The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-05-28

) structor in its ready and skillful use
e Upon it in large measure rests the re
: sponsibility of right education in a pur
+ style of expression. it is related of thI
r elder Bennett, the founder of the New
York Herald, that he thus addressed al
+ aspiring young journalist, just entering
: the profession: "Young man, you seen
to think that the province of the news
! paper is to instruct and improve. You
I are mistaken; it is to astOnish and
amuse" And in that dictum he has
been followed by a numerous genera
i ton. They eagerly seized upon it and
{ emblazoned it as the lofty motto Of their
journalistic career. But in face of a
history so remarkable and an enterprise
50 successful, [ must submit that his
declaration cheapens and degrades the
. high mission Of the press. Nor does his
own mighty and mammoth Herald sus-
: tain the assertion. What other columns
81 teen with news from all lands and
climes? What other metropolitan com
mands the varied gifts and learning OF
81 many cultured writers? What other
leaders more signally display the classic
grace Of Addison, with the epigrammaLie
freshness of Prentice and the sturdy
strength of Carlyle, that master of let
ters, who has been facetiously denomi-
mated. "a trip-hammer with an Aoelian
attachment
And yet there are editors who consider
the ready use of a mOngrel vocabulary
a sure evidence of journalistic genius
know some papers that seem to be
| 4 hala
and swagger Now, mark you, do not
advise a staid stiffness and somnolent
dulress of style that merit and prOphesy
a speedy funeral and place in the Gem
etery of newspaperdOm already crowded
with the tombs os Inflated enterprises.
There must be vivacity, vividness and
vigOr-the sparkle and freshness Of
striking expresSiOn--tOc command readers
and achieve success. PrOsaic precision
| is an enemy to stirring effect and ''pene
trative energy" But on the contrary,
coarseness and slang, slovenly by-words
and impure expletises are to be avoided
as degrading to the dignity of the pro-
fessi0n and corrupting to our pure idio
matte English.
Again let US consider journalism IN lis
'relation to public morals In the grasp
and sweep of peerless enterprise so char
acteristic of the modern press, there is
| too little discrimination as to the quality
of news served up for eager readers. In
| deed scandal and crime seems to have
| the preference with an industrious,
wide-awake newsgatherer. | would not
restrain the imperial spirit of enterprise
or lay repressing hand upon its glorious
courage, but an improvement in the
manner of displaying the immoral Is the
| demand of sensitive virtue and public
morality. If criminal news is given, ii
should not be portrayed in humorous
phase or emblaz0ned with flaming head
lines. This only feeds a vicious senti
ment and becomes very curse to purity
and young ambition. And vet all the
horrible and disgusting details of crime
are often written up with a sensational
flourish and spiritof flippant, merrymak-
ing, that cannot fail to fatally poison
the very fountain of domestic and
national life. Who has not read ac-
counts of dreadful atrocities portrayed
with n CHASTITY facetiousness and ribald
iOculaTitv that almost shamed blush OF
decency from the cheek? And often
you have felt the despair expressed by
another, "Who shall antidote or !disin |
feet after such contagion what moral |
prophylactic resist the virus of such |
souI-poisoningP' 1t NAV be replied |
however, that an editor only supplies the |
market-that he furnishes the wares |
most in demand. But it is unworthy OF |
a true conception of journalistic respon-
sibility, and resolves itself into the ques-
ton of mans right to accomplish the |
degradation of another. For the honor |
of our noble profession we ought TO
frown down that muck rake journalism
that feeds It's readers on garbage and the |
malOdorous decoctiOns of misery, vul- |
garity, vice aud crime | do not ask that
every journalist should become homi4ist |
or moral censor, but do plead for a
lofty sense of public responsibility |
founded upon and inspired by the purest
moral philosophy. On every page of his
paper should be reflected the expression
of a true manhood, and every damp |
sheet fresh from the press, should enfold |
the aroma of pure and generous patriot |
ism.
Again let us consider journalism IN ats |
relation to prirate character. Public men !
and their official dOings are legitimate |
and necessary measures of discussion |
and criticism. 1t is well for republican |
governments that their officials live and |
labor under the sleepless eye OF an enter !
prising press. They are public property |
in their official relations, and have no
reason to resent fair and honorable ar
raignment of their administrations But /
their private character should be pre-
served inviolate from public gaze The |
i Il IL. bah hal1 Cd
for its secrets to be revealed to the world. |
And that species of journalism that in
yades its sacred portals deserves the
execrati0n Of an outraged public senti-
ment. rejoice In the untrammeled free
dom of the press, but lament any single
instance of degeneracy into license. And
here | want to commend the manly
words of the Lord Chief Justice of Eng
land in delivering the recent opinion of
the court in case OF libel:
aNo one who breathes the English air
or who has ever had his heart touched
or his Judgment moved by the 'Areopa
gitica' of Milton, will doubt that the
| free press of this country has been upon
the whole an unspeakable blessing, or
will desire i'm any degree to narrow its
| lawful growth or impede in any man
uer its lawful exercise. Public affairs,
public men-using the expression of
public men in its largest possible sense
literature, art, science, religion, the
catalogue might be indefinitely extended
these things are the lawful topics of the
press: and Of these things the discussion
| is, and hope always will be practically,
absolutely unfettered. But when We
come to private matters, very different
considerations obviously at once arise.
Public men, in England at least, must
submit to public comment as one OF the
| necessary incidents of their career. But
private men-indeed, all men, whether
public or private-in their private rela-
| tions are entitled to have tleir privacy
respected. Why should we have our
lives pried into, our movements watched,
our dress recorded, our company cata-
| Iogued, our most private relations drag
ged into the light of day-not for any
conceivable good to the gr.at English
people, but only to crafty the foolish
/ vanity or the abject curiosity of small
minority Of the privileged class? find
/ it difficult to believe that any mans
! mind can find pleasure in feeding upon
the sort of food with which the columns
Of this paper now before me are filed.
And / can hardly believe that any edu-
Gated and able gentleman could feel
ANYTHING but humiliation and self-con-
tempt in having to supply such food
We have, therefore, to deal with gross
/ personal libel in a paper which lives
upon the publication Of the most utter
! " attenaated personalities.
j Again / want to consider journalism u
1s yefation 70 Journalists The ethics Of
journalistic fraternity needs emphasis
and illustration. No other profession Is
8 dependent upon mutual association
and inter-commnnication and vet none