The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-07-15
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.
POSTAGE PREPAID.
TUESDAY, JULY 10, 1902.
EDUCATIONAL POWER OF THE


The tendency of the press of the day,
excepting a few sensational newspapers
of the larger cities of the country, is to
educate the people against a fondness
for the sensational. The ton OF the
press is more refined than it was a few
years back. The daily papers. especial
~ those in this part of the country,
have ceased to try to gain popularity
by ~pandering to an abnormal craving
for sensational news. Murders, suicides
and other horrible crimes are now pub
lished with as little detail as possible.
ALI the horrible circumstances sur
rounding these crimes are cut out and
the papers content themselves with the
bare recital Of the facts.
The newspapers are educators in this
respect, as they are in many others,
and while We believe they have accom-
plished much good along this line, there
is still much for them to do. The pub
lie masses still crave for the sensation
al, for that which is gruesome and hOr-
rible.
These words are suggested by a short
paragraph in a Salisbury paper re-
garding the lynching of two negroes in
hat town a few weeks ago. The paper
refers to the demand of the public for
photographs of the lynching. 1t seems
that two photographers of that town
took snap shot pictures of this horrible
affair in it's different stages, and the
demand for the pictures has been won-
derful, almost beyond belief. From all
over the country ave come orders for
these gruesome pictures. One of these
photographers has sold over 1,2OO pic
lures of the hanging, GOO orders for
them. we are told, coming from beyond
the limits of the town, many of them
from beyond the borders of the state,
and from almost every state in the
union. many from as far away at Idaho
and North Dakota. The same p
says that another photographer has fill
ed orders for hundreds of these pictures.
While it is the province and the OBJ
Ject of the press to give the people,
through the columns of the daily pa
pers, the reading matter that they de-
sire, it shoul be borne in mind by the
~hS AAAo IN h1CIo q SiCoI
power in educating the public, in living
tone to public sentiment and in leading
public thought in certain channels, and
that in this matter they can work for
the good or the evil of the communities
in which their publications circulate.
1t is gratifying to know that the trend
OF the press in this section of the country
is to lead to higher and better thought;
to discountenance pandering to the bas-
er quality of human natur and to en-
deavor TO increase the desire for d bet
ter and higher class of reading matter.
Hangings, murders, lynchings are now
no longer made the leading articles in
the news columns of our PAL
While these events are chrOnicled, 9TH
events the world over are given the
place of prominence. Items of news
that are of interest to the educated and
the refined reader take the prominent
positions.
In this course the newspapers can and
are doing a good work for the public.
The power of the press for moulding
sentiment and IA of thought and
even of action is great. and it is a cause
OF qualification to see that the press re-
allies this fact and is using this power
for the advancement of the moral and
intellectual welfare of the people.