The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1917-06-07
NLTNE HAVE all heard the
zEEaNH familiar expression
E&3EEN public opinion. What

BS$MKkN publlc opinion" w hat
g2gHsgy constitutes public opin-
ion! Since the dramatic war
launched by Germany and accept
ed by the United States as the
recognized head of the belligerent
nations, we have on every side the
Observation-Disclosures, as pub
lie opinion has forced itself upon
the notice of the world, or rather
upon those responsible for the dis
semination Of world-thought in the
form of daily news. Public opin-
ion, as factor of paramount i'm
portance in the decisions of nations,
is being eagerly sought and sound
ed in dozen or more countries,
and in as many different ways.
The press has been flooded with
conjectures and speculations touch
ing the probable attitude of the
nations toward the indiscriminate
destruction of their shipping. In
some cases the immediate effect of
this drastic measure has been pre-
sented in the evasive utterances of
public men; in others q concensus
of press opinion has been advanced
as the touchstone of the country
affected. Yet TO what extent it is
possible to gauge the true reflex of
popular opinion by either of these
indications it is difficult to deter
mine.
Press Not Regarded as Mouthpiece
The resolution of a handful of
statesmen, though final and bind
ing, is not always to be accepted
as the temper of the people or a
majority thereof. Nor can it in
variably be judged by the tone of
the press, since in time of war,
nowadays, the press represents a
very small portion of the popula-
tion, and is subordinated in mat
ters of vital national Importance to
the people and schemes of govern
ment in power. Whether the gov
ernment is right or wrong it is
needless to question; three years of
recent history will furnish suf-
ficient answer. What cannot be
too often repeated is that press
so handicapped should not be re-
garded as the mouthpiece of ma
ton. In normal times it is the
mouthpiece of the reading public
speaking through the medium of
trained observers; so that, in ev-
cry civilized country with a high
percentage of newspaper readers,
the press is a true index of nation
al thought.
Readers Unable to Form Opinion
Visitors from belligerent coun.
tries are apt to express their pleas
ure, or frank surprise, at the re
freshing" latitude or freedom of
opinion evinced by the local press
in the discussion of the war, it's
causes and effects: but the unsoph-
iscated among them are liable to
overrate the degree of broad. mind
edness accruing to the neutral
populace accustomed to exchange
views which in any of the coun-
tries at war would rank as mis-
chievous heresies. The result of
this electic reading and free discus
sion cannot be classed as repre-
senting public opinion; first, be-
cause the bulk of the people who
form the reading portion of the
masses are bewildered by the con-
flicting array of evidence; second
ly, because they do not read be-
yond the printed lines; because
they are inveterate news fiends and
headline skimmers, concerned only
with extracting a daily maximum
of exciting pabulum, regardless OF
its importance as a fact or series
of facts. Far from forming an
impartial estimate of the situation
at given phase, they are unable
to marshall sufficient Fundamental