The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-06-17
CLEVELAND, TENN, JUNE II, 1881.
Newspapers and PnbIIc EdncatIon.

Newspapers and Public Education.
The following are the concluding
paragraphs of thoughtful address on
"The American Newspaper and Ameri-
can Education" read at the last session
Of the Social Science association by
Professor j. NJ. Gregory, of Chicago:
The American press does not and will
not misrepresent the American people.
With the miserable exception of some
bitter malcontent here and there the
writer's of the press have given hearty
and intelligent support to our institu-
tons of learning, high and low. The
papers have also freely published edu-
cational news and essays, but they can
do more. They ought to do more.
They occupy vantage ground from
which they can lend to the American
school systems force which these sys-
TENS can never hope to attain without
such aid. In an important degree the
newspapers of America hold its school
interests in their hands. Let them treat
public education as they do every other
great public enterprise and concern
ment. Every great public interest has
its representative in the ogfps of editors
of our great metropolitan papers. They
have their political editor, their COM
mercial editor, their literary editor,
their agricultural editor their law re-
porter, and SO on through every line of
public movement. Let them add now
a competent educational editor or re-
porter, one whose thorough and practi-
cal knowledge Of his field shall enable
him to gather and sift educational news,
to explain and criticise educational facts
and tn sories, to answer wisely educa-
tional questions from whatever source
and to put into common and public
speech the educational feeling and
thought of his age. Such writer will
call forth other writers and observers.
The small papers will follow the lead of
the great metropolitan sheets, and there
will be poured into the schools of the
country the same spirit of energy and
Of improvement which the press has
awakened in other public interests. Let
the sharp but intelligent criticisms of
these educational editors be excrted
upon our schools, and we shall no longer
need or fear the occasional assaults
which have Of late half alarmed and
half amused us by their half truths and
half falsehoods. With such aid from
the American newspapers, the American
schools could be made to render double
for the immense outlays of time, money
and talent expended upon them.
The press thus directed and the
school system thus newly inspired will
mutually react. The papers will, as
they ought, find their way into the
shcoolrooms. The schools will be
taught their uses, and will furnish them
more interested and intelligent readers
In this mighty problem of the adequate
education of our citizenship-a problem
growing daily more important to the pub
lic-no new force seems nearer or fuller
of promise than this. Let this gigantic
array of the newspapers of America be
set fully upon this work of popular edu
cation. Let theschools in turn introduce
the newspaper among their text books
let the children of the nation be taught
to read these papers intelligently,
thoughtfully and critically, and we
have at work in the press of this country
an agency never surpassed for the edu-
cation Of an enlightened free people.