St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-09-19
Publishing Crime.

ilCdllOu vi SuCIl lull duu SENSATIONAL re-
ports of villainy and crime as appear
from day to day in the secular papers.
1t asks if any good end is secured by the
publication in the daily newspapers, in
a conspicuous place, of accounts of bru-
tality and vileness. 1t questions wheth-
er the moral interests of society are
promoted by having the glamour of
words thrown about deeds which would
disgrace Fejee Islander. Our readers
will agree that the point is well made.
A great deal has been said of late con-
corning the pernicious effects of the
of class of dime novels
which depict acts of immortality and
paint scenes of vice in colOrs that pow
erfully effect the youthful imagination.
A number of crimes have been traced
directly to the vicious teachings of
these bad books. But scarcely a week
passes in which some of the newspapers
do not contain narratives quite as in
decent and pernicious in their effect as
anything in the pages of immoral liter
ature that are poisoning the minds of
our youth. A great deal is printed in
our daily journals which is unsuitable
for family reading, and cannot fail to
nave Il communicating 6lICCb Ou Guo
minds of young people.
Of cOnrse it is the province OF the
secular press to publish the news. They
report what happens. AS one of the
evening papers said last week, it is the
business OF the daily papers to inform
the community respecting everything
OF public interest that transpires. And
oftentimes the publication of full ac-
count of robbery, an assault, a muir
der, leads to the discovery of the guilty
person, and puts the public on guard,
| thus preventing the commission of SIM
liar crimes. 1t urges that the press has
nothing to do with facts but to report
them. If wickedness gets done, it is
not the fault of the newspapers which
relate the occurrence. But it certainly
is the fault of the newspapers if they
describe wicked occurrences in such a
way as to familiarize the public with
the details and secrets of crime, and
throw a glamour over vice and vile
ness, and teach the young how to take
the initiative in wickedness without
being detected or punished. We do not
object to the publication of facts which
are important and serviceable to the
public; but we do object to the toe
prevalent custom of publishing a vast
deal of corrupting rubbish, which is OF
no use to anybody, and is calculated tG
vitiate the public taste and morals
and we also object to publishing ac-
counts of vile and wicked deeds in sucl
IA sensational style as to attract univer-
sal attention, and produce no cores
pOnding moral reprObatiOn on theil
readers minds. Indeed, it sometimes
seems as if publishers of papers regard
ed Il great crime as the most important
item of news, and spent their utmost
skill and ingenuity in serving it up in &
way to pique and excite still more the
public curiosity. The elder Bennett is
said to have remarked that but fol
crime no newspaper could be made tC
pay. ga robbery or murder is god
send, and we have to make the most o
it,"
1t is impossible to accept this state.
ment. 1T the secular papers depend OF
crime for their circulation, and woul(
die were crime to be suppressed, let III
get rid of them both as soon as posi-
BILE. But we have not the slightes
idea that our daily contemporary owe:
its large circulation merely to the pub
fishing Of crimes. 1t owes it to its en-,
terprIze in gathering news of all kinds
What makes the reports of crime in
teresting to anybody, is the fact thai
every crime indicates common peril
and the public interest and safety re.
quires that the facts shall be made
known, that its perpetrator may bt
caught, and the community put on its
guard. The evil of the report is in what
is put into it, and the exaggerated i'm.
pOrtance given even to the incidental
details of the affair. Things are made
public which ought to be kept private
Matters which cannot be spoken of il
good society nor before children, are
spread out in the most sensational way
to crafty pIurient curiosity and min
lister to vitiated taste. People ar,
made to feel that vice and crime ar,
about all there is in the world, and tha
criminals are merely detected adveD
turers. The daily press too often abuse
a great function by dishing up storie
of vice and villany in style tha
makes them more attactive than any
thing else they print. 1t is the per
version of it's privilege and use tina
SelIio loi SilOiSiohI, anu Shoulu DC IC
formed. Certainly brilliant journals
can tell a story of virtue, of self-sacri
flee, of charity, of moral heroism, in a
striking and as entertaining a name
as tale of debauchery and blood
Why should not journalists take a
much pleasure and lavish as much pain
in reporting the good deeds of th'
world, as the evil deeds. Generosity il
not necessarily stupid kindness is no
always dull. The clever men are no
all scoundrels, nor all philanthropist
fools. The wheels of society run OIL
rectitude. The great interests of man
kind are moral and religious. Th,
community is held together by its vir
tue. Every walk of life is made beau
tiful by kind and heroic acts. Certainl,
the best things should be reported NOR
: fully than the worst; and if art an,
imagination and genius are to be in
: vOked at all, it should be in heightenin,
the beauty of benefcence and the no
! bility OF moral rectitude.-N. Y. Euan
gelist.