The Irish standard., 1902-07-19
allowed to treat other enemies of trutl

those whom passion dominates.
There are those whose pride is
wounded by truth; whose profit it is
to combat it. An opponent must be
broken down; a cause, in the success
OF which we see Il coveted prize, must
be upheld. What then: The appeal
is to sophistry and calumny; all that
| favors the antagonist is kept out o.
sight; all that damages him is brought
| INTO evidence; facts and arguments arc
| distorted; motives are misconstrued;
F, direct talsehcods are uttel ed BY dint
OF arguing, one so blinds himself at
times that injustice is seen us justice
and is championed us justice; ones
chosen side must be defended, and it
is defended, whatever the means-as
1t WAS said of old, per fas ct neras.
| You remember the hero OF Gold
smiths rustic school:
LIN arguing, too, tile pastor owned his
skill;
For cen though vanluished he could
| argue STILL"
| You can remember, also, many dis
/ putes among neiglbOrs and associates,
sometimes mere or less jocose, some
| times growing into bitter feuds-;lll,
the results of false reasoning prompted
by pride and imaginary self-interest.
These, the more innocent forms Of the
evil | ieplore. There lre other FORMS
| which drive back into long oblivion
! truths vital to the welfare of human
ity, that lead to bloody contests, even
| to wars between nations.
l am one OF those, who see in the
| lean war the guiding hand OF Il mighty
| Providence and the outbulst Of forces
long gathering i'll tie bosom of the
nation, sure, ut one moment OF all
other, to break out in {; resistless self
assertion. Nevertheless, l shall never
deny that among the immediate causes
of the war there are to be numbered
the exaggerated statemen nts, the lies,
too, and the calumnies, the ceaseless
appeals to wild and reckless passion
which dishgureu and disgraced the
utterances of certain newspaper Writ
ers and Of certain other manipulators
of public opinion. l know for Il fact
that the instructions going from the
office of Il newspaper to its European
correspondent read this wise: Wire
all that makes for wal, nothing that
tends to prevent, or delay it," Grave,
indeed, were the causes, demanding
from America Il solemn act; strong
were The provocations given to rutile
the nl tional temper; yet, we can never
approve methods in which falsehooa
and passion play a large part; AID
we cannot but assert that it weie iu-
mensely better for the country ii re-
suits attained through war could lave
been reached by other and less dire
full means.
How unguarded and reckless, and
how rcprehensble many statements
published at the present time, us from
the Philippine Islands, purporting to
tell OF dreadful deeds Of cruelty ANA
of injustice for which OH close eN-
animation no foundation in fact is
found! l shall name i'll this connec-
ton one instance, Which l am par
ticularly pleased to censure. ~ little
,,,Ii mars
raised the cry, that proseytism was
the order Of the day III tile schools OF
Manila. the chief officials, it was said,
and the teachers in the Normal being
regularly ordained ministers, who ul
| yidetl their time between the multipl-
cation table and tract reading. The
matter was investigated, and it WAS
| discovered that the chief officials and
the teachers in the Normal were not
ministers and that their own gootl
sense, rs we'll as the strict rules OF
the government confined them strictly
to secular matters. The newspapers
which had admitted into their col
umns such statements, have since, in
deed, repudjated them; but, mean-
while, much needless excitement was
raised and much harm done.
If l were to choose where outside the
classroom for the general welfare of
humanity l should have devotion to
truth prevail, l should name the news
paper. The newspaper is to-day pre-
cminently the mentor of the people.
1t is read by all; it is believed nearly
by all. Its influence is paramount; its
responsibility Is tremendous Its
province is to narratc fActs-to give
the truth, nothing but the truth, anu
all the trutl-to allow beth parties to
a controversy to he heard-never to
palliate or distort; TO omit nothing
when that which is omitted may be of
relevancy in the formation Of public
opinion: never to publish the doubtful
as certain the mere gossip as we'll
asccrtaincd news; never, above all else,
to put before readers error and false.
hood. Facts given, the editor is at
liberty to argue from them in favor Of
his own tencts; and even then through
limpid lines there sh uld appear radi'
ant the fair love of truth. never the
mere wish to eXtol party or sect
Journalism that is honest and honor