The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1892-05-05
THE BLACK CAT.
The MODERN JUDAS or AMERICAN
JOURNALISM.

| NEW YORK, May before his ser
mon in Association hall this morning.
Mr.. Dixon reviewed the subject Of the
vicious tendenci.s Of certain class Of
American newspapers Tie said;
There are to b. found black sheep in
nearly every fold So American jour
nalism has Its Black Cat The animal
seems 10 have grown in size Of late
| The unusual amount of rich ofTal seized
| oy it as food in the anomalous temporary
developments of our political and social
life doubtless accounts for this growth.
The development of such monstrosity
8 a serious and interesting fact.
The position Of an editor of news
paper of today is as solemn trust as
hat of a minister of the Gospel The
press, in fact, has absorbed many Of the
functions of the minister of religion.
The responsibilities Of such position
are greater because the number of lives
directly effected is greater He has
the power to poison the minds and I'M
nerve the arms of tens of thousands
daily with hatred, lies, ISLANDERS and ap-
peals to the basest instincts of the an
imal, or to lift the world from the slum-
Der of the night to the duties of a new
day in the arms of love, truth, courage,
hope and faith.
| THE MODERN JUDAS.
| There is no man of modern times who
speaks with such supreme power as he
who dictates the management of great
newspaper. The secret Of the power to
bless or the power to damn the life of
man is his.
He is the minister of the most high
God charged with keeping the sacred
fires of truth burning along the worlds
highways that sweep through darkness
into the infinite and eternal.
He who betrays this solemn trust is
the Judas Iscariot of modern times.
For, charged with the life of those to
whom he ministers, he betrays inno-
cence and weakness for the sake of filthy
gain. Charged with protecting the
wayfarer, he is the friend of highway
man and assassin.
wish we could say that no such paper
throws It's accursed shadows across our
daily Life. But we have them. We GER
tainly have at least one conspicuous ex-
ample in New York, and there are many
smaller lights that trim their lamps by
| its standards 1t is the evil genius in
| fact that, with its single red eye, has
thrown its spell over thousands Of
bright minds. What are the simple
facts in the history of this journal which
finds its way even into many Christian
homes in our midst? 1t is great daily
| Police Gazette. Crime, SANDER, scandal
and criminal sport" are the staple.
| These fill the choicest positions. The
record of prize fight takes precedence
over the words of any statesman or phi
lanthropist.
THE FRIEND OF CRIME.
This paper poses as the exponent of
civic and political virtue. The record
of its columns shows that it has been
the friend and public champion of near
ly every great thief and scoundrel who
has figured in the disgrace of New York
| during the past generation. 1t even pro-
posed to canonize its ideal statesman,
| William M. Tweed, before his death.
But Mr.. Tweed left his country for his
country's good before they had time to
make the cast of his image for the ped
estal
During this period 1t has sought to
assassinate the character of every great
man, upon whose success its malignant
eye has rested, if it dared. And there
are but few things in this line it has not
dared. The greatest compliment ever
paid distinguished president of the
| United States is that this editor hates
him SO intensely that he publicly curses
him every day in the year. Future
generations, therefore, even more than
his own, will Glove him for the enemies
he has made" To be praised by such a
power is to be damned. To be cursed
and slandered by it is a sure index to
honesty, integrity, worth, manhood.
AN INTELLECTUAL PROSTITUTE.
1t poses as the friend of the working
man, and in every battle for life and
progress it is found on the side of the
strong against the weak. 1t is the self
styled defender of womanhood, and yet
fills its news columns with such unutter-
able filth that no decent woman can
touch it without contamination.
Its news is gathered with consummate
skill and edited with unquestioned
genius. 1t is therefore the most bril-
liant example we have Of a shameless,
intellectual prostitute.
1t has much to say on religion. 1t
champions ultra-orthodoxy, knowing
that its readers have long since aban-
doned such positions, hoping thus to de-
stroy the faith of man and deceive the
feeble minded
A BRILLIANT sUNFLOwER-
1t studies the brightest dreams Of the
social and religious reformer, that with
the hot breath of materialism it may
blast every aspiration of man for larger
and fuller life.
In other words, to change the figure,
it is the most brilliant sUN-fower
that blossoms today in the dung
heap of modern civilization. Its color
is as gorgeous as its perfume is
fetid. Its roots take hold upon the sa-
loon, the gambling hell, the dive, the
brothel, and from them draws their rich
est life When the streets and sewers Of
our civic life are flushed with pure water
it will disappear with the filth from
which it sprang.
1t is unnecessary to mention the name
of this paper. Ii you have ever seen il
you will recognize it from this descrip
ton. If you have never seen it you ar
fortunate, aid have no desire to intro
duce you to vice.
Suffice it to say, Christian men and
women, you should no more take such I
sheet into your home than you would
tear the fostering rags from the dead
body of leper and wrap them around
the body of a newborn babe.