The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-03-07
Republic SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Macon. Mo-, March 6-Just now the
subject of newspapers as an adjunct TO
education in the schools happens to be a
topic of discussion among educators.
There are those who favor it and Others
who bitterly oppose It, the latter urging
that the perusal of some papers would
make the youth of the and think that the
normal condition of society was one of
riot and rapine. -
County Superintendent F. l.. Thompson
recently sent letters to several School
Superintendent in Missouri. containing
the question:
What will be the characteristics of the
ideal newspaper of the future?"
Among the many answers received were
the following:
]. NJ. GREENWOOD.
J. NJ. Greenwood. Superintendent of City
Schools, Kansas City: What will the
Ideal newspaper of the future be? is a
question purely speculative. We're the in
quiry about-faced. and stated, What
should it be? then I have very pro-
nounced opinions, some of which I shall
state tersely:
II. The ideal newspaper should be
clean, pure, truthful. and if it misrepre-
sents anyone, 1t should make a manly,
straightforward correction or apology.
so. 1t should be absolutely free from
those abominably hideous pictures that
All such pictures vitiate the artistic taste
of our people at. the fountain hea by
poisoning the childen's minds.
20. 1t should be free from prejudice, and
in treating all public questions it should
state fully and fairly all sides. and then
tell where it stands. and why.
Il. 1t should give more space to the bet
ter sid of human nature, and condense
the meaner doings into the briefest possi-
BILE compass. The meaner passions are
exploited SO as to pander to a vicious
taste. while the higher and nobler at
tributes receive little consideration. Bru-
tally is in the saddle; gentleness and
kindness trudge along slowly on foot
Is. Above all things else. a great news
paper should be a great teaching force in
this country, and it should by practice
educate its readers how to tsift and weigh
evidence, and how honest people, with the
same facts set before them. draw opposite
conclusions"
A. t. POWELL.
A. T. Powell, Superintendent Bevier
public schools: Good. terse English; a
total absence of fiorid writing, and yet
vigorous, spike-driving expressions. The
editorial page Of the average paper now
does not WELD the influence that char
acterized the old prints. but it will come
back to its own because I believe the fu-
ture newspaper, TO live. will have TO put
real brains in the editorial chair.
when that happy time comes. it goes
without saying that the clap-trap. nickel
in-the-slot, Grassland style OF journal
ism will get what has long been coming
to it-an igEominOus death. With horse
sense in the pilot-house. the fellows who
nave been editing lurid journals will re-
sumo their natural avocations as barkefs
for side shows, and the world will be
happy, for l don't believe that even the
illiterate enjoy the scare-head stuff served
up daily by that class of men under the
libelous appellation of news.
Just az People become convinced that a
newspaper means in all sincerity TO be
on the right side. socially, politically and
morally. just to that extent Will that. jour-
nal become a power in the land. People
must be taught to believe in their apers
just the same as they do in their preach
ers. I believe we are now on the eve of
indc pendent journalism, and that we will
soon see papers of that class come to the
front as leaders"
ALBERT f. SMITH.
Albert F. Smith, principal. Ethe public
schools: Il believe the Ideal Daily News
paper should contain the worlds news
stated in a clear. concise. brief manner,
1t should contain only the latest news
and not be a tin type of some other
paper. 1t should contain short statements
about murders. suicides. SANDERS and al
that sort of thing. but should not be full
of horror and blcod-curdling descriptions
9TH Ideal Daily Newspaper should lie