The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-01-06
Says Modern Journalism Has Be-
come Desperately Wicked.
TALKS OF ARROGANCE.
Says That of the Newspaper
Man Is Conspicuous.
Wants Law Passed to Suppress
Cartoons of Officials.
Reads Bitter Statement by AZ
legged Newspaper Man.

A great diversity of opinion was ex-
pressed in the discussion of the paper
read today at the Ministerial union
meeting by Rev ]. d. Countermine,
pastor of the First Presbyterian church,
IN the subject of Does the Abuse of
Our Public Men by the Press Foster
Anarchy
DR.. Countermine attacks the newspa-
pers of the country on the charge that
the editors are often guilty of publish
ing things of which they know nothing
and that from the conceit and assumed
authority of the editor comes the news
paper abuse of public men and not from
a careful study of facts He said:
The birth of human being is always
an important event. 1t is the coming
into the world of another candidate for
either a life of honor or of shame; an
eternity of veal or of woe. After birth
come environments, training, education,
discipline. All these have an influence
on determining what the child is to be
and to do The mind. like the body,
grows and takes its life, its tone, and
character from that on which it feeds
Dime novels, yellow Journalism and
other works of impure and grossly eN-
aggerated fiction are not the food On
which moral and intellectual giants are
reared
Men love darkness Here is the rea-
son men smile and laugh and crack
jokes and repeat and have a good time
over a Smutty story. Here is also the
reason why lie travels thousand
times faster than the, truth, and is be
lieved by the majority of men sooner
than is the Word of God.
Here again is the reason why modern
journalism has become so corrupt, non
Sensical, debased, unreliable and des-
perately wicked. 1t is not altogether
the fault of the editor. He publishes his
paper not simply for the pleasure of
being occupied. He is in this business
just as other men are in their business
TO make a living Hence he publishes
what the majority of the people want
and are pleased to have. 1t is thus that
the newspapers published in any COM
munity become in the process of time
fair index of the general character of
so of the nation, and of the age in which
the publications appear. 1t is the old
truth, The audience makes the orator."
The community makes the local news
paper. In saying this We do not mean
to assert that the editor altogether
sinks his own individuality into obliv-
ion and so completely caters to public
sentiment as to utterly lose his person
ality. Quite the reverse of this is often
true. 1t indeed frequently happens that
the intellectual arrogance of the mod
ern newspaper man is so conspicuous
as to literally out-pope the most arro-
CANT pope that ever popped a papal bull.
No matter what may be the sub
ject in hand whether it has to do with
phy, history, politics, government or
what not, he, in his own conceit knows
all about it, and speaks with oracular
certainty 1t is out OF this most arrO-
gantly assumed authority that so much
if not all of the newspaper abuse of our
public men emanateS. 1t comes not
from a careful study of the facts or
even desire to know the truth, but it is
simply the proud assertion of an indi-
vidual opinion, which opinion is often
times far from being either well in
fnF-r la6 or hr.v, &C.
doubtedly a wide field for honest crit
icism. No public man is altogether
above it. but it must be remembered
that there is a difference between crit
icisrn and abuse. Most anyone is COM
petent ito abuse another. 1t re-
qhires neither heart, brains, nor relig-
ion- A fool can do it. Not so is it with
criticism Criticism, when rightly con-
ceived, always requires an authorized
standard of final appeal and when con-
Quoted in a right spirit almost invaria-
bly, results in some permanent good |
while abuse, ,fiourishing best where there |
is no law, tends only to annoy and dis
hearten those who under the circum-
stances are, perhaps, doing all they can
to bring about better state of things I
Our subject assumes that our public |
men are abused by the press. No argu-
ment is in our judgment needed to |
prove this assumption. Such abuse we |
are sorry to say has become one of the !
most distinguishing, if not reprehensi- |
BILE characteristics of modern journal |
ism. What effect such abuse of our pub |
lie men has on the anarchist is not hard |
to discover. If the reader of such abuse |
be well informed and his mind be in a |
good healthy condition. he will not be |
greatly injured by it, but if the reader |
be slightly unacquainted with the facts
and his mind be somewhat weak the |
injury will be manifold and irrepara- |
bic. Anarchy is not an exotic. It comes |
not from without but from within. 1t |
is not child of oppressive government |
but of a depraved heart. 1t is in the t
heart and grows out of the old Adam |
natu9e of which we are all partaker=
Unbelief is anarchy in the bud: assassi-
nation IS anarchy gone toaSeed. That
is the difference. 1t is simply one of /
degree. we viii not have this man to |
reign over us" Thus spake the Jews |
anarchist of today. 1t is to this base
and abolical element in human nature
that the abuse of our public men by the |
press appeals. 1t appeals not to reason
or to enlightened sentiment or to fair |
play, but to the evil there is in .ha |
heart of even the best of men. This is
the reason the appeal is so effective |
and brings forth such direfuI results
The dictionary defines ANARCHY as |
that social theory which claims for |
every person absolute individual Iib-
arty- If the public press exercises this
liberty in ruthlessiy abusing our public
men. why should not the anarchist have
the same liberty? If the public press
stingS and smites and kills with paper
and ink. pen and cartoon. why shoIId
not the anarchist do the same with
sword and dagger and guns. The spirit
md principle are the same The diff
'erence is simply a difference of inst1u-
nents- II therefore the press by its