The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-05-18

these arc often vulgar, that their wit is Hat,
and that their smartness, bad punning, and
thrilling with the English language are offen-
sivc TO n judicious IDind. They belong to a
class OF work which Of late years has dcfaced
the columns OF some Of our journals, sort OF
thing not worth printing, and which 1t is n
trial TO patience TO read. Genuine wit and
humor, 80 much of which sparkle in our
newspaper press are delightful relief to the
more solid reading; but this pinchbcck stun
ought to be driven out Of their columns, es-
pccially as 30 much Of the real article is in
circulation. The personal character of these
insipid paragraphs is not what renders them
so discrcditahlc, but their usual flippancy
and worthlcssncss, especially as they are
made SO prominent.
The other instances ~ which the Saturday
Rerie,o makes much are the Importance
which wac given TO the flight Of Oakley HALL,
the careful bulletin published OF the state
Of Commodore VANDERBILT while he so
long lay at deaths door, and tho noise
raised over the narrative Of TwEED's es-
cape 1t also refers to the particularly OF
the reports Of the BEECHER trial, with its
offensive revelations. These all afford weak
grounds for attack on the American press.
II one Of the most prominent men in London,
formerly its highest official character, II
leading influence In its politics, who had
kept himself constantly before the public for
a quarter Of a century. who had been CON
ccrucll in the stealing Of many millions OF
the monev Of the metropolis -if such
man had mystcrlOusly fled to es-
cape impending exposure and the in
Fiction ofiu-tice we fancy the London jour
nails. though less cnterprising than those
Of New York, would have given up a large
share of their space 10 the extraordinary
matter. If the Duke Of WESTMINSTER lay
on his diving bed vigorously combating his
mortal disease the London newspapers
would not flil to keep the public advised as
TO his condition; and Commodore WANDER
BfLrs position in New York and the United
States was fully rs prominent as the Dukes
in Londonand England, if not more so. II
one of the most active and influential poll
ticians IN England who had engineered sue
ccsslul plots for bribing Parliament. and
had stolen scores of millions Of the public
funds, had escaped from Imprisonment in
an extraordinary way, been recapturcd. and
then had given to the press an alleged
truthful account Of his wanderings, we
fancy the London newspapers would have
Published it as THE Sun did the story Of
rwEEDs remarkable adventures. If they
had not published IL, they would have
been unworthy the name ~ newspapers. A.
to the reports Of the BEECHFR trial. they
were a. "a whole As clean as they could be-
made aud bore no sort OF comparison in re-
spcct of revolving details with those So
freely paradei in Londono f the MoKDAuNr
divorce case, some OF the testimony of
which would never have appeared in The
Sun. though We hold it to bc the duty Of a
journal to report such cases with all the
fulucss consistent with deccncy Of express
sion.
As TO personal Intelligence in general, tho
state Of society here iustiiles publications
which might provoke disturbance In the
cast-iron social system Of England. There
il l. held proper to record the movements
u the royal family with "a minutcness
which seems 10 the inhabitants Of re-
public exceedingly funk yish. Marriages
among tho aristocracy. the entertainments
Of the great. with the names OF the attend
ants at them, and even forthcoming mar
rages and expected births, are described,
| chronicled, and announced in London jour
nails. Yet the Saturday Rerielc seems to
find fault with our papers for noticing what
occurs in our fashionable, though untitled
society, and for recording the doings OF our
conspicuous people. Our way may be differ
ent, but the result is substantially the same.
There Is a vulgar sort Of personal intelli-
gcnce which seems TO delight some Of our
newspapers, and there is good deal pub
lished which concerns people in whom the
public have no interest whatever. This Is
given to crafty shoddy tastes, advertise
prctentiOus snobbery, and initiate the vanity
Of obscure individuals. A discerning jour
nalist, however. 50 far as he notices such
personal matters at all, does 1t as a social
humorist, 10 hold folly up 10 deserved ridi-
| Guile.
1t is shallow mind which invelghs against
our newspapers for the attention they give
10 publishing facts concerning individuals,
though our way 81 doing it may be different
from the English, as the English is different
from the French We remind the Saturday
Rl'i,,c also that society and politics here
sorcly need the lash of the satrist now and
then, and that the duty Of puncturing frauds
Is one of the most Imperative which rests Oh
! the contemporary American journalist.