Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-01-22
Get PrOpaganda-Wis

Get PrOpaganda-Wise
Enlightenment no less than liberty
requires eternal vigilance. 1t has
been said with truth that the edu-
Gated person is the one who knows
where to look for information. In
other words those who are acquaint-
ed with the sources Of truth and are
competent to recognize it are edu-
Gated. Indeed they are, literally so.
but they have got to keep everlast-
ingly at it to remain so. Unless they
do this they become the victims of
propaganda, not being able to recog-
nize it from the whole truth. If
ever there were need to be on guard,
10 get wise, it is in these days.
The incentives and inspirations of
warmaking revealed the tremendous
possibilities of propaganda The I'M
scrupulous as well as the scrupulous
observed this and the former saw a
field of operation developed. as in
viting to them as a tract of fertile
government land to land hungry
homesteaders. But not all the propa-
ganda is INSCRIPTIONS. Earnest souls
have seen the opportunity and sought
to make use of it in ways to benefit
their fellows. 1t may indeed be very
useful. Without it Uncle Sam could
not have done his big job overseas;
without it the Red Cross could not
have accomplished it's splendid work;
without it Hoover could not have
made his record in food administra-
ton. millions would have persisted
that are now alive; but for their own
salvation the public must be capable
of winnowing the grain from the
chaff: We know that the printed
word may lie, also that the photo
graphic apparatus may be an equally
false medium of presenting matters.
AS reminder of the propaganda
situation there comes circular is
sued by the Board of Temperance,
Prohibition and Public Morals of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. This
includes the statement issued by that
Board as "a Call for a Square Deal
and Common Courtesy for Eighty
Million Professionals" the tenor of
which may be learned from the fol-
lowing excerpt:
ION the stage and in motion pic
lures the Protestant minister is sell
dom represented except as an effemi-
nate fool. The members of the
Protestant churches are exhorted to
be liberal, to take humor as humor
and to be slow to wrath. But the
members Of the Roman Catholic
church do not tolerate such treat
ment of their priesthood. which is
always represented on the stage and
elsewhere in a most favorable way,
and whose religion is treated with
consideration. The Catholics are to
be commended. The time has come
also when Professionals should not
treatment of their religion and min
istry.''
Out of our limited acquaintance
with the stage and the movie we
have discovered no occasion for the
above complaint, which by no means
proves such occasion does not some
where exist. Furthermore, folks that
should really count" regardless of
their religious convictions. be they
Jew or Gentle, will, we believe, agree
that itshould not exist. We can re-
call time when Characterization of
the Salvation Army contributed to
fun on the stage. We are not seeing
that nowadays, and are of the opin-
ion that the public would not tolerate
it. The normal human being in
whatever grade you find him has in
herent respect for sincerity and self
sacrifice. But unless he is very wise
indeed he may unconsciously tolerate
1nsidious appeals that work irrepar-
able mischief. He owes it to himself
TO get wise" to be constantly on his
guard. That seems to be the price
we have to pay for our advantages.
Primeval man had to sleep with one
eye open If he would live. The mod
ern specimen finds necessary part
of his education some knowledge of
explosives and the habits of automo-
biles and flying machines. And the
wrong kind of propaganda may do
him more harm than either. There's
but one conclusion for this: Get
propaganda-wise. Insist on propa-
ganda that is truthful: that is la