The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-05

>
Dec. q, 1914.
London. Dec S.-That England lies,
during the winter months, under 3
continuous pail Of Jog, is a, curious
legend that is believed by some other
wise Well-infOrmed people abroad.
During the present winter this yener-
able libel happens 20 be tr meta
phorically. The fog of Il over
spreads the whole count. me
things it hides entirely fron
Others it SO blurs that their rea, Il
lures cannot be recognized. Sn>
things as are visible are seen ont OF
their true proportions distorted, e&-
aggerated, delusiVe.
When Dickens opened BLEAK
House" with his graphic picture of q
London fog, he brought his descrip-
ton to q climax III these words: I'm
LincOln's Inn Hall, at the very heart
| of the fog, sits the Lord High Chan
| cellor IN his Hight Court Of Chan
Gerry" Today it might he said that
at the very heart of this fog sits the
press censor. The Audacious incident
! is an excellent example Of his meth
| DDS. II is more than five weeks since
| this super-Dreadnonght went to the
| bottom OF the sea. Not line re-
specting the disaster has yet been al
| lowed to appear in any English
| paper. 1t was reported IN the
American papers of November IA, and
residents in this country who receive
American papers know the whole
story. In the English p:ess nothing
has appeared but a few mysterious
hints intelligible only to the initiated
Thus the Times Of December l com
planned: "Our Office is Uttered with
! German newspapers containing news
we are forbidden to publish. we
have also many American newspaper:
containing the same news, which wa:
further sent broadcast in the German
wireless messages. The present posi-
ton. therefore, is that the whole
world is acquainted with news which
this country is not officially perm ittet
to know; and the ridiculous featur'
Of the situation is that very largt
numbers Of individuals in thes'
islands know it quite we'll"
How 20 Get the News
Accordingly any resident III Eng
land who wishes to know the who'll
story of the war has only two alter
natives He must either (D becom
a member Of the Imperial Defenc
lCommittee, or (2) subscribe to al
American or Canadian paper. Access
to papers from enemy countries is
privilege reserved for the editors o
certain newspapers. They are con
fiscated if found on the person OF an,
one landing in the British Isles from
abroad, or if an attempt is made t
transmit them through the post. A
the club reading-rOOms the pigeon
holes labelled Berliner TaSehlatt
Frankfurter Zeitung. Neue t'rei
Presse. and even Fliegende Blatte
have remained empty since the be
ginning of the war. Any American
who wishes to do a good turn to
friend in England just now Will carr
his gratitude by sending him an oc
caSional copy OF a New York paper
For, to quote from an earlier editoria
OF newspapers as collectors and pur
veyors Of news" with 1.-The broad re
isult'' that the public are told tn
things the Government wish then
to know, and nothing more"
Americans naturally have been irri
tated by the way in which the EngliS1
censorship has hampered the work 0
the American papers. But, after al
it is the English and not the Ameri
can newspaper reader that has bee
the principal sufferer. What tn
censorship has meant 10 the Anneri
i can is simply that he has had 10 wai
until the mail could bring news tha
might have been expected by cable
The British public, on the other hanC
has not been allowed TO ge the new
! az all
The Charges OF Atrocities.
It is important that citizens G
neutral countries should remembe
the disability Of the combatsnt i
this respect. An American, for in
stance, may do a serious injustice t
the public opinion Of one Of these na
tfons if he forgets that this opinion
Inourisiaed on only a selection of tn
! Wilo,e body OF the data concerning tn