Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-04-19

auN tApNse sWlnulerS. ana II they do IL III
good faith they are not liable TO action for
damage.
1t is not the province or the privilege
OF any newspaper 10 prosecute or to mis-.
represent any one; but even newspaper
writers are not infalliblc, and mistakes
OF Judgment are frequently made in
printing news or in expressing opinions
By .ptcturing each day in the year, in
cold type" the doings of the people of
the world, the people of the whole world
are brought into closer touch and sym
pathy with each other than they ever
have been. The newspapers make pos
siole the unscltish and helpful work Of
charitable, temperance and philan-
throplc organizations. The newspapers
are the source--the centre, if you please
of all social, economic and political
reforms. The enemies Of society have
more wholesome dread of reputable
aud fearless newspaper than they have
Of all the detectives and all the police
officers in Christendom. The press, in
many instances, accomplishes what the
law cannot accomplish. Itcrushes con-
spiracies, it unmasks hypocrisy, 1t lays
bare the schemes of dishonest men of all
grades. The press is the never failing
ally of law and order, of morality, OF
good government. 1t is the enemy of
disorder, and of vice in its multiform
phases. In that respect there is no gain.
saying its influence in the right direc-
ton. | believe that every man, every
woman, and every child over IS years
Of age should read at least one complete
and well-edited paper, with the main
idea OF keeping, informed upon the
record of daily events which tell of the
progress of the world; with tho idea of
keeping pace with history, which is now
being made so rapidly; and with the
purpose OF discovering the thoughts of
others. These thoughts cover all lines
of mental activity-education, litera-
ture, philosophy, religion, science,
mechanics, politics, law, art, and reforms
OF every conceivable quality. There may
be, | admit, danger in reading too many
newspapers, or in reading one news
paper too much. Either Of these courses
has tendency to create distaste for
magazine and book reading, just as
chronic magazine reading creates dis
taste for the books which every one
should read, and just as exclusive book
reading has tendency to create dis
taste for general information and q
knowledge of men and affairs. What
the people need and demand to-day are
facts and truths, not sentiment and
theory; an9fthe daily newspapers are
meeting the demand. When books
were few and costly, when magazines
We're a flnxury, and when the daily
newspaper Was almost unknown, those
who read did so Understandings, that
is more understandingly than many
persons probably do to-day. A book
was read and rercad until it was digested;
yet there was not that general knowl-
edge among men that there is to-day.
The beYildering supply of books,
magazlnes and newspapers to-day has
created Hosts of superficial readers, but
the responsibility for that result is to be
shared equally by all grades of popular
publications. The desire, the anxiety,
to read everything, and the temptation
to skim" while reading is so great that
only students have enough courage to
discriminate and to contine themselves
to especial lines. But even the veriest
student can be benefited by judicious
and regular newspaper and magazine
reading, especially study of the daily
newspaper. 1t is mistaken notion
that either the body or the brain can be
properly nourished by only one kind of
| food.
No one newspaper can print all of the
| news within its reach; no one news
paper should print all of the news. 1t
is only by tho most careful and con-
scientious pruning that reputable
newspaper secures and maintains Its
standing, and ut the same time wins
the respect and confidence of its readers.
There are many unpleasant truths
which must be told by a newspaper,
just as unpleasant truths must often be
told to child by its parents. A child,
in order to comprehend the difference
'twixt good and evil, must have that
difference pointed out to it. A matured
reader of newspapers who reads merely
those things which are pleasant to
learn of will soon lose sight of the fact
that there is just as much-I do not be-
lieve that there is any more-evil in the
world as there is virtue. By making a
careful discrimination in the manner of
recording unpleasant facts tine news
paper makes 1t possible to attract the
attention of the thoughtful to what the
weak and evilly-disposed are doing, so
that comparison can thus be made
with the good deeds of men and women.
A knowledge of the existence of evil
makes it possible for those who are
bent upon works of love and works of
reform to act with intelligence and with
wisdom, and with thorough under
standing of what they have to combat.
Complaint is frequently made that the
Daily Moon, for instance, does not con-
tain as much news as the Daily Comet
contains. But nine times out of ten it will
be discovered that the Daily Moon has
refused to print news which it considers
unwise or unfit to place before its readers,
and also further, that the Daily Comet
has printed that same rejected informa-
ton. The refusal to print Objectionable
matter frequently means pecuniary
loss to the publisher OF newspaper,
aud it is matter for regret that the
poorest goods in almost every line of
trade have the largest and most extended
sale. In this connection | would like to
remove q false impression which has
found place in the minds of many
intelligent folk: Newspapers are printed
as a business speculation, just as shoes
and carpet lacks are made and sold for
the sofdid percentage to be made upon
capital invested. Newspapers are not
printed for amusement; they are printed,
rather, to furnish living for those who
| prefer to invest their money and their
skill in that line of trade. The ideal
newspaper can only be made possible
when philanthropists and reformers be-
gin to .endow newspapers, so that such
thing as profit or interest does not have