Year: 1875

The address of Charles Francis Adams,
recently delivered before the Social Union
of Amherst College, has attracted consider
able attention and provoked no little COM
ment on account of its illusions to the
Independent Press. His theory is that the
Press is the most potent check upon abuses
of party. 1t is, he says, "a greater power,
" in the long run. than the sword. One
consequence inevitably follows. The men
"who. through the marvellous sympsthies
which they can direct toward the forms-
" ton of public opinion. can shake even
thrones, should be persons not picked up
cat random, by reason of an accidental
facility or grace OF style, or accident of
voice, but rather those richly stored by
education with intellectual and moral
resources, and practiced in the art of
"placing them attractiVely as well as con-
vincingly before the world" Very
naturally the young editor of the New
York Tribune quoted this, forcible refer
ence to the profession of Journalism, and
with Characteristic egotism applied its
complimentary illusions to himself Un-
Willingly, however, he followed the quota
ton with q comment or criticism upon the
growing tendencies Of Independent jour-
nalism, which even the most cursory
newspaper reader will recognize as per,
feet pen-photograph of Whitelaw Reid
himself 1t is as follows:


ssIn this growing independence of the press
the great embarrassment comes from those
who emancipate themselves not so much from
partisanship as from decency, and do their
best to obliterate the distinction between the
manly independence which springs from hon.
est convictions and the reckless violence which
has no better inspiration than personal malice
or the lust Of money. There are papers which
have never a good word for any living man.
Like the strumpets of Greene street, who lean
from their windows and assail every passer-by
with filthy epithets, reserying their choicest
blackguardisms for those who will not notice
them, they may easily make themselves public
nuisances, but they can do no one any actual
injury. They may call this public officer
thief and that one a drunkard they may accuse
one of corruption and another of conspiracy,
they may shout that yonder reformer is
hypocrite and the quiet citizen over there an
emissary of the devil, but who stops TO listen
to the clatter OF such venomous tonguesl
May be, in such a torrent of indiscriminate
abuse the VlragO mas accluenLaIly NcuLeu
little truth-for If you throw mud at every
body, the chances are that some of 1t will
strck-but what good can it do! People go
their way without caring 10 ask what all the
noise is about, until by and by the police are
called in to guell the disturbance. This sort
of libel, however upon an honorable profession
is not independent journalism, nor an out
growth of it; it is not journalism at all 1t
has existed ever since the periodical press came
into existence, 1t is found in many countries
and under many political conditions, and we
rust bear with it as one of the necessary evils
cf modern civilization which we can partly
suppress, just SIS we do theft and murder, but
never entirely abolish. Mr.. Adams was care
full TO remind his listeners that this form Of
license was entirely foreign to the independ-
Pnce of which he spoke; and 1t will be one of
the most important duties of the colleges, If
they undertake to train writer's for the press,
TO iniorce the distinction"