Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-24
Newspapers and Their Critics.

ron inc 81. LOUIS GLOBE Democrat.
We have class Of critics in this country who
make it their special province to decry
the alleged flippancy and superfcislity of the
newspapers. With an assumption of superior
wisdom that never justifies itself by its works
they declare in persistent and tiresome way
that the daily press is q mere puryeyor of idle
gossip and loose opinions of men and things.
One Of these arrogant apostles Of culture. Mr..
Chas. Eliot Norton, insists that even the larg-
est and strongest OF our public Journals '.ad-
dress themselves solely TO the task of giving
the news of the day. and the items of rews
which they collect with the most assiduity are
those which crafty a vicious taste for sensa-
tons, scandals, coarse personalities and the
like" He is good enough to admit that these
papers must be assumed to meet the demands
of the majority Of readers, or they would not
survive and flourish; but that only emphasizes
The fact. he concludes, that the editors are en-
gagged in a sort Of conspiracy to prevent the
people from obtaining solid and profitable
men tai food.
The injustice and unfairness of this estimate
could hardly be more pronounced. Ii is true
that the papers make the publication of news
the duty OF first importance. Their philosophy
is based upon the idea that the people are
mainly interested in current events; but il does
not include q preference for the trifiing aid
demoralizing over the substantial and bene-
fetal They take things as they find them
because they cannot do otherwise, but the
space which they devote TO scandal and crime
is very small compared with that which they
give TO matter OF better sort. In the true
sense OF the term, they are the historians of
the period In which We live. The facts which
they daily present are the materials which go
to make up the annals of civilization. II
these facts are not always vast and splen-
did, they are still potent and significant. We
cannot expect TO be continually making history
In q grand and tremendous fashion: but the
story goes on, nevertheless, and its details are
worth reporting, even IL they do lack the quail
ity Of SURPRISING pith and moment. The news
papers would be very glad to have only occur
rences of . lofty and magnificent kind 70
chronicle, but such occurrences do not come 70
pass at command. For the most part, the
world moves in Q commonplace manner, and
the great events are rs miracles. II is not quite
true, perhaps, - prominent editor remarked
the other day, that anything which God per-
mits to happen may be justiiiably printed; but
it may certainly be claimed that the papers
have right to record small things when large
ones are not to be found.
When everything has been said upon the
question Of news, however, as the word il COM
monty understood, there yet remains the fact
that the papers are prompt to publish all the
best specimens Of current thought in every
branch Of knowledge. The competent editor
regards such things as news and never misses
tnem In the course Oh u year great paper pre-
SCENTS its readers with everything of value that
is produced by the worlds students and inves-
tigators. Hardly day passes that room is not
made for columns which contributes effectively
to what Mr.. Norton calls 1.-THE DEVELOPMENT
Of rational intellectual curiousity and self-irn-
provement." The contant tendency is toward
the substitution Of such matter for that OF
light and transient character. In spite of
all that the scoffeB and pessimists sav
10 the contrary, the American people are
steadily gaining in intelligence and culture:
and the newspaper press is by no means the
least forceful agency Of their advancement. Il
adapts itself TO their taste in q certain sense
and In another sense il instructs and expands
and uplifts that taste. The select champions
Of sweetness and light who can see no good in
this busy and pervssive influence have failed
10 grasp its meaning and appreciate il con-
quests. They contemplate 4 from . point Of
view which h neither candid on the one hand
nor accurate on the other. Their criticisms,
therefore, have no weight, and only serve 70
advertise spirit Of prejudice and bigotry
which Is without any plsusible excuse.