The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-01-05
# ia hope or fear, or admiration or hate.

the Senate, and the ADMINISTRATOR al out
come first, and then an income. At its worst
it is like the stagnant pools and marshes that
turn to slime in the sun and breed pestilence
and malaria, proof of the 1inship to evil
some people tolerate about them or create out
Of the slush and slime Of their own natures.
That The American press should distance the
world in enterprise is as natural as it is that
we should do a hundred things besides that
spring from our wife and free life. That il
should be generally keen, bright, t%renchant,
quick and humorous in spots is also natural,
because these are the qualities that lie
within our free life also. That the leading
articles in our papers should %contrive to pack
all the sense into half the space of the leader
in a paper like the London Times is also
natural, because we live 9 hasty, fiery and
impatient life, as different as possible9 from
the slow and sure processes Of the life in Eng
land. That we should have hundreds of per-
sonal and impersonal items about everything
| OF any interest, and every man and woman
| who happens to strike the public eye, is also
natural, because there is no such curious and
inquisitiye race on the planet as this of ours.
We lay il wait no longer for the stranger to
find out all about him, but we have created
the interviewer, and he keeps us quiet in the
full assurance that he can do 9 great deal
better than we can, and we shall get the
whole truth in the next issue of our paper,
and, it may be, a touch of imagination, to
boot. It is natural, also, that every horrible
catastrophe should be opened out to the
minutest incident in some Of our papers, with
deep head lines, secret and circumstance, not
50 much that the ends Of justice may be
served, but that the dish Of highest seasoning
may sell the most papers. It is natural, also,
I suppose, that below these lines there should
be papers that minister to the vilest passions
Of our common nature, to the devil within
rather than the angel or man, because there
are multitudes in whom the devil is master.
'sOne paper I have heard spoken of as The
Weekly Judgment Day. We have others that
do not have to wait q week. They set the
great white throne up every morning against
these fostering evils that afflict our life. I say
not one word, then, against q frank and fair
discussion of any question, but what | do
loath and condemn is not the freedom but the
license which will bare the breast of its own
mother, if the public will pay to see q cancer.
And nov what hope is there that this great
power for good and evil will grow better and
not worse; that the gold and silver of it will
gradually gain On the brass, the iron, and the
mud; there is hope that the best Of our journ-
alists are all the time growing better and win
ming their way into larger areas of power
and the noblest use. / count it a sign alto
getner Tor good that the vast majority Of our
great papers are perfectly free, and, as I be-
lieve, perfectly honest.
THEY srAKD CLEAR OF ALL faint
And trust themselves utterly to the honest in
stincts Of the clean American Citizen. Jour
nails like these are the true leaders of the peo-
Pile. 1t is our business to see that nothing |
shall enter our home ia the shape of a news
paper that defleth or maketh a lie. believe |
hat a great and good newspaper is as sacred
Its own way as the Bible. 1t has something
q IT Of the very present word Of God to man, |
md the very present word Of man TO God. A
good paper is as true q ministrant to the souls
life as good bread is to the life of the body,
it has become about as indispensable. I
eel now and then as if I would like to read q
great leader from my paper in the pulpit as a
ort of second lesson. The old Scotch minis
er used to say: I read my paper to see what
he Lord is doing on the earth / advocate
% exclusive devotion to one book. The
Bible is the divine book to me of all the
world and all time, and there are other books
hat are also divine in their own measure, and
hen q good newspaper makes up the sum-,
nd in its own way is divine also. I know of
70 position SO full Of difficulty as this of the
CONDUCTOR Of 9 great journal. His congrega-
ion is counted BY tens Of thosanGs, and every
IAN Of them wants the paper run his way,
rets and fumes if It is not SO, and writes a
letter, or gives up his paper. This
J all wrong, and q perpetual threat to one Of
he finest treasures we possesa-the freedom
f the press. Now, we love free speech in
be pulpit, and cherish it. We should love
! also in the press, 50 it be clean and sturdy
peech, and say, with good John James Tay-
or: i love the truth, even when it goes
,gsinst myself It must be the first condi-
ion Of the editorship Of q great newspaper
hat the editor shall see farther and wider
han we do, as it is the first condition of q
minister that he shall see deeper and higher
md 50 1t is the sign of a sad limitation in
hearers and readers that they should q to
narrow all down to their line Of vision. Of
III places in the world to be guarded from 9
narrow, bigoted and sectarian spirit, / put
editors sanctum first after the church.
go. OonR~uunMos Ta0.Rr< $40