Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-02-01
"rIanufaetursd sensationnIisin"
Again.
To thu Editor Of the Free Press and Times;

To thu Editor OF Inc Free Press and Times:
We were glad to see your recent editorial,
Manufactured Sensationalsm." We have
both before and since carefully considered
the subject and commend, without qualifca-
ton your treatment of it. Such sensation
asm, as You well say, produces an intoxica-
ton of the mental faculties as really as alco-
holic stimulants do of the physical and is
as much more dangerous and degrading as
the mental powers are higher and nobler
than the physical. Your words are equally
apt when you make the daily press respon-
sble for stimulating the growth and prev.
aleucc of this morbid sensationalism. 1t is
responsible in other ways than by directly
contracting, with ''scoundrels' for exagger-
ated statements, manufactured fctions and
lies 1t is responsible by paying and print
ing and advertising the low conceits, loose
thoughts and corrupting words of morbid re-
pOrters, scandal mOngers and correspondents
who are eager to write and report something
but too ignorant or depraved to discriminate
between scandal and news. They know
that news is tidings and of the character Of
useful Information, related to intelligence
and promotive of it while scandal is ever
defamatOry and offensive, contrary to both
good manners and morals.
Dhl hOL lhC ivy N''illiSS pupCiS
only are obnoxious to your charge of being
the pQndcrs to vice through their manufac
tured sensatonaism. Not few of the
wcekles in the country are hardly less so.
They are so by the gossiping items, rubbish
aud twaddle which they serve up in their
columns from week to week. These are the
small game which it satisfies these papers to
hunt aud run down Such feed dcpraves the
taste of the boys and girls and lowers the
tone of the family into which it is brought
and the ncghborhood where it comes Not
that there Is sense enough to make u seusa-
ton in these silly items collected from town
to town, if not from house to house. about
what Mr.. A. had and did and said, aud how
his daughter dressed and was visited and
went out to ride and away from home, per
haps to the city or the circus, and how the
cousins Of Mr.. b. came to see him aud bow
his help demeaned themselves, prying into
oil private affairs While these easily col
lected cheap items are as far as the east is
from the west from anything sensational
they arc none the less evil. Extremes meet
In contrast to the sensational reports of rapes
robberies and murders, these items are like
the narcotics, opium, aconitc and belladenna
compared with alcoholic and other slimu
lanls Narcotics induce drowsincss, stupor
sleep, aud SO destroy the power TO act. Thu
they kill Stimuants, on the other hand, d.
the same by over-eXCitement and strainng o
the system till it breaks This senseess mat
ter takes away both the material OF reaec
ton and destroys the power OF thought, AM
leaves its victim destitute and dead.
But there is another department Of bot
the daily and weekly against which thi
change of ministering to evil lies. This
the advertising. The overweight, eXaggeI
ated aud false statements spread out in tn
advertising columns are opposed TO simple
ty, sincerity and truthfulness and lead {
falsehood in conduct and life as well d
words. Theya are as offensive to good taste q
TO good manners and morals. Moreover the
defeat the end for which they are framed. Sci
sible people feel that tue man who will max
false statement in regard to his medicin,
machines, etc, will deceive 10 its manufa
ture also.
But consider these Advertisements in n
ference to the aim and influence Of the p
per. The editorial columns specially OF the p
per are worthy Of respect, inculcale sincerit
simplicity and truthfulness in conduct al
conversation and life. so part OF the pap
in its matter and manner teaches the
Christian graces hut the other part oontr
diets ana c1uuteracts this teaching al
makes its reader familiar with that whit
makes all things common and gives the fal
and the vicious prevalence. Besides Il rals
the suspicion that the paper is one
price more than principle. Some OF 4
advertisements, like "Hop Bitters," tou