The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-09-10
NEWSPAPERS.
What They Are Deing for the World.


I sat one evening in my easy chair, look
ing across the paper lying in my lap, at the
glowing Goals in my open CRATE. My thoughts
wandered over the past and the present L
thought of the scattered tribes of long ago.
Then, of tho isolated peoples, each one, like
China to-day, fancying itself the center Of the
earth shut in with its own petty egotism and
with no means of communication with the rest
of mankind. Then ! saw the courier on horse
back, on a laborious and dangerous journey,
taking some message over a slow and little
travelled route. Picture after picture, phase
after phase of industrial development passes
by my mental vison until at last | see the seas
turned into ferry-ways and the continents into
networks of rail and wire. The earth has be-
come vast whispering gallery And the paper
in my lap has caught up and stcreotyped all
that the great world said and did yesterday,
and thus has tossed the globe upon my break
fast table. Two or three cents now bring more
information to every door than even the learned
of mankind could know a hundred years ago.
Wisdom is gift of nature, and is not to be
found even in books. But to-day even the
poorest man may be intelligent if he will. If
he cannot be well educated, he can at least be
well shattered" which Gail Hamilton says is
the next best thing And this marvel the news
paper has wrought.
In its accomplishment of this work the news
paper has done something grandcr still, OF
which perhaps neither editors nor others have
taken sufficient account. Not even all the
preachers have dcne so much as the newspapers
in developing practical sense of human
brotherhood. and so helping on that kingdom
of man which is the real kingdom OF God.
Isolation means misconceptions, and, as n con-
sequence, enmity. If he is a foreigner, fling
stone at him-that is the old impulse born of
supposed self-interest. No one sensible man
wishes even foreign war, for he has learned
tho ppupity of hmm int And Moth
ing has done so much to spread this knowledge
as the newspapers. They are helping Peace
on earth, goodwill to man." more than all the
Christmas sermons
Another noble service of the newspapers is
that of creating an arena for free debate on all
debatable subjects in heaven and on earth. 1T
constitutes a universal town meeting for poll
tics, a moro than royal society for science,
real ecumenical council for religion. Any one
paper may be ever so narrow, ever so much of
an organ" but it cannot prevent some mans
starting another paper across the way, and 1t
cannot hinder the peoples reading both of
them. So, first or last, all subjects have
chance for free and unbiased discussion And
from such discussion the truth has every
thing to hope, and error everything to fear.
Heretofore timid opinions have had abundant
opportunities for stunning the direct rays of
investigation. But the day of universal read
ing has dawned. Universal thinking will fol-
low. Then wo to that which is afraid of
thought. All this was impossible hundred
years ago, or in any age preceding that. But
now it advances in geometrical progression.
More than all other agencies, the newspaper is
doing this. Henceforth, if any man holds
pet opinion. of the truth of which he is not
quite sure, and yet that he is specially anxious
to keep, let him make certain that the recep-
tacle he treasures it in is lightproof. The at
mosphere of the coming age will not be favor
able to the preservation of perishable fruits,
whether in politics. science or religion.
One other Office the newspaper fills, that OF
public conscience and detective. The collective
newspapers of the world form a sort of world
brain, through which mankind comes to q con-
sciousneSS of itself. And in this mirror of
world-consciousneSs ii sees and passes judgment
on world-actions Never before were the ma
tions so amenable to the common conscience of
mankind. No secrets can long be kept. There
is nothing covered that shall not be made
known. To-day there is no nation so mighty
but it fears to be brought before the bar OF
public opinion. Wars are no longer undertaken
lightly. Their methods are become more HUI
name, and the weakest and most struggling
people knows it has an advocate in the uni
verSal sense of right, of which even the most
cOnscienceless despot is afraid. American
opinion influences the course of war in China.
And Russian diplomats must reckon with the
tone of the German press. So hastens on the
parliament of man, the federation of the
world" Without the newspaper to bring public
opinion to bear, and to serve as the medium
for the public conscience, the old isolation
would return again, and all this would be inn
possible. In a similar though less important
way, the newspaper serves az a detective in in
dividual cases. The time is rapidly approach
ing when there will be no last corner left on
earth in which criminal can securely hide
Even now there are few places where he Is not
in danger of reading description Of himself
in the first paper he picks up. as he looks for
the time Of departure of the next train.