Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-07-11

The Church of the Ascension in
New York is conducting a public
forum, where every Sunday the pub
lie hear some vital international, ma
tional or civic question discussed. An
address by a leading authority on the
question under discussion is heard in
the church itself, and then the forum
is held in the parish house, where the
speaker of te evening submits to ques-
lions = some pertinent and some i'm
pertinent - all of which he cheerfully
answers, says an exchange. DIR. Tall
colt Williams, director of the school
of journalism at Columbia University,
spoke recently on Publicity as Cure
for Social Ills" In his address he
went further than the title of the sub
iect assigned, and said that he was
convinced that publicity was the only
cure for: social ms. In answer to a
question as to how far newspapers
were independent of control by the
interests" or, through their counting
rooms, he said: 1.-THE newspaper Is a
human agency Like all human asen-
cies, it has it's limitations. 1t has its
relations and affairs 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 vail
liable. Every day of the veal, every
newspaper prints news opinions ana
appeals of which many men related TO
it in the business world disapproVe. 1t
is the readers that count, and after all
a newspaper is what its readers make
it. 1t is the kind of newspaper it is
because that is the kind the people
who buy it like, AS the newspapers
grow larger they grow freer, and no
newspapers in the< country are 30 m.
dependent of their advertisers as the
great metropolitan dailieS. AS to the
views of all newspapers being directed
from the counting rooms and that II IS
the material consideration which rules,
i would say that / have had forty
years of experience, as reporter, cor
respondent and editorial writer, and 1
have known many newspaper proprle-
tors to make immen se sacrllcest IN
the cause of truth, and, on the other
hand have known men who have CIV
en- up their positions rather than do
the thing asked of them. 1t works
both ways. Of all secular calllhgs'
Journalism has had the most mar
tyrs" Someone asked to what per-
centage of truth and righteousness the
newspaper attained. DR.. Williams an
swered: '"The newspaper account Is
far more accurate than the average
word that passes from mouth 10
mouth among men. In the main, the
is far more truthful than
the community it represents, and as
for righteousness, the newspaper Is
better than the average OF its commu-
nity." He surveyed the history OF Sc
crecy in the affairs of theNworld, from
tbe closed tribunals of old to the
secret lists of campaign contributions,
and depressed to point out that TAM
many Hall-he did not name it-be-
gan as a secret society and tlourlSheo
today by secret practices. But let
us not forget" he put in. and TO our
shame be it said, that that same or
sanitation owes much of its power to
the fact that it's leaders have prac-
ticed those neighborhOod virtues ana
extended that aid which should nave
been given by u.s." 1t is Mr.. VIII
liams's opinion that society can al
vance only to the extent that each
member of it realizes his responsible
ity to every other member, and that
society can cleanse itself only by
knowing it's evils. 1t is only by pub
Iicity that each member Of society
can see the evil and see his duty. 1T
was not so very long ago he said,
"that the worst evil Of modern litel
was never spoken CT. and the public
became so lulled as tot
make it possible for writer's to CALL
this evil necessary. Necessary? n + !
ingsis necessary in Gods world except |