The morning journal-courier., 1908-10-31
President Says Spirit in Which Newspapers Are Read Has an Important Bearing on
 Government.
READERS THE REAL FORCE
Declares Them Responsible for Journals Character--Stump- Speaking's Appeal to the
 Emotions.

Boston, oct 30.--"It can be shown that our choice of newspaper and our way of reading them have an impor- tant bearing on the government of the country, and that we must take this Into account In order to do our full duty as American citizens" is dec laration made by President Arthur Twining Hadley, of Yale university, in an article on "The Public Duty of Readers" written for the current number of The Youths Com panion. Among the many reforms whir are needed in American politics, continued MT. Hadley, "a reform in the spirit in which we read our newspa- pers is one of the most important.
 Four points were argued by Presi- dent Hadley in the development of his subject, namely, that the Ameri- can people are governed by public opinion; that the newspapers are the chief agents in forming public opin- ion, that if we want responsible gov ernment we must have responsible newspapers, and that If we are to have responsible newspapers, the re- form must begin with the readers.
 The president of Yale says: "Our sta- tute books are full of instances of laws which are cvaded or nullifed because they have not the public sentiment of the people behind them"
 The newspapers are the chief agents in forming public opinion, This used 10 be done by courts of law and by po- litical assemblies; but the modern newspaper had supplanted them, both as a forum of public discussion and as means of public education"
 "A hundred years ago intelligent men used to learn about tho work ings of the law either by serving on juries or by reading the decision of the judges; hut jury service is to-day managed SD badly that in most of the states no intelligent man wishes to serve on a jury if he can help it And if ae does have to serve on a jury he does not gain an understanding ol the law as much as contempt for the way in which criminal lawyers are allowed to misapply it. And most of the decisions of present day judges on questions like railroad manage ment or the equities of taxation are SC much occupied with precedents and SO little with actual facts that they have very slight effect on public opin- | ion
 "Nor do the people get the instrue- tion from political speeches which they did two or three generations ago Political speakers may address en- thusiastic meetings: but their address are appeals to the emotions of men who have already formed their views rather than deliberate discussions with view to aid In their formations.
 Long before the great public speeches have been made on questions at issue tho facts have been set before | the people in the news columns o' their papers, and the arguments drawr from them with more or less care IT the edltorials so that a speech in the senate or house Of representatives serves rather to register the reasons for a dccision already formed by the 1 voters than as means of infiuenclne any man or arriving at a common un' derstanding on any measure
 "The invention of the telegraph ant tho immense use of news gathering agencies have made the newspapei press the source to which people go tt get their facts, and the forum in whief public issues are discussed
 "If we want responsible governmen we must have responsible news papers: if we Hte to hav' responsible newspapers, the reform must begin with the readers them selves The newspaper reader mus get into the habit of seeing whethe, the statements of fact in his paper ar' supporter by evidence or not
 Ut is not impossible for a country to be well governed unless the people who do the reading are In the habi of weighing evidence. If they shu their eyes to all facts except thos' that they like the government will b' at the mercy of passion and prejudice
 of every boy can understand tha it Is q political duty to give to thu 1 public business of the country thu same kind of treatment that sue cessful man gives to his private bust ness. and to adapt his conduct to th' facts instead of trying to adapt thu facts to his conduct, our public bust ness will quickly be brought mp tt the same level as our best private business. And there is no way il which this can be done so surely a
 by beginning at the bottom and read