The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1902-04-12
THE POWER OF THE PRESS.
BY Max o,Rall.

this them to do unto you" were sub
pre- lime words spoken twenty cen
ress turtles ago. For sixteen hundred
' !! years Christians have had these
fo, words preached to them as wei
at as all the other precepts of the
cha gospel. And what is the result
en- The result is practically this:
Ms There is hatred, there is contempt
the rampant among men: there Is
ade abuse among women, and il may
ply be asserted that there is nothing
1u- but distrust among nations, who
Il, more or less cordially hate one
~ another.
Is, 1 see no progress. On the con-
et- trary, | am convinced that things
g are growing from bad to worse,
10 and this is the most important
10 problem of all those that human
rs ity has to face.
L How is this problem to be
)f solved?
: by international congress9 No.
i see the result of the one lately
i held at The Hague. By arbitra-
;. ton tribunals9 Never; the strong
er VIII always persist in settling
affairs with the weaker himself (
by books and lectures No: If
if these books and lectures are (
successful, they are, after all,only s
read and heard by a few thousand. (
The problem will be solved only (
When the greatest power on earth I
IS converted to the cause of hu- s
mainly and this greatest of DOW. )
ers is the press. =
The civilized people of the
earth will never appreciate and re- :
spect one another until they be-
come cosmopolitan, Now, to be-
come cosmopolitan, you have mon
ey and leisure, SO that you can =
travel and travel.
The wealthy society of practic-
ally every nation is cosmopolitan.
OUT Inc masses of the people are -
not. Who will reach these mil
lions! Who will teach them the n
virtues Of their neighbors
Who will tell them tha other
people are as good, as useful, as -,
intelligent as they are themselves?
The press, and the press only. N
Humanity is threatened with n
errible and imminent dangers
Inc press alone can avert them. ~
In the progress of democracy.
diplomacy is losing its prestige
nd ITS influence. Diplomacy rep
esents only the leading classes Of
ociety.
Diplomacy now has no power to
OPP o. prevent war; but the press
IS. 1t was the press which was
70 cause OF the Spanish-Ameri-
% war, for once Just war; it was
Q pre- which three years AGO.
as going to be the cause of o war
tween France and England on
count OF the occupation of a
amp called Fashoda.
The press of France and Eng.
"a did not cody discuss the iii.
ton; they simply hurled insults
each other, excited the lowest
'lings OF hatred among the twoI
ople and one of these DAYS safely
! surely they will succeed in
ding civilization back for
ldred years by having war be-
'en the only two liberia nations
europe, two nations eminentlv
tined to respect each other and
Y useful, almost Indispensable. ~
to the other. n
ne press of the twentieth cen.
: is the greatest power Of the -
q. Is it going to be such =
or for good or for evilY
ne duty OF the press ia to an.
ten and teach, besides giving
news Of the day. ~
eople who do not travel have NV,
nothing and know NOTHING ls%s
y are entirely at the mercy Of As'
press TOR information and Eb%
lance. tNt
st those who have seen and Y
v teach and enlighten those NJ
have not seen and do not
v.
nee the press has replaced
macy let the journalist serve ~,
pprenticeship'as the diplomat -
as to do. Let him travel, see -
earn. 000 So =
him go and reside in Eng ~
IN France, everywhere. Lett YnI
'IrnalIst OF any paper in the 81
write on q nation whom he -
not know. 80
vorld understands cL' i pdper .n q Watt
- n z