Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-06-15
zuch narrow intelligence and such limited
moral perceptive faculties.
THE PERSONAL coLU1a.

There is II New York city among very
worthy class of people a great deal of
earnest feeling in opposition TO what is
known as d" The Personal Column in the
great daily newspapers of that metropolis.
This feeling has grown into expressed
sentiment, and has taken on the form of
semi. organization, with the aim Of work
ing a suppression Of the alleged evil, The
journals in question have special adver-
tiling department in which brief and OBJ
scurely.worded, as well as plainly.stated
letters and notices OF personal character,
may be Published. In the great majority
of cases these are ineligible only to the
parties Immediately interested. But in
many instances the names are mentioned,
and the advertisements are made the
vehicles for libelous innuendOes and scan.
dalous publication. Thus, the feelings Of
Mrs. Smith may be imagined when she
takes up the morning paper and finds
personal advertisement addressed TO Smith,
requesting him to meet Clara at the
" Battery" On q matter Of the utmost con-
cern. It makes very little difference to
her that there are over ,. GOO Smiths in
New York. It may be her Smith, aud all
the Mrs. Smiths in the city with living
husbands are in precisely like frame of
mind. These personals, it is well
known, are the means not infrequently
to blaokmail, to persecution, and to serious
injury and trial Of libel case is now
pending, in which it is alleged
that the advertisement was H.
serted for the sole purpose of dis
rupting the domestic peace of the plaintiff.
Aside from these considerations the per-
sonaI column is offensive because it smacks
Of assignation, and the atmosphere eur
rounding it is one of immortality, and is
calculated to corrupt the minds of youthful
readers. But there is another side to the
question. The personal may be entirely
innocent in fact, though apparently dis.
reputable. Il often is the only means Of
reaching one whose whereabouts are IN.
known, and with whom it is desirable to
communicate. 1t is frequently an effective
agent for the detection of crime, and very
often it is the vindicator OF the right and
the protector Of innocence. Now it is OBJ
vious-admitting for the moment that it is
matter for control by society-that the pub.
Usher car. seldom know the difference be.
tween the proper and improper "per-
sonal. :" Two, precisely alike in words, may
be of totally different character. Except
the advertisers take the publisher into their
confidence he cannot well distinguish be-
tween them. But how do the worthy PEG.
pie arraYed in opposition to the evil of the
personal column propose to correct it !?
Under the law prohibiting indecent publ
cations, perhaps but, as We have shown,
it is too difficult matter to be handled in
that way. By appeals to the many pub
fishers of New York perhaps but such
appeals will meet with the barrier of the
pocket, and self.interest is generally deaf.
The establishment of censorship over the
column is not to be thought of under our
laws and system, and therefore the conolu.
sion is reached that there are no remedies
for i. except not to read the personal col.
umn, and to hold the publisher to account
ability for libels uttered through it. Such
advertisements appear in nearly all news.
papers in a greater or less degree, and prob
ably will continue to be published until
public sentiment makes their omission
more profitable than their insertion.