The Progress., 1893-05-27
MORAL COURAGE IN The PRESS.
Read by Mrs. 4. W. Crane (Nyrna) Er.
for, the Press Convention Held at
NatcI,itocheS, Nav SO,

]
Natchitochcs, May $40,
/ Mr.. President aud Ladies and Gentle
mem ! am grateful indeed for the
honor of reading before such an intel
lectual company. and feel that | have
offered me to-day the greatest oppor.
tunity of my life. Somewhere | have
seen this statement: opportunity has
foreiock, behind she is bald: sieZe the
forclock and you may hold her, but if
suffered 10 escape not Jupiter himself
can catch her again." Ihave never be-
fore felt the weakness of my graspiug
power as do at this moment, but will
do my wOman's best, TO grasp the fore
lock- with a firm hand, and to deserve
the honor you have conferred upon me,
hoping that you will recognize the
heart as the motor of nv pen.
The two moral guide posts, Honesty
and Truth" are associated i'm my heart
as bearing much the same relationship p
as does Love and Mother" Could they
but he as much a part of the public
family, as the latter are of the private
household, Bob Ingersoll's Stun
bling blccks-a personal devil,
and tangible hell - would
s>on be removed from the path
way 10 the "Great Beyond" Many are
of the opinion that Honesty and Truth
must be .ru aud bred in the character,
or cultivated at home, and in childhood,
TO he trustworthy, but |
believe that 1t is possible 10 teach
an adult liar, who may not haye inher-
tied truth-to love ii in his heart, and TO
speak 1t with his lips. How by sur
rounding him with an atmosphere of
honesty and truth. Not at home only
but abroad in his business and daily as
sociutiOns with the world. Let him feel
that the world il honest aud truthful
with him. and he will certainly not be
/ long in reciprocatiug. Truth il very
CONTAGIOUS when the moral system is in
"a condition to receive il, but the moral
system, like the physical, sometimes
runs down, gets out of tone, and il as
ready to imbibe evil from an impure
moral atmosphere, as the latter is to alb
sorb miasmer. the germs of smallpox,
or any other death. dealing contagious.
With the latter. we know heroic treat
ment is necessary, and direct applica-
tive of the remedy to each individual af-
fiicted. But IN all moral disorders, pure
atmosphere is the only remedy neces-
sary. True IL takes longer to effect a
cure, but such is always final result
when the treatment is persevered in. IL
is deplorable fact that all political at
mosphere Is dense with moral miasmer.
Falsiticatiou becomes epidemic, honor
able men (and women too) catch the i'm
fectioD, and are carried out of their ac-
Gust 1med sphere of love aud good will TO
all. into one dense with the fumes OF
petty iealous'es. and teeming with the
stencil OF characters bedraggled in the
filth ot u political stun. Tney catch the
disease of political preferment. aud char
acters OF friends are bought aud sold
with as little compunvtion. as futures or
lottery tickets
Who among us can deny that the
press" the most powerful medium
known, for the dissemination of goo
and evil, is directly responsible for the
major part of this deplorable state OF
moral drpravityl
Who among us, of the press, does not
know that during the heat OF a political
men whose o l. is as good
as bank note, have been known to seal
the editorial column of an influential
journal, to the highest bidder. for cash,
and then settle the debt with their con-
sciences, by tbinkIng-"Oh! welll-hon- !
esty and truth are never looked for in |
politics."
This much Is certainly true. "'ris true |
tis pity, and pity it's 'tis true" and such
IL will ever be, and 90 on from bad to |
worse. until the limit of chicanery and |
deception IL reached, unless the ''press," |
charged with honesty. and truth and |
fired by the fuse of moral courage, is
aimed directly at-loye of office-the
root of this great evil.
But I would impress the fact. that
moral depravity is not confined to poll
lies alone and this great gun" needs to be
oaded many times and fired IN many di-
'ections, ere the atmosphere of our coun-
ry becomes as pure as we would have
,ur children breathe.
There plenty of the ammunItion-hon-
sty and truth-in the heart of the press
o do this great and noble work. but
moral courage, the fuse that fires the |