The herald., 1895-03-14
NEWSPAPER WOMENS IDEAS ON NEWSPAPERS

of kings. Its signals across the world af-
feet and guide mems actions. 1t is a
preventive, as we'll as a cure, for 1.-The
evil that men do" Journalism deals with
the present, and men live in the present.
1t regards, and rightly, the actual, the
real What, then, has it to do, why
should it concern it with, their opposite,
the Ideal?
The Real: Re-the thing, the fact!
The ideal-Simply, the idea the soul and
higher meaning of facts, the floating
spirit of truth lowering over and beyond
the embodied Actual. The Ideal is al
ways ready to be called to its place as the
inspiration, the spiritual strength of the
Real.
In every great factor in the progress of
our race the two elements are INTENDED to
combine. One of our bestowed leaders
and teachers of thought says: Every act
of the Ideal is with the quality of these
thoughts (Which result in deeds). The
thoughts should be kept high and clear,
so that the deeds which they result in
cannot be ignoble.
But" it may be objected. journal
ism has neither space nor time for the
ideal. 1t has chosen or evolved its mis-
sion in accordance with the demand
which has created it. 1t prefers electric
ity to rainbow wings 1t leaves the
high. the clear, the inspirational business
to literature proper. Journalism is faith
full observation and concentrated report of
what is. 1t is not its fault if what is is
not any better
No? 1t is always we'll to establish the
precise point of disagreement. That is
where we disagree. Every organized
power proceeding from mans intellectual
energy has so far had some weak spot in
herent in its system. The weak spot be
comes in time diseased spot, fostering
within itself the principle of decay. /
hold hot tlo in, t.,trr oil &c
its reputation of the ideal element in its
presentation of human affairs.
This reputation is equivalent to ignor-
ance or disregard OF the extent OF its NOR
al obligation to the world.
| Perhaps the ma jority of editors-the
high priests of the cult--in their sancti,
in its temples, rise to the true height of
| the situation. We know that many of
them do. They and we know that many
do not. There is movement and it is
surely in advance. Moral progress is not
yet at its declining point. within the area
of civilization, and the press is represen-
tative of tendency at least, and indicates
/ the truth, if not the whole truth.
Let us assume that journalism is on the
| whole-in its composite consciousness
aware OF its increasing power, OF the
greatness OF its scope and influence. 1t
| need not fear to take higher ground. 1t
can do pretty much as it pleases. 1t has
become the guide and indicator to all ages
and classes, the foremost educator of char
acter. Journalism can afford to stop ca
| tering to the uneducated or deprecated
mnd-the un-ideal mind
When we are in position and possess
| the strength to lift up, we should not offer
excuse that we are dragged down. Man
kind is not yet so mature as not to crave
rulers. Away in the past when ideas had
certain primitive beauty and simple
grandeur, the idea of kings, to take the
! responsibility of preserving justice, was
| invented. These kings were individuals
They had not got beyond that then. They
hedged the kings around with traditions
of divinity to keep them holy and up to
the mark. Now, rulers to whom are en-
trusted absolute power, should realize that
noblesse oblige. 1t is demanded of them
sooner or later, although humanity is pa
tient.
The individual kings did not live up to
the worlds idea OF what kings should be.
If they suggested it, it was usually by
careful effect of contrast. So the hedge
| of divinity wore thin in places. and be-
came at last quite scraggy; SO that it
! drew ridicule and was finally uprooted
| save for a tuft of tradition still clinging
rusty and futile, here and there. And all
this change and disintegration was caused
by careless contempt for the ideal.
We have a special dislike, in the land
of the free, to words and emblems associ
ated with such egregious failures as the
mourning the disesteem OF power l re-
we're, by saying that journalism yields
the scepter and wears the crown today,
in all parts of the earth where men are
educationally qualified to hold an opinion.
| will only say that humanity must still
be ruled, but under courteous DISCUSSES,
and by the newest forms of influence
1t is not so easy TO bring the power of
the press to book as it was to catch poor
little king or two and take away his crown
head and all.
Still, nothing in creation is beyond
criticism, certainly not that great in
stance and example of its force-the press
itself.
In the recording and depicting of the
realities which fill the worlds teeting
measures of time the claims of all classes
of readers-and huyers-should be ac-
knowledged and furthered. There is GER
tainly no cause for neglect of such re-
search as would furnish the news they
crave to that large contingent whose in
crease is the very object of our wide
winged institutions of every branch of
learning.
The journal is our destined reading.
To those of us who wish to use our
brains as crucibles, and not as sieves
who eagerly look for tidings OF intrinsic
worth, who find the true real combined
with the ideal in all the varied phases
OF the vast continuous movement of the
human race, journalism, great as it is, is
less than it might be. The ideal is not
the natural enemy of the real. They are
distinct, indeed. but were meant to be
allies, not rivals. They are opposite, but
not in opposition, unless you misplace
them. They are counterparts-' two forms
which differ in order to correspond"
The Newsgatherer
Mrs Mary NJ. Bowman, at the session of
the convention on Tuesday, read the fol-
lowing paper on The Newsga therer:
81 feel deeply indebted to the pro-
gramme committee who have sandwiched
me between two such able speakers. The
usual method OF sandwich making is here
reversed. We usually have the meat be-
tween the bread, here we have the bread
between the meat. After the refreshment
presented by the very beautiful and ex-
cellent paper of Mrs. Peet, our poet
sculptor and writer, | feel sure that any
lack of nutriment in this practical paper,
half talk and half paper, you will be more
than richly compensated by Mrs. Spring,
who is to follow our most brilliant and
youngest member.
The first essential qualification for sue
cess as a newsgatherer is what we term
among the craft "a nose for news" This |
does not imply any particular shape or
cut in that useful facial appendage, nor
that it should possess the peculiar traits
attributed to that legendary parsonage.
Paul Pry, but it does mean the gift |
l.. r.