The evening times., 1900-01-20
The Side-TaIk system.

One OF the peculiar features of a certain
type of journalism is the encouragement OF
what might be called the confessional sys-
TEN. Some newspapers make a business
of printing the letters of people who are
bothered over some private, ethical, or So
cial problem. and telling them what to do
in the matter, or calling for the comments
of other correspondents. This system Is
probably an outcome of the farmers jour
nails. which always have Cosy Corner"
or Round Table" where the old ladies
can compare knitting patterns and the
young men and maidens can compare their
ideas on the subject of love and etiquette.
When this Cosy Corner" is extended to
the proportion Of several columns of a big
metropolitan paper, it becomes quite con-
spicuous and varied.
OF course. it is part of newspapers busi-
ness to print letters from correspondents
on any subject which concerns the pub
lie; but 1t is little less than absurd
to print several columns of side Talks"
to young men who wish to know whether a
young lady is really angry when she says
she is. or to girls who wish TO know what
they shall do when their fiances go to
dance with other girls. 1t also seems like
a waste of time and space to print the
disinterested opinions of the community
on the subject.
A Chicago newspaper has been carrying
on a lengthy discussion. 1t told the story
of a young girl who rushed into a burning
house to rescue some valuable papers be-
Na., I, Iat- raI
by the flames in such a way as TO be dis
figured for life, and released the young
man from the engagement He accepted
his freedom, but later, when the girl had
received considerable legacy from a rela-
tive, sought her again, and she accepted
him. For the past week the Chicago paper
has been printing letters expressing opin-
ions of the girls conduct. They are all OF
two types; most of the writers express the
conviction that the young lady was very
foolish; a few defend her action. Now,
what is the use of this sort of exaggerated
gossip mill? II there is any one thing
which ought TO be private property, it is
love affair, and the inner history of a
romance in real life is something which
well-bred people are commonly content to
let alone. Why should newspapers encour-
age the publication of letters revealing
what ought to be the innermost secrets
of the writer's being? OF course, the
writer's of such letters, probably, see no
objection to their telling the whole world
all about their private affairs. but that is
no reason why their standard of good man
ners should be recognized.
There are sometimes crises in ones
life when the advice of a stranger is more
useful than that OF friend, because one
feels instinctiveIy that the stranger will
give a disinterested opinion, and probably
does not care enough about the matter to
remember II in after years. But the times
when the average person really needs ad
vice are very few. II there is a commodity
in the world today which is drug in the
market. 1t is advice We are advised by
the clergyman, by the novelist, by the
politician even by the dramatist and some
of us are in danger of forgetting that
such a thing as independent thought or
action is possible. What these unhappy
people who write distressed letters to the
newspapers really need is not guidance
but backbone. II they would go away by
themselves and think hard over their diff
ficulties. with the determination TO see a
way out if there is any way, and make the
best of a bad situation if necessary, it
would do them more good than tons of
their neighbors' opinions.