The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-04-07


Tho Brsckinridgs trial has drawn forth
che usual weak-minded, nabby protest
against the publication of its evidence.
The stock correspondent comes TO the front
inquiring OF the gvess daiiiss Of the coun-
try aHow long decent people are 70 DO in
suited By having tho newspapers thrust
in their faces the minutest details Of
scandalous breach Of promise csser" This
Kind Of logic IL the sort that persuadss the
ostrich that when IL thrusts its head In
the sand and cannot see II therefore be-
comes unseen. There 10 n clear moral dis
tinction TO be made between mere fakir.
Sensational journalism that rakes every
garbage heap and ash barrel over with its
rag-picksr's hook. that primarily seeks to
b. smutty and obscene. and . journal that
does 10 duty BY the public when the good
and evil OF human life 10 trsveYssd BY the
courts. Offensss must Be. but woe unto
him through whom the offsnss cometh:
evil TO him who evil thinks are statements
that are instinct with sound moral sense
and sound common sense.
Suppose We became % feeble and aabby-
minded that We could not endure other
than IN expurgated edition Of the Old Tcs-
lament, what miserable ret Of moral and
intellectual invertebrates we would be.
There are coarse passages In the Old Tests
ment. but they are not there for tho lit
srary purpose OF being coarse and repulsive
S<~e v,t a. rsS - s~kn. the A. shara a. v,~rt
Of tho truthful history OF. the Hebrew
civilization ct . time when the whole
world Was deficient In humanity and re-
fnement The writer's OF the Old Tesla
msut did not seek primarily to be literary
artists: they sought primarily to truth
fully tell the story Of the ancient Hebrew
civilization, supervising nothing. sxsenu-
ating nothing. setting down nothing in
malice. and Il 10 this transparent sincerity
that makes the Old Tsstamsnt merely
from IN historical point Of view great
book. Historically the Old Testament is
vastly moro valuable than Thucydides'
"History Of the Pcloponnessian War;" be-
cause IL Ii . spiritual. . eirii. social. . ~
iigioas n we'll as q mere military history
Of Hebrew civilization at very early date.
1t tells w that the Isrselites had primitive
vices as we'll as virtues. but nobody but q
man already demoralixed will pretend that
the coarse, almost brutal fraukness of
nome OF the passages In the Old Testament
ever hurt anybody that was worth saving
So the newspaper that has any respect
for Itself must tell the story of the evil ~
we'll as of the good of It's day and genera
tion. for otherwise IL IL u mere deodorized.
smaseuiated history of its time. In our
Judgment the story OF the Breckenridge
trial as told in court is powerful sermon
In favor of an upright life on the par, Of
both men and women. IL is the gliding of
vice that does harm; IL is the successful
imrosture aud escape 81 villains from ex-
yosnre and punishment that temrts the
world 20 initiate wrong doing. Is the
spectacle Of drunksrd temptation TO
drink 7 Is IL not rather by its very repulsive-
ness tho strongest kind of a sermon In
favor OF temperance Is not Zols's LAS.
somolr" a powerful temperance tract; arc
not his most repnlsive books strong ser.
mons IN favor of . life of temperance and
chastity. since he never gilds vice, but
rohs IL of all i,s tinsel and reveals iis hide
obs mien. so the reader closes the book
with the fseling that resribution. AZ in
hand. stalks behind every sinner. ready e
strike him DOWN. WIN any sane nan
pretend that the record Of the most dl.
Rusting divorce trial ever ,emn,ed him 70
make q bad or un holy marriage or 10 max,
. good IN arriagc farce by unholy and
false conduct after marriagee oh. no; n
Is not vice unmarked that does harm; II 4,
the gliding of vice aud eondonlng of vic.
and painting IL in eolors Of virtue that does
mischief
There Is much that is reralslve and
melancholy in the story OF the Brsckin
ridge trial. nevertheless il 10 story " hose
telling certainly will not multiply Tho
number Of women like Miss Pollard no,
the number Of men Ike Consrsssma 81
hreekinrsdge. Such . tale Of fraud, de
ceis. hypocrisy and evil conduct on both
sides will demorslise nobody; on the con.
"'~At ~ - - sfteA.ii k8AS tlc NaS
OF the trsnsgrsssor is hard, Congressma an
krecs!niidge may no, kaow it. bus he is
not only ruined socially Tor life, hu, hs
will owe his place in history chiefly 20 HI,
seif-eonisssed infsfny. and thousand. O,
young aad thoaghtsess women ~ill tasrn
from the story Of Miss roilAr,l'. 81 fssrins
and shame tia, no woman can afford q
be the Cireasssan rlaythtag Of an Amer.
can sultan In seusasIi,y. even il her sui.
tan is hrtillsn, aud popular congress.
man.
Congressman Bs~ckinriar. ana Ms,
Pollard have both been taught that /,
ssessn's ray to lead life Of systematic stu.
and the telling of saea steFy Is az IN
rressivs sasra.. aes Immoral. eeisel lessor
IL . listening world. Hrseksnrsdes Is re-
veasea IS snsofaad and lifelong aypoegtte
asd be is raiaea socially before his fellow
e0uatFymen. no matter whether his dis
isict Te;afas him 10 congress or not
"B.t" Tweed at thc election thai follos I'd
Sas sfea, exposure ef sas Iamnsay fsns