Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-05-07
NOX WRITES ABOUT
THE NEWSPAPERS.
A Strong Word for Sunday Journals.
CHURCH INDEBTED TO THE SEC
ULAR PRESS = NEWSPAPERS
WITH NO CONSCIENCE.

new YORK, May Tine 1nnuence OF
the newspaper is growing greater every
day. Behind this revealer of the
worlds daily happenings are some of
the brightest intellects. Has a man
great brain power? He has none too
much to prevent him from entering
the ranks of journalism, for it can be
used here. and much more, too. Has
he a fund of original ideas? Can he
write anything that the people want
to read? Can he scent a new trail?
Can he express the keynote of the po-
litical, the religious, the business sit
uation? Does he know why Rudyard
was given such an odd name, or
whether he has decided to get on
speaking terms with his best friend,
the press? The managing editor is
ready to exchange coin for such infor-'
nation.
The newspaper is the poor MANS
college. 90 No person who knows how 70.
read need be ignorant if he will read
school with it's instructors ever ready
to teach him. For small amount of
| money he can feel the throb of every
civilized nation, know the political sit
uation, follow the current of religious
/ thought, keep abreast of the scientific
discoveries, review the world of art, be
posted in stocks, peep into every grade
of society and enjoy the finest products
Of editorial pens.
AS an educator the newspaper takes
high rank, for the majority Of the peo-
pie do'the greater part of their reading,
not in books, but in the daily papers,
Public opinion is formed much more
largely from the columns of the news
paper than from the bound volumes.
The newspaper has the public eye, and
the optic nerve has become the great
highway for knowledge.
MONEYS WORTH MANY TIMES
OVER.
1t costs one so little to obtain a news
paper that he is apt to forget what a
costly production it is Land and sea
are wired to bring the news from all
quarters of the globe. Special writers
in literature, science, politics, religion,
finance, music, sports and drama are
employed Here is a vast expenditure
of time, money and brains, the results
of which are to he had for trifling out
lay on the part of the reader.
The newspaper is the champion of
the vital interests of the people, it's
columns being ever open for the hum
blest individual to set forth his we'll
grounded grievance, or to express his
opinion upon living issue. Here is
an open court, where public opinion
sits in judgment, and because most peo-
pie stand in fear of public opinion the
daily paper is a worthy defender of the
rights of community. Moreover, the
newspaper is the ablest detective we
| have. A rogue fears it much more
| than he fears the police. He may
| elude the bluecoats, but let the press
send out a description of him and he
! has cause to tremble for fear. for it is
hard to escape the arm of justice when
every newspaper reader becomes a de-
| tective at his heels.
| NEWSPAPERS WITH NO CON-
| SCIENCE.
| A newspaper, like an individual, has
character of its own, and all news
papers are not alike in character. We
regret to say that few of them have
| hardly a bowling acquaintance with
conscience. In order to believe the
statements made in such journals one
! must first see them verified in other
papers of established reputation for
honesty. These journals have almost
no regard for truth. Let there be a
railroad accident, with some loss of
life, and soon the staring headlines
state, in exaggerated figures, the num-
varies according to the sensational ap-
petite of the reporter. In later, and
true account of the accident, the read
er, as he notes the lesser number of
deaths reported, must think that the
writer has the power to resurrect the
dead whom his lying pen slew the day
before in order to have the most sensa-
tional account of the accident. Every
reader should make allowance for mis-
takes, which necessarily creep into the
daily press, but a lie which has its rise
in a desire for sensationalism is no
more to be tolerated in a newspaper
than it would be in an individual
| SUNDAY JOURNALS AND EMPTY
PEWS.
My purpose in this article is more
especially to write about the Sunday
papers. Aside from the increased labor
necessitated by the issue of the Sunday
edition, am a strong believer in the
Sunday journals. ! know that some