The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-06-17
THE NEWSPAPER AS AN EDUCATOR.
AN EDITORS OPINION OF IT..
The Address or Rev. n. j. S. Thomas,
DID,, Editor of the Baptist Courier,
Before tho State Press Association

DID,, Editor of the Baptist Courier
Before tho State Press Association
at NewDcrry, S. C., May 2G, 1897.
10 be fairly treated this subec
ought to be given to one who is not
newspaper man. Some Of those peopl,
who read newspapers and study thei
contents could much better tell us how
the newspaper Is an educating force
Newspaper editors do not read news
papers.-thcy skim, they go through
the exchanges, glancing at the head
lines and reading few sentences 0
the editorials, most generally rcadins
between the lines and reading into the
lines. The editor is not after lcarniny
anything, except to see what the othc
fellow IS after and to get sOmcthine
for his own columns.
There arc some people who read and
study the newspapers, and in doing this
they have within easy reach a great
library they get the right
kind OF papers.
IL good paper and sec what he would
learn:
There is geography. Ia one copy Of
a daily found these countries and
places prominently brought before the
readers eye Countries and places out
side the United dStates-IIavana, Grcccc,
Athens, ConstantinOplc, Canea, Lon
don, Berlin, Rome, Toulon, Madrid,
Vienna; places in the United States
Washington, ST. Louis, Cairo, Mem
Ehis, Helena, Ark, N,cksburg, New
Orleans, Frankfort, New York, New.
port, ky., Providence, Charlotte, Sa-
Boston, Columbus, o., jacksonville,
Chattanooga, Atlanta places in our
own Statc-Spartanburg, Sumter, An
derson, St. Georges, Barnwell, Saluda,
Grccnvillc, Charleston, Columbia Lau.
rcns, Bambcrg. What. Il sweep this
would be if one should follow all the
places and locate them on the man :?
IN addition to the news direct from
these places and countries, the same
daily had articles from papers publish
ca IN other Statcs-8oston, New York,
Hartford, Louisville, Baltimore. Wash.
ington, Indianapolis, Chicago--bcsidcs
Il large number publishcG in this STATE.
Now, il Il boy had before him the map
Of the world and would look up these.
or some OF these places, he would soon
get very good course in geography
Here is mentioned rivers, lakes, guifs,
oceans, seas, mountains, plains, cities,
villages, in this and in other countries,
L birdseyc view OF the world.
There is history in the newspaper.
From these columns the bright boy will
near Of nations, different people, what
Lhcy arc doing, what they have done
and what they will probably do hero
after. Our history for the past half
century is to be found in the ncwspa-
pers. The future historian wilt go to
the newspapers, County and State, for
current history. Customs, fashions,
beliefs change and pass away and the
newspapers arc the only chroniclcrs.
There is rich historic minc for our
children and our children's children
in the newspaper flies. Tho future
generations will learn of us and OF our
works from these old musty, faded
papers.
The sprightly boy will learn much Of
science from tho newspapers. They
are constantly bringing to the atten-
tlOn OF the world new discoveries and
inventions. The people learned Of the
wonderful achievements OF the scicn-
lists in the realm Of electricity through
the papers, The newspapers first told
OF those wonders, the telephone and
the phon0graph, etc. y bout a year ago
the papers were filled with Nray dis
cOvcries, and the people knew all that
could be known within Il short time al
ter the discovery. The newspaper tlcs
will record and preserve all these ad
vances in science.
From the newspapers the bright boy
will learn about political parties. This
is, perhaps, too much the great field
for the papers. The fear is they will
conllnc themselves to this. Here is the
history Of the rise and growth and de-
feat and fall Of political parties. The
newspaper IS an educator in the science
and art Of politics, but as a general
thing they teach only one side of the
subject For instance, you read a Re-
publican paper, and everything said is
in favor of that party; you read a Dem
ocratic paper, and you will learn that
the Democrats are always right and
the Republicans wrong. You read q
silver paper, and you learn that the
hope Of the country depends upon the
success of that policy but read gold
paper, and you learn that the silver
craze will ruin the country. The
newspaper is IL great educator in poll
tics, but you must read several papers
in order to be well educated, an all
round man.
1t is laughablc to see how newspapers
try to educate tho people into the be-
lief that the country is going to the
bad, tho BOTTOM is going to drop out
and all sorts Of dreadful things arc go
Ing to happen II certain party is not
successful and certain mon are not
elected. 1t is amusing to see how con-
lidently newspapers predict the cleo
tion of particular party. and then af-
forwards to see how widely thcy missed
It.. The people arc beginning to un~
dcrstand the situation whom it comes
to party papers and party politics.
They believe only what they wish to
belicvc; they arc fast losing conf
dcnce in the papers when they discuss
party politics. They make y liberal
discount Of all that is said by the party
organ.
1t Is wonderful TO sec how wise some
of our newspaper editors and newspa-
per writer's are. They will discuss any
subject with ali the confidence and as
suriAncc Of the most gifted ana pro.
nounced specialist. They can settle
matters Of finance ia one column they
can a1vise Congress what bin to pass
or reject; they can tell the President
nf No Late f,,I Sfnt f,N sol, 4 L.