The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-05-27
ASATURDAY
P NIGHT
/ SERMONS
BY
- MhunwPuMsM
POWER OF THE PRESS.

but to tell or hear something new."-Acts
xvii. q.
The thirst for news is one Of the
strongest appetites humanity has. It's
the secret of gossip. Men are more
interesting than things, SO we talk of
men or women. The story Of John
Smith saving his scalp by telling his
oaptors news may be fiction, but the
psychological principle involved Is true
to human nature. From the woman
In the sunbonnet with a clothespin In
her mouth, talking over the back fence,
to the correspondent with an arctic
expedition their story has always
fascination to the human mind. Long
ago 1t was said that the world was
governed by three boxes-the cartridge
box, the ballot box and the bandbox-
force, votes and women. Add another,
the mail box, loaded with countless
products Of the printing press.
A Great Appetite.
The American newspaper appetite is
marvellous. 1t amounts to passion
all ages from cradle to grave; all
conditions from the newly landed emil
grant looking at the funny" pictures
and spelling out headlines to the schOl-
n and the busiest man of affairs;
from day laborer to president; from
scrubwoman to woman Of fashion. AS
for the making of newspapers, it's a
raging fever, fearful delirium, a
Quasi-insanity. Time was when pilot
boarding incoming ship was besieged
for news of world. Now the wireless
in midocean gathers news from the
four quarters Of the globe, and tiny
newspaper lies at your plate at break
fast table. A great editor is deemed
as a man who knows where the devil
will break out next and has a reporter
on the spot to tell Of 1t. 1t must be
told in few words. Young reporter
telegraphed home office: Column stor,
here. Shall l send?" The reply was
Send 600 words" The cub wired
again, Cant be told less than 1900
The answer came: STORY of creation
of world told in 600. Try it,
The essence of yellowness in jour
nal is vulgarity-diamond at thu
breakfast table; the eXaggeratol
which conventionality says ought Il
be held in bounds; uses bass drum ant
megaphone to draw the crowd-it
crowd. When its conservative neigh
Dor has a Howard Griggs, with deli
cate illusions and carefully discrim
!, mated shades of meaning it has eau
Gus speaker who paints cartoons witt
whitewash brush so that the who'll
crowd can see. 1t claims these meth
DDS are best and shows its circulation
figures to prove it. It's after new
and doesn't want to get "scooped.
News" tells the unusual. No city ed
tor who values his job would give
! full column to ordinary sermon. but b
+ gladly spaces" sermon by Rev. MI
, Dashwell on "Why Joined a Dancin
Class" See? No news in regular eb
and flow of tide. but when the gul
sweeps Galveston. Let me ask you n
embarrassing question: How do 70
reel Wnen your newspaper mas ITO Scdi
heads? Your wife says. "Anythin
new in this mornings paperF 70
growl mo" Your tone implies you'v
been cheated. robbed of your penny
Listen. brother: The newspaper, tn
daily morgue of virtue. tells the stor
of the unusual. No earthly recor
could ever hold the story of tn
worlds commonplace virtue, only tn
books of the omniscient God.
Power of the Press.
, Carlyle said, IF you want to reac
thousands with Il thought put it int
the heart of preacher" That wi
tO lNo of h,-