Southwest-sentinel., 1894-09-25


me l.ifht nno t'c Frona Way or x couinr
senndais out Of enc Newspapers.
Il would bo hard indeed If wo could
not got q laugh cut of an these horrid
scandals thct scar socicty's faoo. and it
has como az lnst--broad, hearty and ir-
repressible
The good people Of Nowport-not the
old Newportera, but the people who
have followed IN their train--aro SO in
censod BY the reports published about
the misdoinga Of the -Four Hundred that
they have organized Society For tho
Suppression Of Newspaper Notoriety.
Deaf, oomical, old Elbridge 4. Cory
is at the head Of the new society, and
it looks as If no would have time to at
tend to nothing else.
The purpose Of the society is to pre-
vent the publication in New York and
Boston (other cities don { count Of mat
ters that are purely personal to the -Four
Hundred and Of no rublic interest
If Mrs. Stevens maid takes advan-
tage Of Mr.. Tom Cushing's valet. that
is legitimate news, and no objection
will be made to its publication, but Il
Mrs Stevens herself should cast sleeps
eyes at Mr.. Cushing, or If Mr. A. should
compromise Mr.. 3. s wife, or Mr.. G. sue
his wife for divorce, or Mrs D. 90
wrong with a dudc-these are matters
that concern nobody but the culprits
themselves aud their most intimate
friends.
No wonder the laugh Is loud and long
at these good peoples expense
Did It never occur to dear old Gerry
and his younger friends ON the social to-
boggan slide that Society For the
Suppression Of Vice In the Four Hun
dred" would cut at the very root Of tho
evil Of which they complain, whereas
the step they are taking now can only
trim Off some Of the topmost boughs2
There is without doubt a certain
amount Of reckless newspaper writing
going on which every one abominates-
and every one reads.
This writing keeps pace with the do
ings Of the day. It is often inaccurate,
vulgar and malicious; but, ON the other
hand, there is SO much social evil doing
that never finds its way into print at all
that the score is pretty oven up to date.
could mention the names Of hun
dreds of prominent New York and Bos-
ton families who have never had cause
to complain Of single line or word
printed to their derogation.
and why? Simply because they have
never given the opportunity.
While not making a plea for the soci-
ETY. reporter OK the scandal loving edi-
tor am sufficiently familiar with their
methods to know that they would just
as lief print good news Of prominent
people as bad news.
Bad news sells better than good news,
Of course. In times Of war, tempest,
famine, Gre and food the demand for
newspapers doubles and trebles.
So it does in times of great social dis
aster.
The collapse Of Duncan, ShermQn s.
Co., the failure Of Grant s. Ward the
elopement of Herbert Pell and Mira. j
Kate Kernochan, the divorce of Mr. and
Mrs. Fernando Yznaga and the subse-
quent marriage Of both, the Drayton
scandal, the Vanderbilt imbroglio, the
Gould fasco-all these stirring Incl
dents in social life, and thousands Of
others for which haven't space, con.
stitute the gossip of the day which is
ON every ones lips, and which can no
more be kept out Of the newspapers than
duck can be kept out Of water or W;;..ra
McAllister out of print
That is why / advise kind old Gerry
and his pretty playmates to begin to
trim ship before they yell that they are
overpowered by water.
cannot predict any success for the
new society with the object of suppress
ing bad news about fashionable people.
Murder will out--so will adultery,
drunkenness, cheating at cards, dishon.
orable Indebtedness and all the other
vices to which flesh is heir.
As said before, society that con.
demns publicity has only to ponder fo1
a moment upon all 1T does that is not
printed and be grateful ON its marrow
bones that such matters are still per-
sonal and have not yet become Of public !
interest. -Cholly Knickerbockor in New
l. -