Year: 1867

MIR. Gladstone's Opinion OF Newspapers.
From the Philadelphia Ledger.


At the recent annual dinner of the
London Newspaper Press Fund, Mr..
Gladstone made an address, i'm which
he uttered some wholesome truths about
newspapers. He said "that the world
had advanced into times when the news
paper is a great social, political, moral
power, one so great that it cannot be over
looked by any of those who would COM
prehend the character of their country
or the nature of those processes by which
the movement of mighty nation is di-
rected. While the newspaper has thus
become power in the land, those who
are connected with the management of
newspapers-those who supply daily or
weekly to the public the food which they
erive from them-have become body
SO important to the public that they are
entitled not less than others to the dignity
of profession. Mr.. Gladstone consid-
cred that they were "no longer individ-
uals, as they were a century ago, who,
perhaps guided by some prophetic in
stinct, but separating themselves in fact
from the means of the community, and
from the known and recognized paths of
fame, then laid the foundation of the
newspaper system. There are now per-
sons engaged in supplying from day to
day one of those primary wants of socie-
ty, without which it is hardly too much
to say society, as we comprehend and un-
derstand it, could not exist


With regard to the English press he
said it had acted powerfully upon the
mind of the country, and the newspaper
which was formerly the privilege of the
educated class had become the patrimo-
ny of the people. The press was of use
to all the people, and of invaluable use
to men in public life. Mr.. Gladstone
said that he and other public men are
debtors to it, because they have the op-
portunity of learning the enormous pub
lie and political advantages derived from
the action of the press, and because
through the Intervention of the news
papers the utterances of public men are
scattered over the country, and not only
is this knowledge widely disseminated,
but Mr.. Gladstone added that "undoubt-
edly it is true, in general, that the skilful
hand ofthe reporter produces considera-
BILE improvement in the speeches that
are delivered in Parliament in point of
grammar, in point of accuracy of express
sion and in nretrenchinga fullness
of development" Even more than this,
public men owed debt of gratitude for
the encouragement and ecomiums given





Mr.. Gladstone said he "set higher value
upon their criticisms than upon their
censures; for no man is ever injured by
criticism or censure. If the criticisms
and censures are MUST they will do him
no harm, except it be through his own
want of manliness of character. If on
the other hand, they are just, they are to
him invaluable; they become the mirror
in which he acquires the view and
knowledge of what he otherwise could
not discern; from them he learns the
means of amending his faults, of avoid
ing the errors he had committed, of max
ing his abilities, whatever they may be,
more available for the benefit of his fell
low-countrymen, of doing-I will not
say more perfectly, but at any rate less
mperfectly-the arduous work which
Providence has appointed him to do. "


Mr.. Gladstone considered that news
paper writer had n difficult function to
discharge, and one far more difficult and
dangerous for himself than for the public.
But the ed itor's function was invaluable,
andsociety is indebted to those whofurnish
instruction and dimprovementth through the
newspaper. He considered that during
the past few years the English press has
become more upright, more candid, more
regardful of the sanctities of private life
and personal character, more careful to
avoid what could raise blush or stain
the mind or conscience exactly in pro-
portion as it has become more popular
and broad" And as it is so great a
power, all should recognize its import
ance and give it hearty welcome. The
public should sympathize with it, and
aid i'm its work on every fair opportuni-
ty. Mr.. Gladstone's address was well
received, and is regarded as strong tes-
timony of one of the foremost public
men of the day, to the influence, power
and benefits of a profession whose mis-
sion should be to do all the good that
can be done by the dissemination of
knowledge.