St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-06-24
THE MISSION OF NEWS.

The man who did not deem it neces-
sary to take newspaper because his
father left him barrel of old ones has an
occasional representative, even among
those who fancy they should be called
intelligent. A professional gentleman
of middle age. i'll this city. remarked re-
Gently that his newspapers cost him
about the same as his religion, very
rare nickel. His information on gen.
eral matters and current history is
very much like that of the lady who re-
ferred to the perSonator of LINCOLN in
the recent war drama as BUCHANAN,
and insisted that the latter was presi-
dent during the war. a man may be
able to administer pills or do sort of
law business without keeping informed
of the transactions and thought of the
times. An OK team was once sufficiently
rapid for travel, or the canal boat; but
they are not the transit for this
age. 1t seems to somes minds an I'M
healthy appetite that Graves news. 1t
will be remembered that st. PAUL once
alluded to the people of Athens as
''eager to hear or tell some new thing"
But they were the brightest and most
entertaining people that one will find IN
a score of old centuries. 1t is this avid
ity for news that marks the contrast of
ii e present time with the eighteenth
century. The demand for news was
nota popular one then. The newspaper
press was in its infancy. The publica-
tons. few and meager, were sometimes
lively and gossippy. as with Addison's
Spectator; but mainly engroSsed with
arguments and principles. The first
papers in this country did not afford
any suspicion that ''the nose for news"
was on the scent. But the evolu-
tionary process went on, the APP
petite for news growing as the
demand was met. The developm ent
has been marvellous. and its manifesto
tions are sometimes deprecated by NOR
alters who have fingered into the wrong
age. The constant service of the We
hicles of news has become necessity
to intelligence and intellectual growth.
The woman who brought suit for di-
vorce because her husband refused TO
furnish her a daily paper, although
abundantly able, was type not only of
the coming woman, but pretty nearly
of the one who has already come. 1t
will in the future be as grave all offenSe
against domestic prOpriety not to fur
nish the family the news of the day as
to be niggardly in food and clothes.
The notion that the chief service of
the constant presentation of the events
of the passing time is to crafty an un-
profitable curiosity is grave mistake.
History is being made day by day. The
world is photographed as it revolves
diurnally. There is no portion of it out
of the range Of the news gatherer. The
man who loses hold of the picture as it
passes for even few days becomes out
of gear. He is without the basis for in
telligent opinions. The newspapers
furnish the facts, and they evolve in the
mental crucible opinions. Take the
man who has been secluded the past
two or three months and has had no
newspapers. He hears the words bac-
carat and prince, and they bring up 10
phase of present history, although they
may have much to do with the So
cial and political life of great
unknown physician to him, and
not sound reach him of the fractur-
ing of old theological crockery. He
would not know whether JOHN BARDs-
LEY or JOHN WANAMAKER was the
honest man in Philadelphia. The dis
coveries and Improvements in the ma
terial ranges of society would be all I'M
intel IiUihIe tO him when referred tO l1y
the Informed. In politics he might not
know that DoNNELLY would be a GIN
CINNATUs and not CESAR, and would
not understand that the Republicans
have already found the bottom of the
national treasury and are struggling to
keep their heads above the pit below.
In fact, man might as well go back to
the murky stage as to not keep up with
the news of the time.