The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-04-28

Chepachet, r. l., April %, 1897.
| To the Editor of The News:
Tho department of your valuable paper
| which is represented by the enclosed clipping
! always looms before NV mind m troublesome
| proportions whom you take occasion TO speak
4 Il almost said boastl OF its cleanness and the
| desirable qualities which make a frst-class
| family newspaper. I havs been tempted TO
| address you In remonstranco, but the edi-
torial of DR. Shrndy, than whom there Is
none OF wider influence in ms line ia the
country, fits the ease 50 much better than
anything 7 might say that l beg leave TO re-
guest that YOU, read IT,
Very truly,
G. \. HARRIS. NJ. ID.
Member r. !. Med. Society, r. |. Medico-
Legal Society. Medical Examiner District
No. 3. Providence County.
The clipping enclosed, from The News
OF April IL, contains number Of so.callcd
medical advertisements The editorial
is from our esteemed contemporary, the
Medical Record, OF tho same date by
coincidence of no particular significance.
We thank DR. Harris for expressing him
self so freely and for calling attention to
the Record editorial. The "medicals"
are always of some concern 20 a news
paper publisher and the editor of The
News had already read the editorial from
the Record referred 10, and had laid it
aside with a view 10 its possible reprint
ing in his columns or at all events, that
{ be handy for reference IN future consid
Grafton of a much-vexod question. Now
that it has been brought directly home to
us by the foregoing letter. we print the
greater part OF the editorial in another
column.
Reference thereto will show that tho
Record, noting tho general uprising
against the indecency of the new
journalism" is moved to express the
opinion that goodly part of the press
that is not identified with the kind of
journalism that is under the ban is yet
not diligent to keep its own columns free
from offense, specifically in the medical"
advertising columns. 1t declares that
shameful, lying and indecent medical ad-
vertis, ments are quito common in all
newspapers, good and bad "The high
minded utteranccs of the editorial
columns" are sharply contrasted by the
blatant lies in the rented department of
the paper" er"-meaning the department
rented to the, medical advertiser.
We repeat, we arc not prepared to contro-
vert this charge either as specifically ap-
piled to The News by DIR. Harris or as
the champion of respectable journalism
wherever found so negligent. In the
clipping from The News we find ten sepa-
rate medical" advertisements We don't
know how many Of them would be
classcd under the head Indecent. Z"
That would perhaps depend upon the
view. But we suppose all of them would
be included by Dr. Harris and the Record
as Lying and blatant because they
seem to guarantee cures from certain
human Ills where your family doctor, IL
he knew his business, would never ven
ture to give such assurance, and TO fur
nish the cures at what our mercantile
friends would announce as ''ridiculously
low prices In business sense, we
know of course that the doctors here
advertised-and one Of them practices his
profession in the State of Rhode Island
and, of course, as to his professional
standing Is guaranteed by tho Board of
Health under the medical practices act,
even though he might not be eligible to
membership in our medical societies,
since he advertlses In print-and the con-
Germs that manufacture the different
products are in good standing, of good
credit and thoroughly reputable in n bus
mess way. Whether their announcements
are honest we can have no safe ground for
judging. Accordingly whether or not
they should be allowed TO appear In
a daily newspaper, we confess we are not
sure. Speaking only for The News we
are prepared to believe that if some of
them were omitted The News would make
rather more wholesome appearance In
that particular column, though tho names
of reputable local pharmacists are asso.
ciated with some of the advertisement and
If anybody in town were looking for tho
kind of products advertised 10 would
doubtless be found in our contemporaries.
For all the contrast suggested as between
the advertising columns of a reputable
newspaper and the the other columns we
are inclined to think that despite every
precaution, one department is as likely