The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-18
Sad Case of Unrecognized Virtue.

After we have pursued the very course
1t is not pleasant to be included in their
condemnation. Really, the good women
weaken their power for good by their fail
of actual injustice.
The above from the Evening Coupon
If there is anything really narrowing to the
soul Of a truly virtuous editor it is TO do
Moral Act for self-advertising purposes and
to get no credit for it. Here was apparent
ly a great opportunity to be virtuous that
men and women-especially women-might
see and applaud. This particular Pecksniff
would not publish the accounts of the
Breckenridge trial; people would look over
it's columns, that the scandalous de-
tails were not there, and, heaving signs of
conscious rectitude. would sit down and
write congratulations to the editor or, per-
chance, in their grateful enthusiasm, would
arrange for a meeting of the masses-fa-
vorite Pecksniffian word-in which to do
honor TO the true and the good, as ex-
emplfied in this moral engine This was
beautiful scheme. but unfortunately It did
not work The Evening Coupon, constitut-
ing itself a guardian of public and private
morals, righteously refrained from printing
the "nawsty" details of one of the most
celebrated cases of the century. There were
only six of us in the whole country to do
this, it declares sanctimoniously and only
one in the West. Only one to set itself up
in opposition to the combined editorial
judgment of hundreds of other purveyors
of news; only one to decide that though the
Lord permitted this wicked thing to hap
pen, ii would not let its readers know about
it. There were three tailors Of Tooley
street to assume that they were the En-
sish nation, but only one Pecksniff TO mo-
nopoliZe the virtue and wisdom of the West
And for what good, alas? Was the mail
flooded with letters commencing it's course?
Did the populace gather and offer thanks
for this exhibition of righteousness? Nay,
nay. The populace never found out that
such a glorious exhibition had been made
1t went out and purchased the papers
which made no profession OF street-corner
holiness and satisfied its curiosity concern
ing the trial in question. Having done so,
it went its several ways. One of these
ways led into a w. c. T. L. convention
whsre, in the regular order Of things
something or somebody had to be arraigned
and denounced. This time it was the press,
which was rebuked for publishing the scan
dalous details of the trfal-the press, mind
you. without exception. The good ladies
Hdu Tedu the uetalIS-yeS, ndeed, ana knew
they had been printed; but they had never
missed them from the Evening Coupon.
perhaps because they are not accustomed
TO go 10 that organ for news and that. too.
came under condemnation with the rest.
Hence, the lament quoted above. Hence
the sorrow that fills its heart. To have up
held virtue in the West all alone and not
be recognized as the performer of an un-
parallsled feat; to be truly good and not
get caught at it-these alas, are trials
heavy 10 be borne The Journal does not
know what TO offer in the way Of consola-
ton, but can only suggest that the surest
way TO avoid suffering of this nature Is to
attend strictly to the legitimate offices of a
newspaper, which, in the main, comprise
printing the news and not regulating the
morals of the community.