Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1910-03-12
pREss vERsUs OHURCH.


All Americans, irrespective OF
creed and class, are too prone to
believe what they see in the daily
newspapers. There are some dis
corning ones, who will disbelieve
certain things that they know are
in error, but who believe other
things that are equally in error. By
degrees the editors of these dailies
are improving the standard of news
and vet the average news letters
from Rome, Berlin, Paris, Vienna,
The Hague and London are rotten.
The knights of Columbus have taken
this matter up, and with due perse-
verance they can accomplish much.
The Columbiad, the official organ of
the Knights of Columbus, contains a
number of suggestions as to remedy
ing the attitude of the press toward
the Catholic church Hon. Edward
]. McDermott seems to have epitom-
lied the subject. He writes;
Many newspapers and magazines
are now fair to us. Most of them
world be if the millions of Catholic
readers bought generally with dis
examination. The American press
formerly was, and in no slight de-
gree stin is, dominated by the
English press, which has been
staunchly Protestant for three cen
turtles or until of late years, which
has naturally colored the political
news Of the world TO suit English in.
terests and which has also colored
the religious news to the prejudice
of the Catholic church, and has thus
''poisoned the wells"
AS said by the New York Evening
Post in 1904, most of the news we
get of Europe, or Europe of itself, is
merely the more or less intelligent
condensation of London Times dis
patches-that is. news filtered
through British correspondent,
next through a British editor, and
next through a London CORE
Spondent before it reaches the
(American) home office" Hence
the favoritism long shown here to
Japan, England's special ally in the
Orient. Hence the loud, persistent
clamor here against Leopold's and
Belgium's Congo government. not
wholly good but defended by
reputable American and English
travellers and chiefly denounced
because it interfered with some self
ish plans of England and certain
vainglorious missionaries. Hence,
too, the suppression of many inn
portant facts and the distortion of
others as to Anarchist Ferrer's
dishonorable career and natural
execution.
On less convincing evidence and for
no greater crime, America hanged
the Haymarket anarchists of Chi
cago. America would have hanged
Ferrer also. His disreputable life
and criminal connection with the
Barcelona riots, base and brutal in
the last degree, were SCI out plainly
in the New York Evening Post of
November 6, 1909, but the true facts
were recklessly misjudged or misrep-
resented by the New York Life Of
November 4, 1909, which really ought
never to depart from its customary,
fat-witted puerilities.
There has undoubtedly been
change for the better In the treat.
ment of the chufch by the secular
press. The old-fashioned insults and
diatribes pay less and less. Most
Professionals don't care for such
things. The atmosphere grows
brighter. When Leo XIII. was i'll
and dying, the American press rang
with his praise. He was con sidered,
as he was, the peer of the two other
great men of his generation, Bis
marclS and Gladstone. The press
does justice, too, to those great |
spokesman of the time, Cardinal I
Gibbons, Archbishop Ireland and
Bishop Spalding. No man in America
is heard or quoted with more respect
than the Cardinal, because no man
better combines learning, literary
skill, wisdom and breadth of view
with nobility of character. courage.
dignity and the best American spirit.
His word as citizen and a moralist,
without regard to his eminent
office, everywhere attracts an at
tention and carries weight not
surpassed.
COOKING SCHOOLS.