles
on special subjects Of which professional
journalists have often but little knowl-
edge, II any at oil, and on which they are
compelled to write under the Continent
al system, which renders the access Of
outsiders to the papers more difficult.
On the other hand this system turns II
newspaper into q sort Of bazaar in
which all sorts OF people, coming no one
knows where from, sell their articles at
SO much piece, having only TO that
extent any connection with the said ba-
zaar and it's foreman and manager
An enormous amount of power is
thus thrown into the hands of this
foreman, q power which he naturally
uses for his personal benefit. As d
mere purchaser of information and Of
other peoples thoughts, for which he
gets all the credit, but has also to bear
all the responsibility, the editor or pro-
prietor of an English paper naturally
turns into u shopkeeper, selling only
what he is asked for, and trying by all
sorts of ilattery and artiiices to get into
the shop as many customers as he can.
The organs of the press thus fail to bo
leaders of public thought, their propri-
etors arguing that they cannot afford tn
impose anything upon public opinion.
their business being not to dictate or
prescribe anything to the public, but
simply to give expression to the feeling
it has already formed. This Is one Of
the reasons why popular agitations and
,,,b1ic rpnnftntgs huun obtained
stronghold among the Anglo-Saxon
race. They are supplements and cor
receives Of the work which lcgiti-
mately should be performed by tho
newspaper press. Men like Bright and
Golden, when they began their political
career, would never have been able to
say in an English paper ono-tenth OF
what they said on the rostrum. Dean
Stanley and Spurgeon would have been
expelled from the Office Of any paper il
they had attempted mot now, Of course,
not 80 we'll established) to write any
thing similar to what they say eC
cathedrn. Nay, men like John Stuart
Mill, Herbert Spencer, Tyndall and
Huxley have frequently met with diff
Guilty in giving expression to their views
in the English papers; and up to the
present moment the theories and ideas
of these men can still not be brought
into the columns OF most Of the English
papers unless it be under tho cover OF
their authoritative signature.
On the Continent OF Europe, on tho
contrary, the whole work of social, po-
litical and intellectual progress has been
done by the daily press, however defee
tive its organs always were and still are,
as newspapers. Men like Borne, Hene,
Herzen, Armand Carrel or Silvio Pellico
have never addressed u public meeting;
Castelar,, Theirs and Mazzini have dono
much more through their newspaper
writings than they could have ever been
capable of doing by means of their oris-
torical efforts.
The result Of all this is obvious A
system like the English could not help
producing q most buslness,ilke press.
admirably managed, excellcntly in
formed in the matters Of news, but
without any Of the elements calculated
to spread culture or to foster general
progress and often without SOM
blance of literary talent of any sort. In
fact, talent, except when OF q purely de-
scriptivc nature, available for pictur-
esuue reporting, is objected to in tho
English press, for it implies. independ-
ence of thought and originality OF man
nor in expressing 1t; and both are con
sideroa to be unsuitable for 70
daily newspaper, whose business it
news, and such comments upon
it as the existing current Of public
opinion might suggest which, i'll nine
cases out Of ten, simply means to humor
the prcjudices and erroneous ideas
already established in the community.
On the other hand, the Continental sys-
TEN produces q most unbusines5.A Ake
crowd Of publications, some Of them
very short-lived most OF them miser-
ably poor so far as foreign news goes,
and frequently misinfoTmcd even about
events at home; but all Of them exert.
ing their best Efforts to spread general
culture, to develop literary and artistic
tlstcs, and all Of them certain rather to
spoil talent by overpetting than to stiile
1t, and just as certain 10 sacrifice every
pecuniary advantage to the cause they
have, rightfully or wrongfully. chosen
to serve.
In the one case only the money Of an
ANONYMOUS news yender is engaged, i'm
the other the names Of men and their
personal as well as professional honor
are at stake. That makes all the differ
ence, but u tremendous difference it is
in many OF its consequences.
The English newspaper system, com
bined with certain peculihrities OF the
British national character, has produced
% very curious state OF affairs. Here is
an illustration: There scarcely passes
O. day without one or more human be-
ings dying OF starvation in the happy
realms Of Her Britannia Majesty. The
newspapers mention such facts only in
cases where they cannot help doing il,
and even then the statement is made in
as few words rs possible, in small type,
somewhere in an out-of-the-wa corner
Of the paper. The theory OF English
editors, 50 admirably formulated one
day by Mr. Delano, OF the Times, is
that "editing means much less the
selection Of what is to be put into the
paper, than the selection OF what is
10 be kept out" Unpleasant facts like
cases OF starvation are, in accordance
with this theory, to be kept out OF the
paper. On the other hand there arc
others, about which an English editor
! is never tired OF writing and his public OF
reading. ! remember that a few years
ago Queen Victoria anxious to regain the
the popularity she had begun to lose by
her seclusion to secure the Parliamen-
tary vote OF fresh money allowances To
some Of her children, resolved to take a
drive through Victoria Park, q park oi
the common people. Well, all the Eng
lish newspapers found it possible tc
print daily several columns on this sub
iect for about a fortnight before the
drive took place and for fortnight
after.