The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-03


quirer, the Record, the Ledger, the Tele-
graphf Take the papers of Baltimore, Boston,
Albany, Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland,
Springfield, Milwaukee, Louisville, Atlanta,
Charleston-almost any city that might be
named, and are their average daily newspa-
pers" fairly answerable to the indictment Of
this average" religious teacher and censor9
There are many things in the average daily
newspaper to be deplored; but they are
the record of the world for the day,
and it is the thing rather than the record
which is deplorable. What we claim and are
ready to maintain is, that the average daily
newspaper does not so present these blots on
the scutcheon of society as to be indicted as
'1eprous with lust and red with tragedy"
There are some papers cleaner and better, more
careful in management and purer in Tone than
the average" but, not caring to assume for
itself any special credit in this direction, the
Journal is willing to stand by and with the
average daily newspaper" of the country in
repelling this ibelous attack. We know of
our own personal knowledge that the average
daily newspaper instructs its special cor
respondents something like this, which we
take from our own circular letter:
s.Do not send items about seduction cases,
bastardy or scandal.
s.All meetings and movements of church
people, and others who are laboring in the in
terests of reforms of all kinds, should be re-
ported"
These are mere induces. Let the files of the
average daily newspaper be consulted, and
we shall be willing to stand by the result Of a
count of space devoted to "lust" and ftrag-
edy" with the columns devoted to wholesome
news, to moral, charitable and even religious
movements. If Dr. Bayliss does not read
daily newspapers so conducted, but does read
those which drip with pestiferous indecency,"
and makes up his average" from his own
reading we beg to say to him that the fault
is his own, and he can easily clarity his mind
and vision by getting up into higher and
purer average"
The attack upon the associated Press is
even more inexcusable than all else. AS a
matter of fact, the Objectionable news that
finds its way into some newspapers is, in
nearly all cases, Especial" The Associated
Press does not ''ransack society for outrages"
1t is the exception for it to take notice of any
case of scandal, and its instructions respecting
all criminal matters are to send them
as briefly as possible. Any man who
reads the worst daily newspaper, and
has intelligence or experience enough to
discriminate, knows that it is not in the AS
ISOLATED Press dispatches that can be found
any approach to the fetid rottenness which
DR.. Bayliss describes. Take some recent in
stances. The Associated Press did not send
the prurient details of the Downs Tabor
scandal. It did not send the details of the
charges against Rev. DR.. Brister, the Metho-
dist minister just expelled from the church
for gross immortality. The fact was noted,
and that was all. It did not send even the
details of the charges upon which Rev. DR..
Pershing, of Pittsburg, another Methodist min
ister was being tried. There have been
charges affecting the characters Of other doc
tors of divinity than the ones named, which
neither the average daily newspaper" nor
II IL
lie. It is a falsehood to say that the Asso-
ciated Press "scents out scandal on a minis
ter of the gospel and filings it in startling
colors before the gaze Of the world If the
average daily newspaper cared to retort in
kind to such an attack from the religious
press, it could easily find ammunition taken
from the advertising columns of so-called
religious newspaper, which columns have
been sold to corrupters and panderers, and
used by them because the religious charac-
ter of the papers opened up fallow field for
such nefarious agriculture. Such blind and
unreasoning attacks as this of the Christian
Advocate are altogether too common with a
certain class of sensationalists and we have
taken some space and trouble to reply to this
one, because we believe the reply to be de-
manded for justice sake, and on behalf of
one of the greatest educating agencies" Of
the day. DR.. Bayliss can do much good by
fair and truthful criticism of the daily press,
but neither he nor anyone else can make the
world one whit better by bearing false witness
against his secular neighbor
IT is not so plain that the New York boy
cotters Of dressed beef know exactly what
they want to accomplish. The complaint