The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-06
NEWSPAPERS, MORALS. n LITER
ARY CULTURE.

NEWSPAPERS, MORALS. AND LITER
r. CULTURE.
Some well-meaning societies. whose pur-
pose is to reform and improve social condi-
ticns. have met and formally resolved that
the newspapers which published reports of
the Breckenridge trial were doing an in
jury TO public morals by making vice at
tractive to the young. and were, therefore.
deserving of rebuke. Their point Of view is
a curious one. since to people who are not
professional reformers 1t seems that that
trial was a forcible warning against in
diligence in vice, and that. so far from
making depravity attractive. it made it un-
commonly hideous. Mr.. Breckenridge HIM
self says the newspapers procured his con-
viction. If this is true il is because they
made his profigacy and hypocrisy known
to the world, and reused a wholesome pub
lie sentiment against him. Do the Christian
Endeavor and Social Purity societies and
others of their kind think 1t would have
been better to suppress all mention of the
| case In order that youthful readers should
be kept from knowledge of it. though in so
doing he would have been aided in escap-
ing punishment? Can they not see that a
miscarriage of justice in his case would
have had a worse moral effect on the COM
munity than all the publicity given the af-
| fair? These good people make the mistake
| of assuming that a knowledge of the exist
| ence of evil Inevitably leads to sin. That ig-
| norance is not necessarily. innocence should
have been among their first easy lessons.
The literary people assembled in con-
vention here last week took their turn at
a~ssailing newspapers. The chief objection
seemed to be to what they regard as the
low literary standard Of the press.
One speaker said that lin no other product
of mental effort is the practical contempt
for learning more conspicuous than in the
rural and second-class city newspapers.
iscriminati is not attempted, and judg-
ment of men and events is upon as low
a plane as the language in which il is
clothed" Every man to his own hobby.
1t is the notion of these club people that
newspapers should be literary; they think
they believe that the record of public
events and the local gossip sometimes put
in crude phrase. which form the contents
of rural and other newspapers. are not
worthy their attention. and that papers
treating in lofty language of purely intel
lectual topics would be to their taste. If
they knew anything about the history Of
the press they would know that the wrecks
of newspapers started on a literary basis
by ambitious and aspiring editors are scat
tered all over this broad land. They would
and give support to the publishers by be-
coming subscribers are not in search OF
literary style or literary information. What
they want is the news of the day, and it Is
the chief aim and object of a properly reg
ulated newspaper TO give it to them. News
papers are not established for the primary
purpose either of elevating mankind by
printing only innocuous facts or Of improv-
ing the literary taste of their readers. Some
papers-is it improper to say that the
Journal is one?-are fortunately able to
give all the news and at the same time
to maintain a distinct literary standard, but
the publication of the days news in the
most accurate and succinct form in which
it can be obtained is always the leading
purpose. If it is not always given in the
most elegant verbal style there are excel
lent reasons. Even a Lowell or an Emer-
son might stumble now and then if called
on to write a column of matter after
10 p. m. each day, with printers clamoring
for copy" But. even as it is. newspaper
style compares very favorably with that
of periodicals which make greater pre-
tensions in that line, and needs no apologies.
The trouble with too many of the club
people is that they confine themselves to
books and thereby become narrow. Broad
culture in these days is far more than
familiarity with classic and standard au-
thors. 1t involves a knowledge of current
topics and an acquaintance with the work
of the world. If club women were all
newspaper readers so many of them
would not have been found last week going
about asking what was meant by 'the
submerged ~tenth"-that being the subject
of q paper read at the convention. When
they learn that the daily paper is an in
dispensable element of culture they will
gain a breadth Of mind and a spirit OF
liberation that some of them now lack.
PREDICTION OF A SCIENTIST.
Those people who trouble themselves re-