Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-06-29

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Q
WRITES.

| Il is peculiarly fitting that the literature
that is offered 20 the home circle should
| be of pure Tone The senior members oil
the family have no desire for reading OF q
degraded nature, and it is their duty to
stand between the half formed character
| OF children and the vile influences to which
they are susceptible The home is
training station FIR the young. where they
learn to command BY first opeying. where
tendencies of future career are given, and
where causes are set in operation that dull
the moral instinct or give it keen dis
elimination; and from the portals OF this
home, the child. at last full grown, shall
depart into independent existence to prey
uson his fellow men or to be unit IN
higher civilization, largely as the infiu-
ences received at home shall direct him.
In the home life OF the present age litera-
ture takes an important part and to Its
effect in stimulating correct living. or en-
ticing into transgressiens, is attributed
much that is good or evil in the mission
of life.
Then let no publication be acceptable
in the household or find place there, ii
any of its contents would violate the
sanctity that should rule there. Especial
ly the journals devoted TO home topics
should be free from Objectionable matter.
There are such journals that creep into
the household, showing conspicuously the
name and article of some writer OF high
character, but otherwise filed with the
cheapest and trashiest matter and display
ing advertisements of an obscene and vii
lainous character. Such publications
creep INTO the family circle, deceiving the
uninitiated with parade OF the chief con-
tributor's name and work, which are gen.
orally supposed to be a password admit
ting without question all that are in COM
pany. But beneath this evidence OF hit
ness for family reading are sometimes
found the trash and venom that constitute
the remainder of the publication. the
waste of family money and time in buy
ing and reading and the poison that is
lying in wait to strike its fangs into the
mind OF youth.
Is . contributor, upon whose good rep
utation such publication is fioated, justi-
fed in selling his or her name and efforts,
Of the base uses that the pur-
chaser makes of themp Decidedly not.
No writer can be held blameless who
does not cut loose from such an alliance.
The leading work tor such household
magazine may better be done by Mistress
Quickly, and to her, any writer of at least
fair repute, would do we'll to resign his
situation. If he does not he cannot rem
der an equivalent to other purchasers of
the product of his pen who place it in pub
locations conducted on high plane of pu-
rity and excellence. What a shock it is
to reader of such journals to discover
that they who write therefor, and who
are loved impersonally in every
household, also write for the
unclean papers, not only without worthy
associate on its pages, but in positively vile
company. A writer who so loses self
respect must suffer in the readers estima-
ton. The publisher of the better journal
is injured by this conduct, tor he buys not
words and ideas alone. but choiceness OF
and wben he finds that this is
so carelessly held as to be made the con-
sort of unnatural associates. the readers
lowering estimate reflects upon him and
his magazine. This practice ought to be
checked by some of our good writers who
are guilty of it. in the Interest of the re-
gard in which they are held and in justice
to those who buy their wares.-7he Paper
World