The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-10
THE NEWSPAPER PERIL.

In recent issue of Golfers. one
Frederick Peterson, NJ. D., diagnoses
what he calls THE Newspaper Peril.
malady of the modern mind In it's
entirety It is an indictment of the mod
eru newspaper and newspaper reader,
which comes pretty near being an in
dictment Of the civilized world. but
particularly of the American people
The arraignment is well written,
scientifically arranged and based on the
conception that newspapers are GRIM
inal I'm their intent and effect where
they are net simply a demoralizing
force. That it finds acceptance in Col
lier's is not 20 be wondered at. though
that sprightly weekly is more nearly
like a newspaper than any other week.
~ publication i'm America, both I'm its
subject matter and its general policy
To begin with. the writer describes an
American newspaper which il may be
seen at once is New York paper. That
is 10 say, ii is provincial and almost
purely local. emphasizing the trivial in
news and embellishing the criminal
features attractively. 1t preserves no
sense Of proportion in it's treatment of
the affairs of importance, pays little
attention to the need of veracity, and
no attention whatever to the decencies.
DR.. Peterson goes on to say:
Such is the newspaper-what is it's ef-
feet? Manifestly one does not read all
the printed matter of his daily news
paper, but he selects such articles or par
agra phs as especially appeal TO his in
terest Yet in order TO make his selection.
the reader scans headline after head
line. sometimes selecting what he desires.
but quite as often lured by a novel or
startling title TO peruse matter quite apart
from his original selective intention. The
newspaper reader may not read all the
newspaper but he reads all the head
lines Each headline excites I'm his mind
a current Of thought with possibly many
associated concepts, but only mOmentaT-
lily as he skpS from one of little to one
IF greater interest. And it Is not an or
DERBY array Of impressions that is thus
made upon his brain, but, on the contra
~, one OF extreme disorder; a stream
If facts widely ASSOCIATED. an incOherent
medley Of concepts. which must in the
nature Of things gradually wear out the
power of the brain-cells to take impress
sCns. render the impressions themselves
unstable. and diminish the faculty OF the
tissues FOR permanent registration. And
herein lies the real peril Of the press.
We begin 10 cultivate the art Of for
getting. Instead Of a progressive i'm
IlONtlutDl ID the Dull0lDE up OF the fAC-
uity OF memory. which should be the law
Of our intellectual growth. we are obliged
10 acquire the habit Of oblterating i'm
pressions merely as a means Of protec-
tion from this enormous onslaught of
stimuli. What will be the results as TO
mental progress in a brain daily exercised
IN the art OF forgetting. beset by innumer-
aDle concepts utterly fncOheTent as to
their alinement in consciousness. all too
generally inane. frivolous. unimportant
and whose chief effects are upon the
unprhf11N aTnOffoua1 AZ 4e
Authorities differ as 20 the capacity of
the average brain to receive the impress
stems Of a lifetime 1t is pretty well be-
lieved that there IS in the brain a centre
n conservation distinct from the centre OF
perception.
Even without reading the resident OF q
city must receive an incalculable number
NJ impressions upon his brain every
tWenty-fOur hours.
The Times for the year 1900 contained
always exclusive Of advertisements. near
ly twenty per cent more reading mat
ter than the Encyclopedia Britannica 80
So that If you diligently read the Times
for four-fifths Of one year you will have
utilized perhaps as much energy and as
many brain cells as n you had read
the Encyclopedia Britannica" through
nom end 10 end. And what will YOU have
gained in either case? On the one hand
a good knowledge OF the events OF the
globe during the space of less than three
hundred days between two eternities-and
YOU will have occupied a good deal ~
brain capacity with the meanings OF that
iUxtsposition OF twenty-eight million
words on the other hand an epitone
dawn Of historyi Would IL not be bet teT
10 spend even thrice three hundred DAYS
on those ponderous volumes?
II one granted that such a newspaper
as is described represented the average
of the American press the conclusions
might be conceded. AS a matter of
fact. such newspapers represent a small
fraction Of the daily publications, and
they are not read by men or women
who would take any interest I'm the En-
cyclopedia Britannica or any other
form of instructive literature The ma
jority OF the newspapers of America
are carefully edited, intelligently d.
rected and quite as honest and sincere
In their policy as the average weekly
or monthly or annual publication.
II the danger Of multifarious and dis
orderly mental impressions is an argu-
ment against newspaper reading it is
likewise an argument against social
gatherings. against the use of the tele-
phone or the typewriter or any other
necessity OF modern life. DR.. Peterson
overlooks or ignores the possibility that
the modern mental equipment may be
ADAPTED to the demands OF its environ
ment, including the reading OF newspa-
pers. The director Of any great bust
ness. for instance, encounters innumer-
able details making an equally innu-