Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1894-10-03
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uSASSIETYv AND VICE.
The Right and the Wrong Way of Keepins
 Scandals Out of the Newspapers

The Right and the Wrong Way of Keepine
 Scandals Out of the Newspapers.
 It would be hard indeed if we could not get laugh out of all these horrid scandals that scar society's face, and if has come at last--broad, hearty and ir- repressible.
 The good people of Newport-not the old Newporters, but the pc ople whd have followed in their train-are so in. censed by the reports published about the misdoings of the Four Hundred that they have organized Society For the Suppression of Newspaper Notoriety.
 Dear, comical, old Elbridge T. Gerry is at the head of the new society, and it looks as if he 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 t count) of mat. ters that are purely personal to the Fou Hundred and of no public interest.
 If Mrs. Stevens maid takes advan. tage of MT. Tom Cushing's valet, that is legitimate news, and no objection will be made to it's publication, but ii Mrs. Stevens herself should cast sheep's eyes at MT. Cushing, or if Mir. A. should compromise Mr. B. s wife. or Mir. G. sue his wife for divorce, or Mrs. D. g6 wrong with dude-these are matters that concern nobody but the culprits themselves and 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. began slide that Society For the Suppression of Vice In the Four Hun. dred" would cut at tho very root of the evil of which they complain, whereas the step they are taking now can only trim off some of the topmost boughs?
 There is without doubt 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 1t 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 even up to date.
 I could mention the names of hun dreds of prominent New York and Bos ton families who have never had cause to complain of 8 single line or word printed to their derogation.
 Aud xuhvp GiD1y,1xy baoo1ca @boxy howe never given the opportunity.
 While not making plea for the soci ety reporter or the scandal loving edi tor 1 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, fire and flood the demand fol newspapers doubles and trebles.
 So it does i'll times of great social dis aster.
 The collapse of Duncan, Sherman & Co, the failure of Grant 6 Ward, the elopement of Herbert Pell and Mrs Kate Kernochan, the divorce of MT. and Mrs. Fernando Yznaga and the subse. quent marriage of both, the Drayton scandal, the Vanderbilt imbroglio, the Gould fiasco-all these stirring incl dents in social life, and thousands oi others for which haven't space, con. stitute the gossip of the day which is on every one's lips, and which can nc more be kept out of the newspapers than aduek can be kept out of water or Ward McAllister out of print.
 That is why advise kind old Gerry and his pretty playmates to begin te trim ship before they yell that they are overpowered by water.
 I 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 othel vices to which flesh is heir.
 As I said before, Q society that con demns publicity has only to ponder fol a moment upon all it does that is moi printed and be grateful on it's marrow bones that such matters are still per, sonal and have not yet become of public interest. -Cholly Knickerbocker in New York Recorder.