The record-union., 1893-11-25
THE PETITION OF TIE WOMEN.

Seventeen thousand women of San
Francisco, led by committee Of women
whose social standing is foremost, and
who are known as disinterested workers
in all good causes, have forwarded TO the
press of the metropolis the following
petition:
We, the women of California, present to you
this petition, which we believe represents the
convictions of many times the number OF
those whose names are subscribed. We recog-
ntze that the newspaper is Indispensable in
our homes; and as the guardians of family
purity we make this appeal.
We approve of our papers iE their energy
and enterprise, but we believe the time has
come for them TO take higher stand on the
question of public morals. We deplore in
them 4'sensationalism," not the exposure OF
crime. We deplore personalities, not the
public announcement of personal acts. We
believe that II is minority of your readers
who demand sensational personal or i'm
moral details, rather than the clean statement
OF facts and truth. There is too often q mi
nuteness of detail in the reports given OF
crime, wickedneSs and sensuality, which can
gratlty only prurlenJ ana vulgar curiosity, or
awaken such curiosity in innocent and mex
perienced minds. We feel that spreading
broadcast vicious and debaisng news in our
homes and among our children, and the con-
sequent knowledge and easy familiarity with
crime in all its forms, has @ tendency 10 lower
the tone of thought among the best of our
people, and To strengthen the worst instincts
among the morally lower classes.
We therefore most earnestly and respect
fully petition the press at this time to make
concerted effort to elevate the moral tone Of
their columns, and TO give us newspapers tree
from the evils we deplore, feeling confident
that the majority of the public will encour-
age such an effort, and promising our heart
felt cooperation and support.
Regarding this remarkably concise and
trenchant statement and petition, we
make bold to say that the women peti-
TONERS have described precisely such
newspaper as the RECoRD-UNIoN always
has been, and will remain; cleanly with
out loss of news quality; abreast of all
legitimate news. without sensationalism
that debases tastes, oorrupts manners and
lowers the lines of modesty; personal
reference without objectionable med
ding with the private affairs of the peo-
pie; clean cut and clear in all recitation Of
facts, without the repulsive and unneces-
sary detail that offends the decent and
self-respecting and corrupts the young
and innocent; vigorous and fearless in
treatment of all subjects of public con-
Germ without catering to vulgar and ami
nal tastes, or the qualification of the SEN
sual and debased; the forwarding of all
good works without unwarranted as
sumption of pioneership. or fulsome
boasting of the REooRD-U UNIONS achieve
ments.
In short, if the San Francisco press is
disposed to heed the very respectful petit
ton of the women of the metropolis, it
can take the REcoRD-UNI as a model;
and this we say without vain boasting or
intention to loudly laud the virtues of
this journal, but to distinctly assert that
in the reformation of the press the efforts
of the reformers will not need to be di-
rected this way; nor, for the matter of
that, will they find it necessary to bring
to the bar of judgment any of the in
terror press, with here and there an ex-
ception. In fact, the oleanly, decent, and
the best there is in journalism in Cali
fornia to-day is to be found in the press
of the interior of the State.