Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-04-26

particular class OF crimes to While
Newspaper seDBstionalism has give
greatest prominence In recsnt years.
1t Ii urged that the public 10 moi
to blame than the newspaper publish
ers for the admittedly ismentabl
| condition. 1t IL asserted that
ono Newspaper does not Civ
publicity TO the latest scandal, o
delve Into the minor intricacies OF tn
most recent orimt, other newspaper
VIII do 80, with the result that tn
paper which reirains from the disgust
Ing and demoralizlng publication will
suffer In its patronage, because OF tn
rush to the others. This 10 true II
large degree, and therefore offers
partial excuse for detailed newspaper
publication OF SUCH criminal events a
do occur.
But even II that excuse be
lowed ss sufficient, what about tIos,
newspapers which publish fictiopIt o }
tanning descriptions OF the in oral al d
criminal tencency referred tor Thos,
newspapers give to their readers ehorl
stories or novels, In which are &C.
counts OF murders. suicides, scandals
etc., Of . most sensational order, tue
articles being embelllshed by illu.tra.
tioDs Of the crimes. What is the OK
cuse for such publications? 1t cannot
be the claim that newspaper must
publish the news, for such novels are
not news. The fact is, there Ia no
honorable excuse tor the publication
OF tuch fiction, which appears In nine
often papers In the cou ntry land which
10 infinitely more lbaneful In lite
elects upon the susceptible public
than are the accounts OF actual occur.
FENCES. The fascinating novel tas q
Tar greater influence on the mind of
the young aud ungusrded than all the
soiid facts newspaper has to present;
and the manner In which 1t presents
the narrative is vastly mors injurious
to the reader, for In the fiction the
cold fscts do not stand In the way OF
lanciiui picture. The respec able
newspaper which values the moral
effects OF Its own training up,a lite
readers may find reasonable excuse
In, though il ueplores the
necessity for, publishing accounts
oil crimes actually committed
on the ground that 1t must give the
news; but 1t will not stoop to publith-
Ing hction Of the same class, for the
dissemination OF which there is no
lawful justification whatever.
1t lie tad reflection on the heads of
families in this locality, where such
can be included among the culpsole
ones. to cay that they wouli divert
their reading patronage from paper
that mod fl ID Its accounts of criminal
events to protect those families from
the pernioious influences which invari-
ably attends q sensational presen.
tation of details. Yet the r,f c.
tion Ia merited by many leaders OF
families in this community. That 10
tantamount to saying that there are
many heads OF families VINO, in the
eagerness to crafty their own morbid
curiosity for details OF scan ialous
episodes, throw to the winds all CON.
sideratlon for the honor and safety OF
their children that are involved. But
facts compel the ststeme 1t Of this
truth. And the position OF those heads
OF families ia made all the more I'M
enviaole when they permit and en-.
courage In their households those
papers which publish fiction OF the
most debasing tendency.
This matter Of pernicious literature
ought to receive the most careful anu
vigorous attention from parents, from
educators, and particularly from those
who operate In the field OF religion.
The people now are all readers, anu 1t
Ia O duty OF those whose religious
obligations and convictions lead them
to protest against the presencs in their
congregation Of an individual whose
example is one OF wick insss, to be-
equally autagonistic to the literature
which teaches wickedness by recital
thereof. Here lie q great work neces.
sary In defense Of morality. As condl.
Iions go, 1t may not be practicable
or advisable to enueavor to bar from
the religious family fireside the news.
paper which tells OF the crimes OF the
day in as delicate language as 1t Ia able
to MSS; yet line should DO drawn
against every paper that throws down
its bars to seusationalism and morbid
lily in ouch descriptions; and there
should be erected an invinoible bar
rier against admission to the family
OF the pernicious newspsp per novels or
stories referred to, the production
OF which 10 An assault on the honesty,
virtue and integrity OF the nation.