Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-05-28

paper of to-day ia entirely differ
ent, and wonderfully improved
About a million active brains are a
work on it. What all army TO
achievement, for conquest Lik,
other armies it is made up of differ
ent kinda of men, subordinate officer.
ana chieftains. II fights with differ
ent weapons, however. 1t fight
win weapon keener than the sw orc
ana more destructive than krupl
guns. Fhe paper of to-day presents
an historical epltome of the times
IL writes history as it occurs. Il
errors are made they are soon dis
covered and corrected. l know there
are some who think that this promi
nent characteristic Of the press is moi
conducive to the public good, and
mas an evil effect upon the public
morals. They think the press as,
sumes too great a latitude in the
publication OF. events, frequently sf.
fecting only the private affairs of in.
dividuals. can not agree with such
An opinion. There is not more
potent influence in society tha,
public opinion, and the very fact Of
the likelihood ofpublicity to be given
10 an evil act has u more restraining
effect than the fear of any ordinary
punishment.
Let the acts and opinions of men
DC published. Make men live in the
glare Of public light. Human nature
Is the study, aud truth is the obj ject.
i've point. Who is injured by read.
ing the details of brutal mu, der !:
Ahere may be some abnormal minds
Sitlated thereby, but what is the in.
nuence upon the geod and rejecting
cltizan Z II arouses his Indignation
II makes nun PondUr Oh inairiduai
rights, it makes him think of the law
the capacity of officers and the re,
sponsibility of judges. Aud let INC
here passingly remark that believe
the character of the press has more to
do III making usa iaw.abiding people
than, anything else, and l claim that
we are pre-eminently a law-abiding
people. Again, take the particulars
OF scandal, and this is locked upon
as the line in which there is more
offending than in any other. Who is
injured The parties involved and
their relations. Who is benefited
Society generally. 1t is the unveil.
ing, most likely, of hypocrisy and
false pretense. 1t netes out punish.
ment that should be administered
Aud then it affords
A SALUTARY WARNING.
For this very reason the press is The
greatest brsakwatcr to a certain kind
ofvice. OF course occasionally wrong
isinflicted, but this is rare, and grow.
more so daily, as the appointments o
newspapers become better perfected
And then stands forth in the shroud
lngs of darkness" aud despair tn.
suicides act. What a world of re
hections crowd the mind as the eye
runs through the sad recital. The
heart is moved and pity overw helms
US. Again you hear as an objection
to, the wholesale publication Of tn.
news that so many pernicious opin
IONS are given to the masses. A speech
delivered by any prominent man il
an article of news, and his expressed
opinions are included. Error, IT. hal
been said, is harmless if truth is lcf,
free to conbatit. Well, surely it cal
exercise its preregative without tn.
| least restraint in this land. IF yor
mean that intidel doctrines gwen forti
i'll the Oratorical efforts of lugersol
are dangerous and should not b,
published. the reply of your editor
is aboutright. Tell him, as the com
mittee of the house spoke of Frank
Inns paper, "that the tendency o
said paper is to mock religion.
that the reveremced and faithful
ministers Of the gospel are Injurious
ly reflected on" and he will tell you
that the ministers ought to be able
20 take care Of themselves; that they
possess the same implements of war.
fare as he does that brains is all tina,
is needed, and that his columns are
open at all times for fair expression
of opinion on both sides. Then
again comes horrible accidents ard
fearful calamities and destruction
Of lives by fire, flood, war and pesti
lence. revolving revelations of vice
and crimes of every kind and degree
Well, it is all about your brother.
You can not help but be Interested in
him. You are made in every in.
stance, if not directly, indirectly in.
terested in his welfare. But the news
is not all Of tins type. In fact, this
is small portion of the panorama.
1t occupies mostly the background.
The prominent moving events are OF
a different character. They tell of
the onward and upward march of a
great, free, happy and prosperous
people Of public and private virtues !;
of noble deeds of philanthropy ana
charity; of vast enterprises carried
through or projected; of the trium phs
OF Intellect of the advancs.of educa-
tion OF good and heroic deeds per.
formed by men and women. Aud
how, after all, the newspaper likes to
herald the good and heroic acts Of
men in the everyday walks of life.
SUCH NEWS
is appreciated above all others. Such
news makes the most lasting impres.
sion aud teaches most. In the gloom
aud horror of that night OF death and
destruction, when the ire-wrapped
Southern crumbled beneath the de.
mons touch, how grandly stood forth
the acts of TOole aud his companions.
aud how thrilled the heart-chords of
the nation at the recital made in every
paper i'll the land. In the devastation
of pestilence when Grenada became
a charnel house Of the rotting dead,
do you remember that heroic Young
man Redding, who. stood at his tel
egraph box day after day to send for
and receive succOr from more favored
parts of the land? How the news
item from that town was looked for
every morning. How we strained to
catch the click. click, of that devoted
youth. And tor many days it came.
'Tis the only hope where the deal are thicE
" mere the living, strewn by the plaques hot
Are sown with the rlpening seeds of death.
Stlli the hero boy at his key board stands,
W ith his stout young heart and his busy hands.
And many far of city feels
!he thrill Of the wire and Its mute appeals
ANA hands are stretched from the eust and west
!heir upward palms with u blessing blest,
Al 1t comes to those who meet their doom
Like scsrched leaves struck by the hot slmoon
Then one morning there came a
click, click we all listened. Itwas
sent by a strange hand. The hero
was dead. Not su exhibition of this
exalted spirit occurs in the land but
The newspaper likes to herald it.
And you find items about its exhi-
Dltion in some locality almost every
lay, and among all classes. On
ocean, river and rail in the rush OF |
The flood and the cracking of fire
n county, town and city.
Now, you remember | said some-
hing about the old newspaper. 1t
was great vehicle tor ponderous
'ditcrials. Its articles were as sol
u info rf h,,.