The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-10-12
BEAktA6 UT NENNPAREkN
On intellectual and
Moral Life.
Topic Discussed at st. Paul Con-
ference.
Address By Rev. Mr..
Luther.
The Paper That is Good Ex-
presses Your Views.

| St. raul, Mlnn., October HAT the
Episcopal conference the general topic
tonight was 1.-THE bearing of the news
paper on intellectual and moral mfe."
The WRITER'S" as those who opsn the
discussions, are called. were Rev. Gam
eyon Mann. d D., of Kansas City, and
Rev. Alexander Maokay smith, ID. d.,
Of Washington.
In opening the further discussion Of
the same general subject, Rev. David
H. Greer, ID. D., Of New York. mads::an
address.
Rev. Flavel Luther, Phi. D., Of Hart t.
ford, Conn. also spoke on the subject.
| He said:
Evidently this discussion Is not and
cannot be debated 1t is the expression
Of various opinions variously formed. 1t
seems to me one question, not two; be-
cause the intellectual and moral are so
linked together. Good morals and intel
lectuai cultivation are, among us In
America at least, intimately associated.
Riches and virtue do not travel always
In company, nor do poverty and wee.
Bueignoranoe and vice generally flourish
| Az eho 0oAho nOAAs ~ WIS b1t lOOA VINO
'said In his heart. there La no God"
We have then one question. Is the
| newspaper upliftingp Does IL improve
men or debase themS
There are some few papers that are di s.
tinotly bad. They pander, manifestly, to
the basest passions, as did the evil books
which men fifty years old will remember.
| There Is one paper that Is thoroughly
good. 1t is the ono which expresses your
views. But after these. good and bad.
have been marked on. we have still before
us the great mass of American journal
ism. This must not be confonnded with
so-oalled metr opolitan journalism. The
American people are not yet all hived in
the great cities. There are all the papers
published In our thriving towns of less
than 1000 Inhabitants. Theirinfiuence
is more potent and more helpful than
that OF their larger contemporaries, be-
cause the editors are personally known to
the subscribers aud are made to feel
| genuine personal responsibility. IL IL q
| man speaking, not q disembodied voice.
The small paper is closer to its public,
expresses more freely tn, beet thoughts
of its own constituency. Then there is
the little country paper that oirCuiatss
among the villagers. copies of which fol-
| low the country boys to their various
homes in the great cities These papers
always stand for the best things; for good
schools, for the public library, for tenn
peranoe. for improved roads, for all those
things that make for the higher life of
| the community. DO not forget them, in
estimating the Influence of the newspaper
| We must be careful, also, TO get a cor
rect idea OF the reader as well as Of the
INarnr 10 tsa
culture Is MOI largely literary culture.
Our real leaders ars not literary men.
| We are u nation of working men. It IL
the engineers, the inventors, the mechan-
les the farmers, who constitute the real
A american public. To judge the news
paper from the standpoint of a doctor of
| letters Is as Ii a great musician were to
rsferee football match. 1t Is the work
men who read the papers. We are inter
eated to observe the effect OF the news
papers upon the men who read them
between twelve aud one. and after six ut
night; upon the women who look them
| over after hushing the children In their
beds; upon the farmer and his family
who pass them from hand to hand as they
| sit around the kerosene lamp. For these
are they who determine our civilization,
chose our rulers, regulate our domestic
and foreign policies.
1t is manifest to me that the average OF
intelligence and r, tinement in COM
munity varies direcsly with the number
nf newspapers which enter it. There are
fewer iynchings where there are more
newspapers. Subscription lists are small
from towne with few and poor schools. :,
hec6ntly foreign Investigators have be-
come interested to learn the cause of the
Acknowledged superiority of the Ameri.
can workmen. AT least one distinguished
observer was impressed by the, TO him,
surprising fact that they read all the
papers 1t is fair, Is 1t not. TO judge the
| paper as we judge schools and churches;
by the character of those who patronizs
them most extensively.
4 1t may be objected that l am advance
| ing, as AN intellectual and moral infiu-
ence that whioS has 90 do only with ma
| terial industry; that l am negleoting the
| higher life of the soul. Well, think the
highest life is that In which the man
most fully expresses his best self. / think
the highest life of the mechanic consists
In being q good mechanic, honest ana
true. Aud II the newspaper helps him
IN being that. then the newspaper Ia good
for him.
But he does much besides opening and
keeping open the mind of the average
citizen. We complain of their intrusion
into private affairs. Generally, not al
ways, but generally these priyats affairs,
this private business, ought 60 be intrud-
ed into. Our modern civilization Is SO
we like 1T or not, must be restricted to q
moreover rnngs than In the time of our
| fathers. Most of us have been more than
once held back from folly in word and
deed By the sure knowledge that sit
would get into the papers.n
| What HIST We might make of the sue
cessful attacks OF papers upon private and
public abuses, upon corporate wicksdness,
upon social foolishnsss. What has 40
opened the eyes OF our people to the Vile
ness Of our divorce system as recent
newspaper revelstions in one special An
stanees OF course newspapers frequently
60 wrong. They oirculnts wing scandals,
they ruin By fake witness. But think
tha balance Is on the side of decency and
goed noraIss The papers talk Of crime
En0s more than does what is called good
lifarafnr. Thar do snok ..aLal zIaa -