Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-11-12
The Newspaper AS An Educational
Factor And Its Influence Upon
Society And Philanthropy.

Everything Ill tnlS WOTlu, lHCluulnB news
papers and editors, is imperfect and in the
nature of the case open to improvement
We all recognize this fact, and this dis
cussion of the modern newspaper is MOI
in the nature of an attack, but rather G
good-natured discussion of one of the great
factors in our civilization.
The newspaper is a splendid everyday
source of world knowledge. With remark
able energy and enterprise the managers
of the press reach around the world with
long arms and strong hands to secure
knowledge of world events. These are
brought to our doors at a minimum ex-
pense. World history, the advancement Of
science. the movement of government, ad-
venture, sport, commerce, human energy in
various and interesting forms, become part
of the individual readers education. The
modern paper serves vast number of in
dividuals, working for the enrichment and
interest of their lives.
In many important cases it starts reform
iONOhiChto iui thO soou vi tiiC ChlhC Coii-
munity. In very many cases the news
paper originates plans for human better
ment sometimes on an exceedingly large
and unselfish scale.
The editorial discussions. carried on from
day to day, are, in many papers. of great
assistance in shaping public opinion. Arti-
cIac ara nuhliohad in tho da;i.y mace dotb
cred from the ends of the earth, from the
best literature, from the best minds, both
past and present. One could gather from
a file of daily papers in this country whole
volumns of literary value. These are con-
tinually coming into the homes of the
people, enriching and enlargine the lives
Of the readers.
A newspaper is a democratic thing. 1t
is for all the people. One of the essential
things in government is that the States
in republic like ours should be acquainted
with the history of one another. The
newspaper furnishes this history. What
once took days. weeks and sometimes
yOdlo ~ dNSOlnpiloil 10 tlOW DlOuktll "
public notice in short order through the
press, and even country as large as our
own, with its varied interests and different
local concerns, is in a remarkable degree
unified and knit together through the
printed pages of different newspapers of
the different States, each one taking ac-
count of the doings of the entire people.
In the same way the knowledge of other
countries and their affairs. thousands of
miles distant, helps to unite the interests
of the world
Much of the advertising, especially in
the larger newspapers, is unworthy of a
civilized press. Many of our larger news
papers still think it necessary to print
liquor advertisements. Very many more
carry what might almost be termed even
more vicious advertising in the tremen-
dous display of nostrums for the cure of
every ill known to mankind. The patent
medicine business is sustained and re-
tanned by hosts of newspapers which con-
tinue to print every day the most stupen-
dous claims. If all the money the people
of this country spend for observation-disclosures
which they spend because they see the
advertisement in the papers, were thrown
into the seas, we should have ten times
the physical health and vigor we now have,
and if it were all spent for legitimate and
scientific methods of keeping well, it would
increase the healthfulness of the race
twenty fold
There is another kind of advertising
which demonstrates the weakness of GER
tain kinds of newspapers "A vicious and
misleading, and in many cases almost
criminal, advertising of fortune-tellers
clairvoyants. personal notices of parties
who claim they want to meet individuals
for matrimonial purposes, etc. Other adj
vertisements carried by newspapers are,
on the face of them. inducements to crime.
The astonishing thing about this weakness
OF many of our papers is that no one seems
to care very much. Yet, according to a
recent writer the answers to these adver-
tisements are thousands in number, and
people of every description are swindled
and cheated and in many cases lured into
lives of shame on account of advertise
ments which the editors and proprietors
of these papers have no moral right to
accept.
Another weak point of the modern news
paper is its unwauanted invasion of pri-
vate affairs. If should learn that one Of
my neighbors was having a quarrel with
his wife and that the quarrel had reached
the point where they had decided to sepa-
rate, might 90 over to his house, knock
at the door and 90 in to make a call
Suppose should say: my husband and
have just heard that you are having trou-
BILE here in your family circle. We are
very much interested in your affairs and
we should like to know the details. When
did this quarrel begin2 When do you ex.
pect to be separated2 What disposition
will be made of the property? Does either
Of you anticipate being married again after
divorce, and if so, to whom? should like
to have the photograph of all the people
interested, with full account of your
family troubles from the time they began
together with the sequel as far as you car
now furnish it," II | should do a thine
like that with my neighbor it would give him
reasonable excuse to entertain the idea
that he might at least put me out of his
house; but good many newspapers dc
not hesitate, literally. to invade a family
under just such circumstances. get all the
details and all the rumors and print page
or two, especially If the people are well.
known socially. Now there is nothing SC
interesting as the affairs of human beings
but there must certainly be some clearly
defined region within which the press has
no possible right to step without being
guilty of an impertnent intrusion. There
must be some chapter in the human lives