Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-10

/ 10 state that the puDHc press OF the
| country yields an influence in forming
| and directing the opinion and action of
| the present day greater than that of any
| other agency is but to reiterate a truism.
Yet because of this power, a power that
| is constantly on the increase, 1t is not
amiss to refer to it from time to time
in order to ascertain if the press is alive
to the tremendous import of it's posi-
ton in the affairs of the world. The sue
cessful meeting of the Alabama Press
association, which adjourned yesterday,
evidenced the fact that Alabama journal
ism is on rising ground and is fully alive
| to the responsibilities which. confront it.
No newspaper can attain an elevated
and enviale position which merely
| drifts with the tide. This is a day OF
| action, of impulse and of energetic
| thought. All the channels of life move
| swiftly and the rudderless vessel, the
| aimless craft, will find no rightful ulace
| in the stream which is bearing toward
| the harbor of success. But in assuming
| the Office of director of public opinion
| there must be the conservatism of we'll
regulated thought, the tolerance of we'll
| trained mind.
No writer is fit to be leader of public
sentiment unless he be broad enough to
| bear with the differences of opinion
which necessarily surround him, and ten
| der enough to be IN touch with the nedrlS
| of his readers. One of the singular con-
ditions of life is the certainty and rapid
| ty with which our fellow men sound the
| depths of our sympathies. And no writer
| can hold for any length of time a strong
| influence upon humanity who is without
| the tenderness of human sympathy.
The press stands today, like Bartholdfs
| statue, at the entrance to the world of
| thought and action, and 1t holds aloft the
| flaming torch which Eliminates not only
/ a Ii nh rnDtfa
| heavenward, but also the narrow, dark
passages of ignorance and vice.
1t throws rays of light upon the dan
| gerous rocks which threaten the safety
of humanity, and far out at sea it's beams
| fall upon uncertain vessels, which are
| buffeting the waves of doubt and despair.
All honorable journalism tends toward
| the elevation of the human race. What
ever debaSeS public opinion or lessons
| it's high moral sense Is grievous Of
Tense against the dignity of the profess
| sion. No paper should claim a hearing
| which does not use its influence to elevate
| all the conditions of life which exist
within the limit of its circulation. There
| is not any more excuse for paper which
| lowers the tone of public morals or the
tendency of public taste than there is for
| minister whose life does not accord
with the teaching of the decalogue.
The vast and tremendous power WELD
ed by the press of today is one of the in
strumentalities employed by God in the
regeneration of the world and woe to
| that journal or that journalist which is
| proven unworthy of the ministry contided
| into their keeping.
There is no excuse in these times of
| thought and cultivation for many of the
| absurd forms of social journalism which
| prevail in metropolitan cities. 1t is nat
| ural and proper that a community should
| desire to learn what Is transporting in
| the social circles of that community, but
1t is disgusting to have it related In the
| manner that seems to have taken posses
| sion of some of the New York dailies in
| treating of the approaching marriages of
| several wealthy girls. That especial at
| tention should be given to the coming
| nuptialS of Miss Vanderbilt and the
Duke of Marlborough is not remarkable.
| but that any reporter capable of penning
| grammatical sentence could be guilty
| of the overwhelming and disgusting toad
| yiSm to wealth betrayed in the columns de-
voted to this subject is marvel to peo-
pie of self-respecting instincts. Miss
| Vanderbilt, according to reports, is a
nice, sweet, unaffected girl, rather pretty
| and attractive, only this and nothing
| more" save that she luckily inherits a
| large fortune. These moderate personal
traits surely do not warrant that the UNI
| offending public should have thrust at
| height limbs and even her teeth. The
young Duke of Marlborough is a genteel,
| commonplace fellow, who has shown the
| shrewdness of his ancestry in making a
| comfortable place for himself in the
world, and the fact that he rides a a GER
| tain hour in a certain suit of clothes and
| lunches a { certain place and expresses
| himself as being pleased with the atten-
| tons and courtesies which are being
heaped upon him can be of but small con-
Germ to people of minds and character.
1t is somewhat amusing to observe the
| efforts of the social reporters of New
| York to do ample justice to Miss Whit
ney's coming marriage to the young Eng
| lishman, Mr.. Paget after having ex-
| hausted all the vocabulary of "gush"
| upon Miss Vanderbilt and the Duke of
| Marlborough. The international mar
| riages," as it is the fashion to call them,
| with all the important and unimportant
details, have taken possession of the
| northern reportorial pencil to the exclu-
| sion of nearly all else save the dissection
| of the Hon. William c. Whitney's anat-
| omy Now, Mr.. Whitney deserves better
| of his friends and admirers. He is a man
| of brains, of cultivation, of good man
| ners and of thoroughly respectable life,
and has shown marvellous genius in
| the manipulation of American politics.
With this record. and with also the pos
sible hope of attaining to greater emil
HeHCe, II Is IlCle IMAM cIuel ID the New
York World-in its desire to further his
aspirations-to dismembtk him, as it did
in last Mondays edition, and give us
sectional views of this distinguished
American citizen. Very few great men
can bear this treatment. Taken as a
whole. many of them are thoroughly sat
isfactory, but when we are called upon
to Judge of their fitness for high office
from small views of their noses chins
heads. hands, bodies. limbs, and alas
their feet and ears, the verdict of public
opinion cannot be rendered without the
hating of the jury. 1t is absolutely trag-
ic to hold this clinic upon Mr. Whitney
or any other really eminent man who
has made his impress. upon American pol
tiles. They deserve better treatment at
the hands of their friends.
And while sketches of statesmen, taken
as whole are always of interest yet
the most enthusiastic partisan must OBJ
ject to having his candidate cut into un-
canny pieces by the brutal pen and
pencil of a newspaper reporter. A man
who aspres to the elevated office of pres
ident of the United States will find his
candidacy greatly hampered If his friends
persist in giving disconnected views of
,l-a sod TIL &c, VII