The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-05-25

IsfT
The pulpit the bar, the medical procession
ana business circles nave each tncr feat.
ures of sonsaiionaiism winch bring re-
preach upon their calling, but even this
evil that always has been ana always Will
be visible Ia the great struggle for prog
ress mas not been without compcu satinis.
II has made our best journalism ad.rncc
20 the highest standard Of popular aftiac-
tiveness and usefulness; IL has made our
pulpit struggle TO escnpr the hundruin
| reaching that made religions worship tire
some and spread vacancy throughout the
profession advance from ms regular 'calo-
mel aud jalap' of hfty years ago IN the
most enlightened and progressive Of all our
Discounted by all It's ecbects. the Amer
lean newspaper OF today that fairly repre-
scnts American Journalism II the greatest
and best newspaper the world has ever pro.
dured. Partisan ana general disputgtlon
IN our newspapers Is tcnfold more dienihed.
courteous and tolerant today than IL was
~ the DAYS Of Washington. Jefferson or
! JacltSon, and The most grateful reflections
9a,yo IN retiring from ,respoasihle edl,,
leave II greater. grander and nohler than
ii has ever besn IN the past
newspapers NJ the day ARE conducted upnn
high plane. lust as other reputable and
category Is included the successful weekly
papers that stand In such close touch with
the agricultural classes and with the bust
ness men of the smaller towns.
Tho intelligent reading public know how
10 discriminate IN those matters and they
give the paper Of their choice all the
20 an old and tried friend
the masses ~ men are Influenced by
what they read, II they have any respect
| FOR the authority from which they read
II is IN the silent daily talks to the mil
| lions ~ men, therefore, which the reputable
cxerted.
There was n time, for example when tho
political views and the political informa
] ~ LII IA
Try. came from the political representatives
| BEFORE the days of the modern newspaper
and the telegraph and railway the legls-
#, lator needed 10 he an orator II developed
upon him In running for oflce or upon
returning g. his people after his services
IN the legislative halls, whether state or
National. % enllghten tho voters of his dis
iTlct or state on he great political cues
conducive ~ orofo,.y NM h, ,Iodcs S ATM INV,
ally those great lNhtS In nur nnlitra his
tory whose mntchless elcduenGc II still a
country
The great orators have passed away. Tho
Wehsters and Clays and Pinckncys and
as the greater editors of another era, or
as the NapUloons Of another field Tho
cnuse Of this decay in oratury Is not dif
| ucult 10 ind, The modern press has SUI
pcrseded the politician or stateman MS the
political teacher Of the masses The ora
facts aud arguments witch the press has
| already made familiar to the people. He
must deaf with an Oft told story and ncccs-
saTily his Inspiration Is weakened.
, Aud what Is true ~ the oraiory and the
WGup OF the power and functions 81 tho
political teacher h true In almost c.rry
other held AZ instruction, The myriad
minded The Argus eyed, and the ubiquitous
! press ot the timc covers practically cycry
branch Of human interest and contributes
daily and weekly Information on almost
every topic commanding popular attention,
So cowpletei{ , gow j., Is ne press dependea
| the political chess board; Icy the merchant
for the report Of the market conditions
and transactions ana quotations; by the
thp 2ay: hy tho officers Of the law for thr
| tracing of criminals and new develop
meuts In mysterious cases; 10y the dcvotce
OF society Tor the dongS of his ar her set;
| by the contractor hunting Tor possible jobs
hy the diplomats watching foreign govern
mcntS, aud by all classes OF the plain
people Interested in tneIr W9ynliltganopiss
would not be drawing u too ,cNtmvagan,ly
10 declare that the great bulk Of the con
day by day, by what the press unfolds and
suggests and advises az the breakfast
J il is a mighty engine whose pusauons
are felt through all The machinery az mod
crn thought and progrcss II Is tho pnr'
veyor OF the daily mental pahulum far that
portion of the race that controls all the
Bui this Is only the direct influence.
; There Is negative influence, but little
less important or salutary or powerful.
If the press printed nefourth or Quo
tenth even of the Wild rumors that come
daily TO the ears of newspaper men: II
notice were taken ~ II half of the budding
} but baseless sensations that nnd start
In the idle gossip daily OF almost every
community lrrcpgrable injury would BE
, | done to thousands. The very confidence
Which i9G gmnnc reR@s' n In me h efficient
conplcd with the absence Of any refer
enGes In the press OF the day after or
at all, after To these stories of the street.
or OF reckless news agencies treasures
| basoipss and prevents hurtful consequences
The protection which the reputable press
daily gives to character and the shClCd,
ness OF home aud private nnars, Is not
one OF the press least virtues and mas
tar-reachlng, II negative, influence ON SO,
cety.
nut this far-rcarhlng power and influence
OF the press is not confined to stimulating
Important movements. on one hand. or 10
guarding organized society on the other
hand, From the silly or reckless assaults
OF the unthuughtful. or the cvtlv dispNs Il,
As rule, the press Is optimistic. IL
presents the Reasons for hOping Tor and cS-
ppcting better tuings al All times. Mon
and women who are regular readcUs OF tho
more practleal and promising views The
scope Of newspaper publications Is now
so broad that there Is something to in
ieresI. 70 Instruct and 10 amusr all classes
The hTst class modern newspaper Is a
cheerful companion that brlghtens and i'm
proves every hume II enters. And IL is
On educator unsurnasSed In all the realm
Of intellectual effort Like SOME wind ng
stream through an arid waste, IL gladdenS
and refreshcs and fertilizes all the ground
II touches, II has become Indispensable rs
n factor OF progress. II is the hand maiden
OF development. II * the watchman OF
| the hour carrying to an cxpeCtnnt mulfi.
tnde the first tidings Of good or pad
fortune, ana counseling courage and mod
Grafton aud hope whatever the misfortune
may he.
II would require, In fact, page IN one
OF our large papers TO simply recount those
triumphs OF the modern newspaper that
demonstrate It's usefulness and its In
huence; In the past few years W. have
seen the American press bring great ma
TONS TO war, and then we have seen Il
assist In binding MP the wounds caused
, by war. We have noted the results OF the
unseltsh appeal for charity when great
disasters have befallen. We have seen a
rise. 70 great occasions and then minister
70 humble wants. II rarely falls 10 lie
nounce wrong or 70 applaud virtue In a
word II IL the universal help-meet and
most potent agency In human affalrs TO-
day, next TO religion and money.-the latter
In It's sense OF circulating medium for
the worlds exchanges
II we would get vivid conceptfon how
ever. OF the power and utility OF the press
we should Imagine = month IN this coun-
try. for example, when not a daily or
weekly publication issued from al oface