St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-08-04
A Sensible Word About News
papers.

1t is a great deal easier to say what
newspaper should not print than it is
to say what it should print, since the
Legitimate field of activity includes ev-
cry topic which engages the attention
of rational and decent society, while
the forbidden subjects are those against
which a man who respects himself in
stinctively revolts. Thus, one of the
first rules impressed upon newcomers
in well-cOnducted newspaper offices lis
this: "When in doubt do not print"
This rule presuppOses that the news
paper man represents the average
sense of decency of the community,
and that the doubt with which he re-
CARDS the matter will be shared, only
in an intensified degree, by society at
large. The same general idea is often
expressed in the maxim that it is not
what you put into a newspaper but
what you keep out of it that makes it
successful.
The rule and the maxim both rest
upon the assumption that the personal
character and experience of the re
spOnsible journalist are up to IA certain
grade. In the earlier history of jour
nalism the case was different. A GER
tain brilliancy of expression, an excess
of imaginative power; Byronic ten
dency toward BOhemianism, that indie
scribable quality called ''genius, =" which
is usually mere sham-these were not
only the qualities popularity ascribed
to newspaper men but those which
they actually possessed. out of this
atmosphere of "genius" came the ira
ditiOn that Il newspaper man must not
be entirely reputable; that he must
not be too willing to pay Il bill; that
he must certainly get drunk upon oc-
casion and must be at all times ready
to drink that he must work by fits
and starts, and that he must cultivate
some pet eccentricity. In fact the no.
ton was that he must be very peculiar
and irregular, and surprising, and that
these characteristics made him very
great. This notion was utterly de-
strOyed by the war. AT that time the
mass of readers learned to demand the
facts about current events, and the
man with the flowing neck-tie and the
long hair and rolling eye was knocked
out of the printing house, never to re-
turn. The newspaper man of to-day
is IA plain man, who lives with his fam
lily, pays his debts, goes to church,
keeps himself clean in body and mouth
and spirit, and generally tries to be-
have himself as well as his business, to
represent as nearly as he can the aver
age intelligence and conscience of the
community in which he works, never
going below the average but always
trying to- lift it little higher. His
imagination is the least used part of
l IL, t.,l 10 -
himself with facts chiefly, and with
such facts as concern other reputable
citizens. While he pictures the life of
the time, he avoids as much as possible
the bad life of the time. He tries not
to print what he would not like to read
aloud before refined women and innO-
cent children. He has fun and life and
sparkle, but these are decent in sub
ject and pure in their tendency.
1t is only when some half-ripe boy
gets hold of the printing press nOw-a-
days that it begins to turn toward
scandal and indecency. Ignorant him
self unguided, and with little sense OF
responsibility, he has just wit enough
to copy the minor weaknesses of large
newspapers. Their sterling, solid
qualities are beyond his comprehen-
sion, and so he bends his immatur,
mind toward personal failings anC
moral dirt. He turns the press, whicl
surpasses in power all other sOcia
agencies for good, into a mere cider
mill of filth /; and he becomes for the
time being a terrific little social pest
His nose becomes as sharp as ter
rier's in the pursuit of human weak
nesses and sins, and the deeper he cal
stick it into IA moral sore the happie
and the prouder he is. He is a survI
val of the worst, and very puny ant
contemplate survival, too. The pub
lie sense of decency and the social in
/. stinct of self-preservatiOn soon fore
n him to the wall in one way or another
> Honest and decent journalism Ough
It not to be credited with his incOmpe
= tence and mischief any more than til
/ honorable profession of the law shoul'
be held responsible for the disreputa
i BILE doing of Toombs court shyster.-
d Wilmington, Del, Morning News.