The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-17

was delivered at the First Methodist
church last evening, Judge c. c. Good
win being the speaker.
His subject was Journalism and
he handled it in a manner that thor
oughly entertained the audience, speak
ing as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It was a thougbtless promise that 1
gave when l agreed to come before
you tonight and waste half an hour in
talking about Journalism, for much
wiser men than myself have essayed
to discuss that subject, and as rule
have made sorry failures.
Journalism is a. modern institution,
comparatively speaking, though the
spirit of 1t has been in the mind ever
since before Homer went from town
TO town and for the diversion Of the
people repeated his Incompatible
verse.
The people listened partly because Of
the stately majesty and rythm of his
winged words. but chiefly because they
desired TO hea1, the news.
In that desire all that there is in
modern Journalism had its germs.
The first essential of journalism is
to supply the news. So essential is this
that the majority Of the great metro
politan journals dwarf everything else
10 be sure to give their readers all the
news.
If you happen to be coming down
town on an early car and see half
dozen men open their morning papers,
you viii see five out of the six turn
to the local pages first, then TO the
Geographic columns, and then, espec-
tally If they know the editor, they are
liable to fold up and pocket their pa
pers with the remark that they will
read the rest after dinner.
From little beginning journalism
has advanced until it is one of the
great controlling forces of this world.
Sometimes 1 listen as the linotypes
upstairs are preparing their work, and
say to myself, The brains of the mod
ern Homer are steel and they are now
weaving their rare fabrics When,
later, up from the basement comes the
echo of the murmurings Of the perfect
ing press. /. say to myself, THE new
Homer. like the old one, is beating time
as he repeats his splendid numbers to
the people
There are many kinds of Journalism
First is that kind which is carried on
without sentiment. The counting-room
dictates its opinions, and the genius of
the managers is measured by their
ability to cover up the fact that the
journal is merely a mercenary ma
chine, a mere advertising shest, and
to beguile the people into the belief
that only a lofty principle is the direct
ing force behind it, and That its man
ayers are simply wearing out their
lives to make men better, and to serve
mankind by sweeping everything that
is sinister on unclean out of their
paths
Then there is the toady journal. 1t
leans upon wealth. With it the rich
IL
The rich man is always referred to as
honorable, his wife is always beautiful,
his daughters are always Graces or
Dianas or Junos. If the man gives 81
TO a charity his generosity is marvel
Gus, and this is true. though he may
have obtained the 81 by selling out a
widows furniture on account of over
due rent.
The souls Of the managers of such
journals arr ineally descended from
the people who, when the thunders of
omnipOtence were shaking Sinai and
around the shuddering mountain was
wrapped the merciful clouds and dark
ness that concealed the too severe
presence there, contributed their jew
els, had them melted and cast into a
golden calf and then fell down and
worshipped the calf. They are the
defenders of wealth, no matter what
its eXacsaons and robberies may be.
To them the knowledge thar an indi-
Vi6,ual or a company has a bank ac-
count of a million or ten millions is
sufficient. To them that bank account
is king and can do nc wrong, and upon
their souls the previous question has
been moved and carried, and further
debate is smut off.
There is, too the dema gogua journal
This always assumes that the laboring
man is poor and oppressed. and that
it is straight goods to defend him
against grasping capital in and out
OF season. No matter if the particular
capitalist who is being assailed has. for
years, borne up labor upon his golden
wings finding for ehe la,borer reTnun-
erative employment; has spent hall
has nights in scheming how he could
carry on his enterprises and continue
TO Tay his employees generous wages
and TO be. as he has so long been
a providence to those around him
Only let one lazy loafer raise his voics
and the demagogue newspaper springs
TO his support pictures him as The in
jure3 one. and The grinding capf.alisi
as altogether soulless and an enemy
10 the state. This is a common form
for some newspaper men have polGtica
ambitions, and the vote of the cod
hopper Is worth two of the capitalist
when he succeeds in voting twice on
electso,, day.
There is another class of Journals
whose managers. impatient cit the man.
ifest infirmities of the world, undertake
TO reverse the rule OF all ages and Il
make out a reform which shall curs
the worlds deficiencies. They expec,
to accomplish their design within Two
on three years at furthest The mos
of gfeTn are closed out by a printer:
strike in about ninety days The sen.
sational journal respects The feelings
OF neither men nor women; IL vii
break open a church. or a family close
or rob a graveyard for a skeleton GU
OF which TO obtain sensation.
Then the purely partisan paper ha:
place. Its business is to support
particular party, and no matter wtal
outrages it may commit. it is the duty
CT the journal not only to defend II.
but to show that no other course could
In wisdom and honor. be considered
A blind, bigoted, parIisan newspape,
is about the meanest thing ON earth
Then again we see plerry of news
papers and read between the lines tha.
they are not what the managers als
suited with but the environments
around them make their best effort.
impossible, Tor even newspaper mea
must have something to eat occasion
ally, and the false pride of HE pres
emit age imposes upon them the necss
sity OF wearing clothes.
Again. sometimes we see a news
paper so established that the owner
ard writer's do not have to conSfde,
where the means are TO be raised {.
keep il on IRIS feet, and still those pa
pers are sometimes failures Why
Those igl charge have NOT vet Learned