The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-04

yoreQ nerott WHO VIII DC theirs BueSlS. Z
Case OF Careless Reportlnr. .,ii9
{ Aformers West virginian. who Is re-;
siding In New York. sends 10 the 1ntelll.
geneer a clipping from a New York pa
per OF February 10. containing a report
OF a lecture delivered before the 81.
Matthew's branch Of the Junior A1xil.
larry OF the Church Board OF Missions.
Of that city, by the Rev. b, NJ. Spur.
rector OF Trinity Episcopal Church, at
Moundsyille. The extract illustrates
how a careless reporter may sometimes,
In an effort to condense the words OF a
public speaker. do him a great Injustice,
and mlslead the reader by leaving In
his mind a wrong impression concerning
the meaning OF the speaker. In this In
stance the general subjec. treated OF by
Mr.. Spur 10 confused with his local
Identity In q way that causes him TO
appear to say things which reflect upon
the state OF society In West Virginia,
something which the Intelllgencer be-
lleve5 was farthest from the reverend
gentleman's mind Our New York cor
respondent. who probably could not un-
derstand that Mr.. Spurs address was
emasculated in order to get It Into brief
space, regards It as ''prejudiclal to our
state in the influence 1t has over those
who have no reason to doubt the truth.
fitness OF the speaker"
The newspaper report in question
speaks of the Introduction of Mr.. Spur,
of West Virginia, who, It says, told Of
his work among the poor whites" and
quotes him as follows:
become G ns S Eas nSS has 80 SaaP anes s
We give It to him.. nor has n girl any OPP
portunity OF knowing anything about vlr-
tue. They arc SO degraded that even ne
groes shun them Indeed. II a black man
expelled from :he community. and have
never seen anywhere a condition OF phys
ical wretchedness equal to that which ex-
lists among them" concluded tho speaker.
Mr.. Spurs work Is conducted under the
auspices. not Of the church Us q whole.
willie, W. Va, of which he is rector. 80
Mr.. Spur is, now trying to raise money
for n home for lncurable consumptives.
as he says that 80 per cent OF tho people
among whom he Is working. are afflicted
with that disease.
II our New York friend. who inquiries
II such things can be true of West yir-
ginia, had weighed carefully Mr..
Spurs remarks 1t would have occurred
to him that the picture he was drawing
did not refer to any conditions that
prevail in his field OF work in West Yir-
glnia, for no such conditions as those
described exist here. and he distinctly
refers to the south as q whole and not
to West Virginia. In parts of the south
such conditions do exist, but happily.
with the general advancement that is
being made they are rapidly disappear
ing. In West Virginia We know OF no
section where the description would ap-
ply, unless It may be found in one or
two border. counties, and to apply It to
them would be an e1aggeration. Our
friends in the east who seemed to re-
gard the picture as illustrative OF a con-
u'.'oti u soetes - 50 !. - t.n'a ~ :
.i.s!sa ny 'ne tepo. :. .ale- ~,
Mf. oputf was spsaNins - A,s wv ,,eia
81 MotA ~ "ese = 'tt's. - y g.
me- 't'e % s 800 '.e
ne ~. . ~ ~, ~. - 10 :
.nes a'e ~ many ~ oul ~. t-e. = s.ss.t
osa.' 1nu 'As5 ~ a.A =. ~ 80
u. ens NUS = n.a -, =. =. uss.O.,i.sn''
- - !. .s..., =. $3.50, ~.