Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-02
Journalism.
Mobile ReQlster.

Without any sectional vanity, but
justified by the facts apparent, Southern
journalism stands in craftsmanship, in
enlightened patriotism, in independence
of opinion and manliness of tone, far
above those Northern organs which the
selfish views of money rings so industri-
ously labor to circulate at the South so as
pervert or control public sentiment.
As to scholarship, style, elevation Of
thought, the South abounds with papers
published in almost unknown villages
which are models of classical elegance
and depth of thought, while those enjoy
ing a wider sphere of action are replete
with all the information required to
form an intelligent opinion of surround
ing events.
But, it is true that Southern papers do
not display that pretended enterprise"
which marks the course of Northern
contemporaries; that Southern papers
do not pander to every vicious instinct;
that they do not delight in stirring and
exposing to the heat of the day the cor
rupt putrefying mass of scandals and
crimes which it is the pride of those con-
temporaries to place under the nostrils
of their readers; it is true that Southern
civilization with its plantation man
ners" does not rejoice in offering to truth
and virtue the communicating details of
scandalous divorce suit or infanticide
trial. nor does Southern journalism
poison the minds of rising generations
with illustrated biographies of the he
roes of the ring or the highway or the
gallows.
These may be plantation manners"
H,rf haun orOnd IN
them when we compare the calendar of
crimes between the two sections and
chiefly the motives melting those crimes;
on the one side, lust, cupidity: on the
other, high but too often mistaken or
exaggerated feeling of personal dignity.
Let the parent say what he thinks of
the obscene periodicals publicly exhibit
ed on our thOroughfares, of the indecent
pictures, of the tempting allurements
held out to imagination by their dis
gushing cuts, and say whether such de.
moralizing publications can or should be
introduced within the family circle, or
exposed to public gaze and in public
places.
Even that corrupt society-the Ro-
mans of the decadence-as shown by the
excavations of Pompeii and Hercu-
laneum-had such vile signs removed to
walled part of their cities, although the
insignia of Roman Lupanor were far
less gross than those paraded through
the pages of the "enterprising" periodi-
Gals of the North.
Southern journalism is pure, because
it reflects pure society, kept pure by
the sensitive honor of its members, by
the prompt and fatal punishment of the
violatOrs of domestic peace. No South
ern paper would ever have to publish the
revolving and disgusting details of
Beecher- Tilton trial, because the ''cause
of action, as the lawyers say, would
have at once been abated by the "shot.
gun" bar; such as would have proven
effective had Governor Sprague made
the experiment on Roscoe Conkling by
pulling the trigger in time-which, by
the way, would have saved the country
the bother and shame of the present
Senatorial contest in New York.
Let the South hold on to those who
have ever upheld her dignity, and let
the South, if she wants to preserve that
heightened morality and lofty sense of
honor which have made her women the
admiration and the envy of the world,
eschew the contamination of ''enterpris-
ing" papers and continue her generous
support to her own local papers-those
who have struggled through long years
of suffering and temptations, and finally
brought her out of the desert in sight of
the land of promise.