The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1884-05-31

culation amounts to twenty-eight millions.
This is equaled by no other people in the
world. The value of such publications to
civilization may, therefore, be best studied
among the States of our Union.
To those living under republican gov
ernment the newspaper supplies the means
of bringing about the unity of sentiment
on questions of public concern so necessary
to harmony of action. In the popular gov
ernments of ancient times, it was the priv
ileged few of the cities and larger towns,
and especially of the capital, who really
did the ruling. Those out of hearing of
the orator, those living away in the wales
and tilling the soil or watching their focks
and herds, feared the vaguely conceived
power of State and were ignorant of its
agents, except the taxgatherer and the COM
mon executives. This veil of darkness
which, until far into the eighteenth century,
hung over every part of the land not in
immediate intercourse with the metropolis,
has been lifted mainly by the newspaper.
Like the lamp borne about on the head of
a miner, it illuminates every corner en-
livened by the presence of man. The farm
or in the thinly settled prairies of the West,
for one dollar per annum may lay before
him weekly in his little hut the opinions of
the ablest men of the times. The moral
and intellectual influence thus brought to
bear upon him, could reach him by 10
other means. That statesman who is the
pride of his couutryrneu speaks in this way,
not only to those within the range of his
voice, but to tens of thousands besides,
scattered over the wide extent of the
Union. His ideas are caught up by the
eager reporter and sent abroad, attended
with editorial criticisms which elucidate and
enforce them in such a manner as almost
| to preclude the POSSIBILITY of their falling
void, even upon the humblest mind. The
rapidity with which they gosecures to them
all the advantages of being close upon the
events or issues to which they relate, of
being still warm from the heart of him
who uttered them, and of being fresh on
the tongues of thousands all over the land,
so as to form the topic of conversation for
nation at once. Hence, as Macaulay OBJ
serves, the speeches of statesmen are ad-
dressed now more to the reporters in the
galleries than to the audience. Political
aspirants dare not endeavor by the art of
eloquence to impose such gross fallacies on
modern assembly as did the orators of
Greece and Rome upon those of their day,
| for what is now said in warmth and heard
with excited interest in the evening, may
be read at leisure in the morning.
In the early decades of newspaper his
| tory, that class which gave character to
government and shaped the destiny of the
! nation looked down with contempt upon
those who made it their life-work to inform
the masses of what was going on in the
world around them. It was extremely Of
sensive to men in power that their conduct
should be watched closely and published
for the nation to talk about. In England,
| an effort was made to prevent it. But the
ever-increasing necessity of resorting more
and more to moral influence to maintain
political prestige, was too clearly pointed
out to the majority. The effort failed, and
the right of newspapers to publish and crit
icise the proceedings of public bodies be-
came recognized. The more sagacious, as
Hamilton, Jefferson and others, in America,
seeing in it the means of operating direct
ly on the people, wrote for the popular
press. In England, the Lords, though not
condescending to do the same, employed
with not less effect such men as Swift,
Prior and Atterbury to do it for them.
By showing the people what power lay in
them, what rights were theirs and how to
regard rulers, the newspaper became allied
to the true source of political power and
gradually made itself respected even by
princes. It has called to its service some
of the best intellects of the past and pres
ent generation. It has, therefore, come to
be looked upon, not merely as a medium
for transmitting news to inform the igno-
rant or amuse the curious, but also as the
great commentator on current events and
COuultiS iSoucSs ttuO DIS Ouo WHOSE Opinions
are to be questioned with difference, even
by statesmen themselves. By controlling
and shaping popular sentiment, it already
determines to no small extent who shall
ELL the great Offices of State, and it will thus
in course of time absorb many of the other
more substantial powers of government.
Even courts of Justice, as the trial of
Guiteau will show, are not exempted from
its influence.
Its CONTROL over the public mind increases
with the number of departments of thought
to which it becomes devoted and with the
amount of special talent employed in them.
The first newspapers confined themselves
almost entirely to political and military
affairs. To these have been added depart
ment after department. The editorial
corps of the future promise to include men
skilled in manipulating the ideas bearing
upon every institution, profession or art
that may engage the attention of the
public. And as this shall come to be the |
case, there shall be developed along with it |
a greater necessity for men of extensive !
learning, great breadth of mind and power |
of execution to successfully superintend |
editorial work. Thus will the publishing
house afford an excellent training school |
for many of those who shall in future pro-