The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-28
The 205th Meeting Of
S~choolmasters Association
oswald Garrison Willard Delivers Interesting Address
I on Possibilities of Journalism"-Important
Committee Appointed.

newspapers which can answer the de-
mand OF an advertiser that a murder or
an accident In his store be omitted from
their ~colunnns-somc by printing 1t on
their first pages with most conspicuous
headlines. Tho weaker newspaper. to
whom that contract 10 vital. liz very APT
to overlook the necessity of presenting
this news.
The laying OF false emphasis In
headlines by presenting a fragmentary
account Of a happening or by taking
frWi a story a statement which becomes
disspcted when removed from It's rom
text-%Il these are tricks OF unscrupu-
lous Spirnallsts about which the pub
lie Is IN nc doubt. Because of them Il
very often includes the entire profession
within its critic!sm.
Now II is difficult enough at any
time to record a happening accurately.
Take ten ordinary citizens who witness
an encounter on the street and not one
will give the same version Of what he
has beheld. Newspapers may truly pride
themselves OF being much more accurate
than the ordinary observer. and this In
the face of the fact that they are often
deliberately misinforned or nave to rely
upon unframed witnesses for their facts.
All the more reprehensible Ia therefore
' the newspaper which does not do It's
utmost to make its reports as reliable
as human ingenuity can bring about in
the short space of time given for verin-
cation. Alas! II Is a fact that In the
metropolitan press n great trouble Is
the total lack of emphasis upon ac-
Curacv. The average city editor does
not care whether the story he prints is
letter accurate or rot. provided that IL
starts of with a catchy phrase or SEN
tencs out OF a speech, or some striking
l n1ltNArafx.A ~. ..
catch the readers attention. He IL APP
parentiy convinced that the day OF seri-
Gus readers has gone by and that the
public desires merely 10 be entertained
and not Informed by the journal of to-
day. and he governs himself accord.
ingly.
The case was far different fifty OF
more years ago Let me illustrate tn,
story OF a Cooper Union meeting In New
York to protest against the execution o.
John Brown. ut which Wendell Phillips
was the chief speaker. 1t was engineered
BY Abolitionists and n certain editor
hired a gang OF political thugs TO sc
nto the meeting to break II up In tn,
interest of the South. The next da,
there appeared in his pro-slavery journa
three and n half columns OF the mos
obviously accurate stenographic report
ing OF a meeting that 1t has ever beer
my fortune to read. Every interruption
by the editors henchmen Is therein re
corded and every one OF the scorchin.
replies OF Wendell Phillips. This. more
over. was done in the days when Their
were no telephones, no typewriters an,
no rapid transit, when every transcript
ton of stenographic notes had TO b
done in long hand. Yet the p~ro-slaver,
account WAS superior in length and full
ness to that OF the ant!-slavery.
The exploitation OF rhe individual /
one Of our worst offences. Let there d
a family misfortune over which mos
people are only too glad to draw IN
mantle of charity and the sufferings o
the family nf the wrongdoer are In
creased "A thousandfold by its be!u.
blazonei from every housetop.
There Is a hopelessly corrupt membe
,of IA family whicn recognizes the I,
. sponsibility of wealth and lives up I
. the highest obligations OF social duty
: Whenever possible the deeds OF tn,
black sheep are trump,ted ON all III
street corners with endless exaggeratior
with endless dwelling upon the wcalt
of the malefactor and his family. IL
enough 10 make many people OF NEAR
shrink from public service and the ri,
ing OF their means. this incessant pol
travail of their homes their GOOD and Ina
members. their everything. II Tn. rio
= are the chief sufferers those le,