The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-11

q Satanic press, any more than all itera-
ture is Satanic that impartiaily acknowl-
edges the presence and power of evil as
well as good in this life, and describes the
daily march of human life as conscien-
tiously as it would that Of a great army,
with its heroes and its poitroons, its true
soldiers and its straggiers, its great COM
manders and its abject camp followers
that cozen the living and plumber the dead.
Nevertheless there is a Satanic press
which stands for an abuse and misuse OF
the high and benefcent opportunities and
functions of journalism. A Satanic press
is newspaper that denies that there is
any difference between pulpit and pea
nut stand; between the function Of
preacher and teacher and the attitude
and moral responsibility of the itinerant
ouack who sells cheap nostrums, sings
flash songs and expectorates smutty stor-
les between sales 1t is the reviler of all that
is humane or gracious in human nature;
it is a corner gossip, printing anonymous
scandal. ribaldry and covert or open obscen-
ity according to its commercial judgment
whether there is a safe market for it within
the law. 1t gives itself no more concern
about principles than Democratic Con-
gresham Tim Campbell, who said: ITO
hi wild the constitooshen; what is lit
tie matter like the constitooshen among
friends" 1t is always silent when power
fui corporations betray public trusts or
public servants prostitute themselves for
pelf. 1t never subjects candidates for
Office to any fearless analysis of their
capacity or worth. Its concern is not with
the defense of principles that underlie the
public veal, but chiefly with the dissem-
ination of personalities. 1t is the turkey
buzzard, the carrion fly, and the polecat
in its public function, not surly mastiff
that is mute and inoffensive until burglars
seek to break in and steal.
At its best the Satanic press is kind of
intellectual civet-cat that either scratches
its foes furiously with its claws or thrashes
them with its malodorous tail. 1t levies
blackmail, directly or indirectly, on the
timld, the weak and the unfortunate. 1t
sometimes grows rich on the wages of sin,
just as outlaws and outcasts of both sexes
sometimes succeed in coming infamy into
purple, fine linen and filthy lucre. The
Satanic press sometimes fastens tran
silently, like a barnacle, to good men
and good causes, but barnacle-like, it is
sure to check the seaway of the best
ship unless it be promptly scraped
off and q clean keel secured. The
Get
cause those who do not reflect exceed
those who do, but its following is that I'M
complimentary crowd of listeners who
always hang on the lips of scandal mong-
ers. While malignant gossips always
have larger audience and constituency
than men Of wise, discreet speech and USE
full action, this is not because the malig-
nant gossips have any character, but be-
cause of their very lack of character. The
Satanic press is constructive of nothing
but falsehood; it is destructive OF every
thing that is not disreputable. 1t crawls
like snake on it's belly over whatsoever
men or things that are lovely, honest, or
of good report, and then pointing to its
own shiny track imputes the smutch it
has placed on his scutcheon to the hand of
the man that is stainless, and sometimes
it capers like Texas steer in china
| shop. soiling everything it omits to shiver.
The life of the Satanic press does not lie
altogether in the support of those who are
| bound to it by the power of the cohesive
attraction of depravity. Men of decent
lives and humane instincts sometimes
| treat the engineers of the Satanic press in
the spirit of mean and trucking affability;
| they are as cordial in their welcome, nav
| often more bland and deferential to Jour
nalistic shysters who play "Peeping
Tom" and social scavengers everywhere
than they are to newspapers that honor
ably refuse to consider that rag-picker's
hook and a whitewash brush are the
| noblest implements of their calling.
| Decent men are sometimes deferential
when in their hearts they despise these
fellows who go about proddlng every
mans ash barrel, searching right and left
for soiled linen, persuadlng one man by
laudation and another by impending libels
to support their nefarious enterprise.
1t is largely on the moral cowardice and
moral indifference of reputable and decent
men, who lack the moral courage to defy
defamation, that the Satanic press leans
for public liberation, recognition and COW
ert support. 1t would be unjust to i'm
pute to this large class of decent men,
who know better, sincere sympathy or ad-
miration for this sort of journalism.
Nevertheless they suffer but just retribu-
ton for their weakness and cowardice
when the Satanic journalist soils them by
his contact, or in his capacity of hired
mercenary turns and rends those who
carelessly pitch the pearl of their own
| self-respect within reach of such swine.
The man who in his heart Ioathes a Sa-
tanic paper, but consents to support it on
the contemplate and cowardly plea that
"I'd rather take the paper than invite its
abuse, or on the worse plea that I want
to read the latest rot and ribaldry of the
hour" stands for the kind of weakness
that makes the Satanic press immortal.
|
A PRAYER-CARPET,