St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-12-27

llS SucceSSIul accomplishment, Is crlme
against the public morals and might
justly claim the attention of Anthony
Comstock.
The too frequent and full publication
of crime tends to popularize and in
crease crime. 1t cOmpels the reading
public to become familiar with the de-
tails and sickening scenes of crime. l
have recently read of the patient in
vestigations and conclusions of the ma
tional board of health composed of the
most eminent physicians of a foreign
country, who have just entered their
protest sent to every newspaper in the
land against the publishing of suicides,
the learned doctors being fully per-
suaded that the frequent publication in
the papers of death by suicide tends to
largely increase the number of suicides
in the nation. And the reasons given
for their learned conclusions are logical
and convincing. The familiar lines of
the poet bear direct and powerfully on
this point:
| "Vice is a monster of such hdeOus mein
| That to be hated needs but to be seen:
But seen too oft, familiar with its face,
First we endure, then pity, then embrace"
The press of our land is wOndrous
power, almost omnipresent in our
homes but by its detailed publication
of scandalOus vices and filthy crimes, it
is too greatly and fast famiiarizing the
people with vice and promoting its
practice in our country. The frequent
reading of these disgusting details tends
to excite an unhealthy imagination,
stimulate vicious thoughts, arouse pas
siOns, create a morbid desire for nOto-
riety, and school the mind in the too
constant contemplation of crime which
is certainly adverse to good morals.
evil communications corrupt good
manners" is Il moral axiom of great
authority.
Most of the secular press have sharp
ly criticised Talmadge for advertising
from his pulpit what he knows of the
gaslight crimes of licentious New York
and this condemnation by the secular
press has justly expressed the general
sentiment of the intelligent Christian
people. True, portion of the people
crave the details of vice and the par
ticulars of crime; and the newspaper
publishers say they must satisfy this
demand: but it is also true that the
managers of the press are largely re-
I spOnsible for the discovery and devel-
opmGnt of this depraved demand. The
more they have catered to this morbid
craving and sought its patronage, the
more they have fed and fOstered this
appetite and augmented this demand.
The demand being vicious and demoral-
izing, it is plainly the duty of the public
press to protest against it and refuse to
pamper it. TO read the details and
vivid descriptions of vice is sometimes
as demoralizing in its influences on an
imaginative and inconsiderate reader
as would be the personal seeing of its
committal. In fact the press often
clothes crime with drapery of roseate
hues that charms the youthful reader
and robs vice of its hideous mien.
Too often the base paramour is made
a hero and the wiley Magdalen a model
heroine for womanly imitation. Our
secular papers ought always to be pru-
dent in expression, pure in moral senti-
ment, and in aesthetics and language so
chaste as never to justly cause "skip'
or "blush" when read by the most re-
fined mother in the presence of her
children, or in mixed company. OuI
family papers ought to be perfectly safe
as companions ut our firesides, elevat-
ing in suggestions as educators of the
morals and manners of our children.
We want no details of filthy criminal
cases in our courts, vile seductions, foul
adulteries, or private or professional
prenatal infanticides. Enough to say
of such Il notorious case: 1t was tried
before Judge Blank, and such was the
verdict of the jury.
Though portion of the reading pub
lie may ride ten miles to feed on carrion
in criminal court, and may be pleased
to find the outline particulars in theil
family paper, yet the duty of the editor
to the people, precludes their publica-
ton. The readers of the Sun, Days
DOings, and some other foul sheets may
feast and fatten Oh the putrid pabuluul
they find in the columns of scandal and
crime, but the readers of the CaledOnian
have learned by experience to expect Il
purer diet, and are not often disap-
pointed.
Now Mr.. Editor, write this criticism
as a patron and friend of your paper
1t is not a criticism on your paper alone
nor on your paper as much as on the
secular press in general. Your paper
is exceptiOnable and commercially free
of the foul fault herein condemned
and | firmly believe you heartily APP
prove the moral sentiment of this crit.
icism and censure other papers for the
vicious practice of publishing mora
carrion to please their patrons who
crave such food. And yet 1 plainly at
firm that in your report of that crimi
nal case aforementioned, you needless
ly and unwisely gave fresh publicity t,
a series of shameful particulars, tina
ought in the trial to have been KEEP