The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1884-05-08
For the Posi-.
LIE PRE3ENT TENDENCY OF
PERIcCIoAL LITERATURE.

tendency Of their literature. The
matter contained in item seems al,
moot invariably to bo cf au inferior
order, ard some Of it maufesily i'm
moral The last ten years have
Witnessed startling multiplication
| Il story papers, police gaaettcs
Sunday papers, aud tue Ike, all
teoming with literature OF u light.
hishy and degontrate character.
Aud nearly all Of these publications
beast Of calculations numbering
many thousands, showing that they
trc well palronized aud we'll read
all over the country. 1t is news to
40 one, indeed, that reading matter
Of this kind has been condemned By
our educated men and wonon aud
that a sort OF sluggish war has been
waged against it But yet few,
even cf those who are arrayed
against il, have n fail comprehension
Of the tone Of tho stories and novels
published by these papers, and Of
the harm they are causing. This is
true simply from the fact that few Of
our better class Of readers take up
these shallow productions and read
them. Knowing that they are Of
M inferior standard they do not care
to waste time upon Ills, or if they
do attempt TO read them they be-
come so thoroughly disgusted that
they never read very far. Were
they however, to examine them they
would fud the plots of these stories
OF the most Pleasant aud enticing
kind, full of absurd ic'uros Of unreal
life, glowingly panied in fnlse col.
ors rich with sentimental foolish
ness plenty of immortality aud
wickedness for spice, and virtue
which SHAKESPEARE would liken to
two grains of wheat, hid in two
bushels Of chaiI, you shall sock all
lay cle yuu ind them and when
You have them they are not worth
the search Every page OF these
periodicals abounds with impure
thoughts. Vice, ein and crime are
held mp for admiration, aud the
modcsty aud virtue Of wcmon il
dragged from It's shrine and tumbled
~ the filth and mire Of this din.
bollcal literature. immortality j.
pictured as virtue, aud good j,
neld up to ridicnlo and scoln. Do
sou d ubt this ? Simply read
Translation Of somo French serial, t.
be found in almost any Of these pa
pars. If that doeo not convince you,
nothing will.
Now turn frr moment and see
what effect tho reading of this litera-
ture has upon the MUD, especially
in the case Of the young. In every
instance it is peruicious, In read
ing tue mind assiinlates certain por
tlons aud stores them MP. 1t is ev,
leut, Of cIursc, that nothing good
or Of any value can be derived from
this low class of literature but on
the other hand, the influence exert
ed upon the mind is of IN injurious
nature and tends to weaken it. BY
reading material Of this kind il fin
ally game a bold upon the mind to
such nm extent that it becomes a
morbid desire. TGcro is craving
for these fascinating storics, which
the will OF the young re der is un,
able to resist. As III intemperauce
the body Graves and demands slim
ulants, so the mind ruled 10y u Ike
appetite, longs for this literature, all
taste for sound, solid matter being
destroyed. As a result the mind
must finally became drbased
This same tendency to the sensa-
tional is slightly beginning to mani
fest itself in onr daily papers, Aud
for this the readers are to great
extent to blame. Unless the articles
in the papers are written in sensa.
tioual style, many throw the paper
aside aud say il is dry, Crime must
he more than truthfully portrayed,
vice AMI immortality must not be
covered by veil tho details and
incidents OF every scandal must be
carefully collected else it will not
suit tue reader. Recognizing this
feeling on tho part of the majority
Of its readers, the publishers of II
paper enaeavor to make it "spicy"
and lively as they are pleased to
term it. The press can create an
other order of opinion and is to be
censured for not pursuing such n
plan. America is threatened by a