The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-03-05
THE CATHOLIC PRESS.
Interesting Letter of the Editor OF
the Boston Pilot.

Name society of Allston, Mass, Mr.
Jeffrey Roche, editor of the Boston
Pilot, was invited to respond to the
toast of the Catholic Press; but be-
ing unable to be present he sent the
following interesting letter instead:
My Dear DR.. Tracy thank you fol
your kind invitation to the supper OF
the Holy Name society, and am very
sorry that shall not be able to attend
for reasons which l have explained to
you.
1t is Il little difficult for one who is
an editor to respond to the subject of
'"The Catholic Press; because if he
were to attempt to describe the ideal
newspaper of it's class. the judicious
hearer might say to himself: Behold
this man is describing his own paper,
and, though he spe9keth not but the
truth, and even falleth short of num-
bering its many PROJECTIONS. yet is
he lacking in mOdesty.'
Or, on the other hand, should the
picture seem highly colored, the even
more judicous nearer might murmur:
"Verily. fine programme! Why doth
he not bring his own paper up to this
high standard?"
will admit that there is Il good deal
in this latter view of the case. and
freely confess that it is by no means
easy for any man to realize the ideal
in religious journalism. especially
when the critics differ so widely as
to what is, or should be, that ideal.
The wise editor remembers the fable
of The Old Man and His Donkey
the amiable individual who tried to
please everybody and ended by pleas
ing nobody and losing his donkey in
the bargain. Now. a newspaper de-
vised to offend nobody would have to
be issued in blank and that would
probably displease the advertisers.
In fact there is no known way of salts
flying everybody. but it is sometimes
salutary to inquire why the religious
press is not more generally supported
by religious people.
Some good folks excuse themselves
from taking Il Catholic paper because,
as they say. they can get all the Cath
Ollie news in the daily paper" If
this We're true. it would be a conclus-
i've answer: but it is not true. The
daily paper is, to use !; current slang,
"a large proposition" 1t aims to
cover all the news. without prejudice;
but that is even Il much larger PROPOSE
ton; for religious news is of necessity
as much Il matter of speciality as sci
entific or technical news. TO give it
correctly the narrator must have moro
than Il superficial knowledge of things
Catholic. Now. every reporter is ipso
facto, Il clever man. but no reporter
knows cverything-no reporter can
know everything until he becomes an
editor: and even then he could not. if
he did not have to. If. as sometimes
happens, he did make Il serious blum
der in trying to chronicle such nlatters
it might give grave offence. however
unintentionally. to Catholic readers.
l remember such /; reporter who
was detailed to write an item. Il few
years ago. about Il certain priest-Fa-
ther Roche. He came at once to the
Pilot office and. finding me in, began
ther Roche? When said that l was
not. he inquired further: Are you
Father Roche's SON. If l had been
malicious instead of benevolent,
might have said yes. and got him into
lot of trouble. but | remembered
some of the astonishing questions that
had asked in my own reporting days.
Youth has its faults, but few of us
prefer age With its store of wisdom.
Another ingenious youth told me.
not Ions" ago. that he was contemplate
ing Il series of articles for his paper on
'"I'lle Catholic Authors of America. -
He though it would take" with the
Catholic readers. told him thought
that the idea had been worked out
before. perhaps Il few thousand times;
but that did not deter him. He said
he intended to treat it in new way
So he asked me for few particulars
of my own life and literary crimes.
which We're promptly furnished. Then
/ gave him biographical particulars Of
a few of our contemporaries. as many
as l knew. after which lie consulted
his notes and said: There is another
Catholic author ! want to interview.
Perhaps you can tell me. Where
does james Boyle O'Reilly live?" l
asked him where he himself lived.
He said. "In Boston," He had lived
there all his life. too. he told me.
1t was not Il very long life. and it did
not deserve to be. These, of course,
were extreme examples; but what
about the Catholic news" often gath.
cred lily men of that kind and printed
in every secular daily for the educt
ton of the man who has no use for q
Catholic newspaper? This precious
news is sometimes absurd, sometimes
purposely false, and many times the
outcome of nothing but the sheer de
sire to produce Il sensation without
rpp.r1 tO prnhnlilitv m oOvthin,