The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-12-10
Mr.. cilchrist's Indictment Of the
Press.

~ The Rev. Mr.. Gilchrist's Indictment
against the press may all be summed up in
the word sensationalism. And by sensa-
tionalism we apprehend that he
and others who use the term mean
sensualism-or that which ministers to
the senses or the appetites in distinction
from that which appeals to the higher part
Of mans nature--quite as much as that
which gratifies the passion for ex-
element. 1t would be useless to deny,
had we any disposition to, that with
proper limitations Mr.. Gilchrist's indictment
Is well founded. That is to say there are
newspapers. some of them very con-
spicuous newspapers too, which are fairly
amenable to some at least Of Mr.. Gilchrist's
charges. Had, therefore, he set proper
metes and bounds to his arragnment we
should have had nothing to say except to
express regret that it was true.
But Mr.. Gilchrist, like many other entbu.
siastic reformers, exaggerates the evil which
he has set out to correct-perhaps BY reason
OF insufficient observation, perhaps, with
the idea that the blacker the evil is painted
the more likely will public sentiment be to
become aroused to 1t. His atten-
ton appears to have been drawn to the SUBJ
ject In the first place by what to him seemed
Inadequate reports Of the general Universal
list convention in the New York papers. He
tells us that these reports, or lack of reports.
excited his righteous indignation. Evident
ly his indignation somewhat warped his
Judgment, as was the case with King David
when the latter exclaimed in his haste that
all men were liars. King David afterwards
revised his judgment Of men, and we are In
clined to think that the Rev. Mr.. Gilcbrist
will, on further reflection, revise his iudg-
ment Of newspapers.
1t Is obviously an exaggeration to say,
as Mr.. Gilchrist does In his sermon, that the
newspapers invent fiction, made to be de-
MED" Newspapers occasionally, no doubt,
do maize statements on what turns out to be
insufficient evidence, but that they are In
the habit of deliberately manufacturing
falsehoods, even the worst OF them, is not
true. "A religious convention is not no.
ticed," says Mr.. GilchrIst, because per Sc,
It's not readable" 1t is difficult to under
stand how man who processes to be
familiar with newspapers could make such
. statement as thet, it is so manifestly con-
trary to the fact. But. says Mr.. Gilchrist.
with the air Of man that considers that he
has settled the matter, "Do we not hear on
every hand that you can tell nothing
by the newspapers, for they are full of lies Pr
Yes, that is sometimes heard; so IL is some
times heard that clergymen are hypocrites,
that they preach merely for their salaries.
and various other things to their discredit.
And the people that make those sweeping
charges against clergymen are of lust about
as much account as the people that assert
that the newspapers print nothing but lies.
The great majority of the statements of the
newspapers are truthful. There is verv
little foundation for charge of unreliabilitv
against the press. Its besetting sin is the
publication Of truthful things which had
better been left unpublished. There is fire.
quentlya lack Of discrimination. but seldom
q lack Of truth.
The best of newspapers. to BIO sure. are not
free from faults. There Is frequently
observable In them lack OF q