The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-12-21
THE .N.Eu.SI'.HFER.
Henry Ward EseeEher Tells
what Makes ~ Paper Sell.
From the Christian Union

| casual thing, indeterminate. It was a
germ whose outcome nobody suspected
! Ii has become one Of the great lnstitu.
tions of modern civilization throughout
the world; and in swelling into this pro-
portion, since there was ma precedent
for it to follow and no prophet to mark
out its course, it is natural that it should
find its way as the human family has,
through mistakes, through blunders; and
all we can ask Of this great legislator of
public opinion is that it shall conform
to the disclosures of right as they come
along. [ think that this is the tendency,
and that the great sterling newspapers
are going to school. They are conform
ing gradually to the experiences that
come with evolution. The regnant idea
of the newspaper was news, and it is not
strange that whatever was news was
brought into it. But there are differ
ent kinds of news. There is news that
springs from the top Of the head, and is
the outcome Of the moral sentiments;
there is news that springs from the ia.
tellectual faculties, and is the outcome
of thought and tas,e and feeling there
is news that springs from the physical
industries Of life, and is the outcome of
the great economic faculties there is
news which springs from the passion; in
which quarrels and all forms of viola
tions are developed there is news that
springs from the affections, and there is
news that springs from the appetites
there is news that springs from the
highest realm, there is news that springs
from the intermediate realm, and there
is news that springs trop the lowest
realm of life.
Now, the newspapers are much like a
net; and they go out into the sea, aud
come back, aud what they bring ashore,
that they have got They send forth
and collect things, north and south, and
east and west, aud bring 10 as news
whatever is new; but that discrmina-
tion which sorts and separates is to
be more brought into reQuIsiton and |
think | can see indications that some of
our great daily journals in New York
are steadily, more and more every year,
sorting aud separating the news, and re
fusing to publish things that are below
a certain equatorial line. The ideal of
the newspaper is that it shall rise to that
point where it shall represent what men
do best, by the best sides of themselves
or that will be ideal Of the newspa.
per of the near future. Blu; at present
it cannot be good for the slime of dissi
patton, for the corruption Of the pas
sions, to flow through the dining room
every single morning, and for the chill
dren to paddle their feet in the mud
that has been stirred up days and weeks
before. And the fault is with you
do not blame the editors so much. They
are blamewortby but their measure Of
blame is not so great as you would have
it. You that do not take that paper,
but buy it sometimes to see what is in
it ; you that will not carry it home to
your family, but like to have 1t in your
Office you that disdain the man that
edits it, and would not touch him, but
will constantly support him by your
contributions you that think you have
perfect purity, but have, rather, the
enamel of purity ycu that have such
things secretly; you that 60 away by
yourself to eat scandal, and that do no;
abhor it-you, all of you, put your fin
ger in the sewer you like feculent nat
ter you seek to know just what that
dissipated husband did, and just how
that quarrel began and went on and
the naster it is the more you read it,
Thus you give power to papers to 60 on
and publish that form of feculent news.
But there ought to be among men and
women perfect abhorrence of every
thing that is in the nature Of scandal.
All that filth which the scavenger car
ries in his cart, or which you find in
newspapers, as the case may be, ought
to be abhorrent to you. And you like
it /; you read it; you talk about it; and
you damn the man that puts 1t before
you. is this Christian? Is this right!
Is this manly? Is this honorable {!
When the market fails, the goods will
not be manufactured any longer and
on Christian fathers aud mothers, on
pure men and women, on thriving citi-
zens, on all who love integrity, aud up
and cleauness Of hands, and
cleanness of lips, and cleanness Of tongue.
and clcauness Of heart-on them L roll
the responsibility Of abhorring iniqulty
with utter loathing and disgust 50 that
evil in any story, or book, or paper, or
person that comes before you, 30 matter
how brilliant the guise, shall be detect.
ed instantly as an acute musician Will
detect a discord among hunored III
struments, and so that you shall throw
it from you with the utmost scorn and
Then we shall have purer
times. Tbeu we shall have better men
and women. Then we she'll have a
nobler church, a nobler nation, nobler