Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-05-25
fHB AMERICAN PRIgs.

The following Is condensed from 0
recent lecture delivered by Rev Robert
Collyer in New York;
That the American press-fOr ]
speak Of this espeeiaily-shOuld dis
ianee the world In enterprise Is as
natural as II is that we should do hun
dred things beside that spring from our
wide aud FREQ life, That II should DO
generally keen, bright, trenehant, quick
aud humorous IN spots Is also natural,
because these are all qualities that liz
within our free lilo also, That the
leading articles in our papers should
eohtrye TO pack all the sense into hall
the space Of tho leaders In q paper like
the London Times 10 also natural, DO
cause We live q hasty, fiery and impatient
life, different from tho slow and surG
process Of life IN England, and 10 cd,
itors know very we'll that II they should
give us q piece Of their mind IL then
columns we should look ut tho long
chapter, refuse to read 1t, and 50 mol
only Illustrate their labOrs but stop ON
NHb'NliliNlpHnt
For We will no more abide long ser
mons In tho press than We will In the
pulpit. That we should have hundred
Of personal aud impcrsOnal items about
everything Of any interest, and every
man md woman who happens TO strike
the public eyes, h also natural, because
there II no such curious and inlulsltlye
race on the planet az this Of ours, II
N true, no doubt, that IN ono respect We
have amended our ways since the days
OF Mr., Dickens,
l stand for the perfect freedom Of the
press. now and forever, and want to soc
II frank and fearless about men and
things, no matter who gets hurt. ]
have no sympathy with tho more sontl
mental squcamiRlncss which would
cover things mp that ought to DO ro
ycalcd; and here tho newspaper often
does work before which the pulpit
guailR and falls bach, coming up nj last
II II comes up At oil, among the reserves
The press can do, and has done, o peer
less work in graphing with public and
personal corruption within the past
years. We need such papers, and We
have them.
And now what hope Ia there that Thu
great power for good and evil will grow
better, not worse; that the gold and
silver OF II will gradually gain on the
brass, tho iron and tho mud, Woll,
this, first OF all, Is to mo tho grandost
OF u hopc-that the best OF our Journals
aro ali the timc growing better and
winning their ways into largo areas Of
power and the noblest use, count II
a sign altogether for good that the vast
majority OF our great papers are per
fcctly free, and, as l believe, perfectly
honest. They want no office or plum,
der, and will have none. They stand
clear Of all faint, and trust themselves
utterly to tho honest instincts OF the
clean American citizen.
The best OF them see from aiar, rs
men on mountain tops, the dawn OF 0
new and better day, when the patriot
will persuade the mere politician, or
rather when tho politician will be u
patriot in the purcst sense. And SC
they stand as hcmlds to encourage us
to rise and take our place and begin
with the new opportunity. 1t is also
true that Us tho people 60, tho journals
which do not lead, but follow-will
go. They will do just as they have
done-whcel swiftly into line to save
their circulation.
So il is no great wonder, as you will
see, that the newspaper should be about
the most potent power We know OF
among visible things, or that fair
minded men should be glad for this
power and proud Of it, wherever it is
held sacred to truth and virtue. l will
venture to say also that ministers, OF all
men, should be glad and proud of this
power for good, because among news
papers of the first rank there arc very
low indeed that arc not conducted in
broad and liberal spirit whenever they
touch the great questions which belong
especially to the pulpit. Indeed, l saw
q paragraph not very long ago which
protested to give the bias, or the be-
longings, of the most eminent editors
in this country, and it was something
of n wonder to find what numbers Of
them were what We should call liberal,
until l remembered how hard it must
be to find man of any other mind who
can conduct great paper, or conduct
ing one, should not catch this spirit
tbrouo,, hic work