The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-07-30
The Moral Influence Of tho
FreGC.

An E4.ay read BY Col. H. t. Gib.or, Of
Knoxville, at the meeting ol the lcnnos cr
Press Association in that city recently.
Every reading person read, nc%spa
pcrs, and many who cannot read hear
them read There is - magic power in
prut. What is printed has three times
the force Of what is spoken. And what
is printed does not awaken the samoan
tasonism As what is spoken. There is
something in the speaker, in hi. ante
ccdcnls, in his voice, in his face, Ut IN
his manner, that oilcnlimcs almost un.
consciously cngcndcrs hostility print
never does.
The young can read and will read
what they would not dare to listen TO if
spoken, even il spoken by one Of their
own sex and age and will read It with,
out bInshing, and with that pleasure
that makes stolen waters sweet,
These considerations should cause cv-
cry newspaper editor to resolve not to
diminish the almost magical influence Of
print by any untrulhtnlucss, uncaarita-
blcncss, immortality or immudcsly. The
Mussulman looks on print rs sacred.
The child regards It as visible truth.
And even the most shcpllcal Of men
give half Of their Judgment, at least, in
favor of what is in PRINT.
1t should, therefore, be the pride OF
the editor To see to il that what goes in
To his columns aS facts should be- 81
true, 50 i,"pari,ally tue, that no read
cr woad ever think Of saying, "Wcll
I'll read what the other side has to say
before swallow this !"
II he delivers IN opinion on any mat
ter, he should strive 10 divcst himself Of
all narrowucsS, Of all Partially, Of all
prejudice, of all selfish considerations,
and, apply the principles Of rccli,
tndc, applicable to the matter in hand
MAKE Il dclivcruucc clcaras the sunshine,
pure as the dcw-drop, true us Il court
record, moving 10 the conclusion as u
river To the sen, and full Of intellectual
and moral nourishmcnt for these who
are to feed upon it.
a newspaper man who directly, or
indirectly, inslils into the minds Of his
readers disregard for the laws Of his
country is spreading abroad an intcc-
ton worse than small poX or lcproSy
lie should ever remember that law Is
the source Of all human progress and
the protector of all human rights that
law makes the weak equal to the strong
and the poor equal to the rich, and that
without law not onl " is society imposSi-
bic, but II selfish and solitary bcastlincss
inevitable.
To inculcaic obedience to the law and
respect for its officers is, perhaps, the
highest moral duty o! every editor
coupled with the further duty Of I'M
siarngly exposing and icarIcssly lash.
ing every official who acts either the
tyrant, the coward or the knavc.
The Press is the ever vgilnnt sentinel
whose unslceping eye and unshcathod
sword guard, ut once the individual,
the family and the Slatc--ns well from
open foes without MS from secret foes
within.
But IN pursuing this mission, par
tisanship must not be taken for patriot
ism, and prejudice must not be con.
founded with public spirit. To do full
justice 10 II political opponent must ever
be u chivalrous impulse and not to
spare an unworthy oflicial in ones par
~, n sacred duty.
The editor, whose ambition is to
wield the greatest moral influence, must
that his pen should belong to
no man, to no faction, to no creed; but
he must dictate it to his God and to his
dipping it into the sweet ink of
truth and writing words whose sole mis-. |
sion il to inform, to instruct, to cnkin- I
die noble resolves and to incite to hon. !
orabc deeds.
When n community realizes that
paper is edited for the public good, that !
aus mission is to elevate, to purify, to 4
INSPIRE, that It is superior to bribery or I
and is proof against cowarlice
and seliishness, then has that paper nc. ,
quired u moral influence there that is i
we'll nigh omnipotcnt, and dcservcdlv |
~, for there can be no fountain that
lows more blessings for the people than 4
newspaper that is bold, honest, pure |
nd wide awake.
BIT the newspaper must not only be ,
lie champion Of law and order and the f
Iposer and avenger Of public wrongs o
vi official misdeeds, but it must iorcv. Ii
remember that law without educa. c,
IN is Il light without eyes to see il, p,
d that education without morality is, g
best, Il cross-eyed vision. IT.
In promoting education the press is
gagged in most congenial work, the d.
rk, indeed, Of selfprcservation; for lie