The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-08

within its own limit; within the con-
fines of what it has set itself to do. /
believe DIR. Sheldon is too much in
clined to make the mistake of most
critics of the press in thinking the
theme in which he is especially inter-
ested is the theme in which all editors
should be vitality interested and to
which the major portion Of a papers
space should be given. To say that an
editor regards fashions and theatrical
gossip OF more Importance than the
work of university or of a church
simply because he gives more space
to fashions and sports, is just as fair
as for me to meet DR.. Sheldon on the
street and pass the time of day with
him, and then go away and say that
Dr. Sheldon thinks more about the
weather than he does about salvation,
because he didn't begin to talk to me
about the eternal welfare of my soul.
Newspaper Must Be Interesting.
The newspapers reflect the tendency
of the times inevitably They are not
alone in paying attention to matters
out of their true proportion. For ex-
ample, the greatest demand at the To-
peka public library is for fiction, and
for the lighteSt grades of fiction, at
that and the managers of the library,
and for that matter all libraries. the
best of them, cater to this tendency.
The newspaper must be interesting
believes the public will read it. I am
not justifying this tendency, 1 am only
stating it. 1 think DIR. Sheldon even
would hardly advocate giving the lar
gest amount of space to matters he
would regard of greatest Importance,
although on the face of his paper, he
seems to advocate this. 1 assume that
he would not devote regularly in a
daily newspaper a greater amount of
space to educational or to religious
matters than to matters political. Such
a policy now put in force would be
at least premature.
DR.. Sheldon refers to colored comics
as "unspeakable horrors and yet it is
a feature very generally demanded by
the public. l remember that a year or
two ago the Capital, by reason of the
delay of the express company, was I'M
able to issue its usual comic page. In
a few hours we received over 500 COM
plants by telephone and by letter. a
large proportion of these complaints
coming from fathers and mothers of
the best families Of Topeka. -
A newspaper evil not mentioned by
DR.. Sheldon, and yet one which is very
common, and the source of many other
newspapers in the larger cities are not
run primarily as legitimate newspa-
pers, but are owned by individuals or
groups of individuals who are not
newspaper men at all, but who seek
ownership and control of newspa pers
to the conduct of business or govern
ment. A newspaper IS legitimately
and properly the organ of the man
who is its publisher, if he is a news
paper man. But when a great railroad
magnate or a great financier purchases
a newspaper, as has often been done,
his journalistic ideals and the ideals
of his employees usually are not the
highest, and in the case Of most metro
politan newspapers, which illustrate in
the strongest way the evils complained
of by DR.. Sheldon, it will be found that
they are organs of certain men or in
terests outside of the newspaper pub
fishing business rather than of a pub
Usher who is a professional newspaper
man. This is also, of course, one of
the "evils of the times" to which I
have already referred, an evil, how
ever, which is growing happily less,
because these so-called organs are fail
ing as newspaper enterprises. Almost
no amount of money can keep them
going permanently. Their influence is
slight when their ownership is under
stood
Newspapers, I fear, like clergymen
are likely sometimes to be judged, not
by their best specimens. or by their
best efforts, but by their worst speci-
mems and by their delinquencies I do
not hesitate to say that newspaper
men are not only receptive of good in
fiuences but DESTROYS of disseminating
them, for the reason that behind the
journalism of this country there exists
an exalted regard for everything that
rings genuine and true The average
publisher or editor is a man of high
ideals. He is not wantonly giving the
people a poorer quality of newspaper
than they ought to have. Experience
has taught him that the public does
not demand anything better; that in
fact it will not have anything better
and might be pleased with something
worse. The news standard is improv-
croachment on the part Of the morbid,
the morally unwholesome, and poison
Gus has been fought by the men who
make the papersHnot the people who
patronize the newspaper.
While, possibly, not living up to
their opportunities, newspapers are
nevertheless, in my judgment, doing at
least as much as any other influence
to promote the interests which DR.
Sheldon rightly says they have such a
wonderful opportunity to promote
such as political honesty, the promo
ton of international peace, the aboli-
ton of poverty, the advancem ent OF
the brotherhood of man. In spite OF
their defects, which, as have stated
are the defects of the time, the pre-
ponderance of the influence of the
daily press is emphatically on the Side
of all these great ends and not against
them.
The Ideal Newspaper.
The ideal newspaper. of course, does
J not exist; it is doubtful that it ever
! will; or at least until the millennium
| But will tell you what I consider the
ideal newspaper. 1t is the home paper
1t is a journal which is so filed witt
] good thoughts that find
! welcome and an eager reading wherever
1t goes. 1t is as free as possible from
scandal and unwholesome things. 1t il
1 not boastful, nor too much given tt
fault finding. 1t wins the confidence
OF the people by it's honesty, purity
and progressiveness. It handles the
news of the day in a manner that ap.
peals to the better class of people and
to the better nature of all people. L
emphasizes the hopeful features of thu
news rather than the discordant ones
1t has reputation for truthfulness anC
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