Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-01-02
THE NEWSPAPER.
BY n. X. PITTMAN.

The newspaper is policeman, Judge,
lawyer, jury, statesman, legislator,
teacher and preacher. 1t must report
correctly on music, agriculture, bot
any, poetry, theology, politics and
law. 1t must rightly represent synod,
conference, association, legislature,
alliance, parliament, missionary tea,
Christmas entertainment, card party,
circus, dance, art levee, oratorical
contest and church services.
The newspaper must be a library, a
thesaurus and an encyclopedia. It's
u~tterances must meet the exact and
sensitive demands of a world of spec
ialists in every department of think
ing. To successfully manage a first
class newspaper requires knowledge
like the Wilderness and deepness of the
sea.
The newspaper is accessible to
everybody. 1t was said of Noah
Webster, the man of the famous
"blue- back spelling book" that he
taught millions to read and none to
sin. AS a teacher the newspaper has
not that golden blamelessness which
was claimed for old Noah Webster;
but the newspaper is the mightiest
educator on the earth. 1t teaches
monarchs and presidents, senators
and congressman, farmers and mer-
chants, preachers and professors,
mechanics and musicians, historians
and philosophers, millionaires and
paupers, bankers and boo blacks, re-
formers and thieves, sailors and
pirates, clowns and gamblers, saints
and sinners. 1t goes everywhere.
People speak and rulers listen. 1t
utters the wisdom of all the people
for all the people. Nation hears from
nation. Friend hears from friend.
Enemy hears from enemy. Wicked
ness listens to the wisdom of good
ness and goodness hears the voice of
folly. The merchant tells his prices,
the preacher his text, the jury its
verdict. Here death brings its mourn
ing and marriage its white and floral
gladness. Fire and flood and famine
and pestilence and war and panic
here tell their story of suffering
among men and beasts. Fortune,
wealth, fame, relate their triumphs
and their struggles, their extrava-
gance and folly. Tragedy and comedy
ask for your tears and your laughter.
He who is f~raternal to his fellow
men, he who would know the hopes
and fears OF the human race, he who
has knowledge and hope and love be-.
yond the shadow of himself cannot be
complete without the newspaper.
1 think it was Thomas Jefferson
who said: s'If l had to choose be-
tween a government without news
papers and newspapers without a
government, l would choose the news
papers without the government" 1t
may be that the voice of Thomas JEFF
ferson, the voice of freedom, the voice
of our Declaration of Independence"
will awaken and refresh our appreci-
alton of newspapers.
If religion has had its martyrs, SO
has the newspaper. Freedom of opin-
ion and freedom to utter it may yet
give us a book on martyrology. To
the editors of France a French states
man once said: "Suffer yourselves to
be blamed, imprisoned, condemned,
suffer yourselves to be hanged, but
publish your opinion. 1t is not a
right. 1t is a duty"
In our editorial chairs are men as
patriotic as Patrick Henry, who said
in the face of frowning England:
"Give me liberty OF give me DEATH"
AS true to their country's honor as
Leonidas, who died in the Pass of
Thermopylae; as consecrated to all
that philanthropy means as was John
Howard; as brave as the soldier who
never lowered his crest to an enemy.
Such men cannot escape the penalty
of being somewhat akin to the
apostles.
The newspaper is my friend. The
earlier years of my manhood were
spent in a newspaper Office. For
seven years of my maturer manhood
1 was on the editorial staff of one of
the best religious newspapers in this
country. The newspaper is not the
pulpit's rival. 1t is the pulpit's ally
"But," says someone, "there are
bad and hurtful newspapers which
are unfit for the shop or the home.'
That is so. His brethren sold Joseph
for twenty pieces of silver. Judas
sold Christ for thirty pieces of silver,
But Joseph and Christ have not
thereby lost our esteem. Against the
home. Gods first institution, wrong
has waged unwearied war. There
may be dismantled and hurtful homes
but the home existed before sin cam.
into the world. 1t will continue t.
exist in spite of sin in the world, ant
to the end of time true Americans vii
sing "Home, Sweet Home" Ba'
newspapers supply the bad demand Q
bad people. Our delight in sensation
alism must not lead us to neglect tn
clean and healthful and homefu
newspaper. The existence of wicke
newspapers ought not to be a test