Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1913-02-20
PUBLICITY AS A CURE FOR
SOCIAL ILLS.

Talcott Williams, director Of the
School Of Journalism at Columbia
University. spoke recently on Pub
licity as Cure for Social Ills" In
his address he went further than the
title Of the subject assigned, and said
that he was convinced that publicity
was the only cure for social ills. In
answer to question as to how far
newspapers were independent of con-
troll by the interests or through
their counting rooms, he said: The
newspaper is human agency. Like
all human agencies, it has its limita-
tons. 1t has its relations and af
fairs that limit it, just as men have
relations and affairs that limit them.
1t is part of the great web of social
life, and that is why it is valuable
Every day of the year every news
paper prints news, opinions and APP
peals of which many men related to
it in the business world disapprove
II is the readers that count, and after
all newspaper is what its readers
make it, 1t is the kind of newspaper
it is because that is the kind the peo-
pie who buy it like. AS the news
papers grow larger they grow freer,
and no newspapers in the country are
so independent of their advertisers as
the great metropolitan dailies AS to
the views OF all newspapers being di-
rected from the counting rooms and
that it is the material consideration
which rules, | would say that / have
had forty years of experience, as re-
porter, correspondent and editorial
writer, and | have known many news
paper proprietors to make immense
sacrifices In the cause of truth, and,
on the other hand, have known men
who have given up their positions
rather than do. the thing asked of
them. 1t works both ways OF all
secular callings, journalism has had
the most martyrs Someone asked
TO what percentage of truth and right
eousness the newspaper attained. DR..
Williams answered: THE newspaper
account is far more accurate than the
average word that passes from mouth
to mouth among men, In the main,
the newspaper is far more truthful
than the community it represents,
and as for righteousness. the news
paper is better than the average of
its community" He surveyed the
history of secrecy in the affairs of
the world, from the closed tribunals
of old to the secret lists OF campaign
contributions, and depressed to point
out that Tammany Hall-he did not
name it-began as a secret society
and hourished today by secret prac-
tises. But let us not forget" he
put in, "and to our shame be it said,
that that same organization owes
much of its power to the fact that its
leaders have practised those neigh
borhood virtues and extended that
aid which should have been given by
us" 1t is Mr.. Williams opinion that
society can advance only to the ex-
tent that each member of it realizes
his responsibility to every other mem
Der, and that society can cleanse
itself only by knowing its evils. 1t
is only by publicity that each mem
Der of society can see the evil and
see his duty at was not so very
long ago. he said, that the worst
evil of modern life was never spoken
Of, and the public conscience became
so lulled as to make it possible for
writer's to call this evil necessary.
Necessary? Nothing is necessary in