THE PRESS AND THE PUBLIC.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11320, 2 September 1899, Page 5

THE PRESS AND THE PUBLIC.

[JOSEPH HATTON.I i The Glole says that the worst features of American journalism that are being grafted upon the English stem will flourish until the publio rebels. One hardly sees how publio opinlen in this regard is to make itself felt. A question of taste Is hardly one for the Nonconformist Conscience. Otherwise one might look for a sign in that direction. The Ohnroh Itself is too tolerant for crusading, In a general way paople smiled at the first protests that were made against the ' Sunday dallies.' But the Nonconformist Conscience, in alliance with serious and orthodox Ohurohgoers, proved a very earnest and tremendous power. Not alone did they threaten to forego the pleasure of reading the- two great popular London dailies if they did not withdraw their Sunday editions, but they actually began to taboo them, and to look for sympathy from their own looal journals. I know jf no more remarkable episode : in the history of journalism than the rousing of newspaper readers en what they regarded as a matter of high principle. The Globe seems to enoourage the idea that one day they will strike against the ' Pyramid headline ' and the sloppy writing that usually follows its extravagant and exaggerative news. Matthew Arnold said ' the American newspapers are the worst features in American life.' He might have named the exoeptlona. There are numerous Americans themselves who deplore the want of solid dignity that too often oharaoterisc a the American Press. At the Bame time, it has its merits, and great ones, and it is- a wonderful news colteotor. Our own Press has become muoh more of a commercial institution than it was In the days of Oobbett and the first of the Walters. Unfortunately imitators generally seize upon the worst features of their model for repetition. A combination of that whioh is good on both sides would make a psrfeot newspaper. An editorial that shall be no longer than the snbjeot demands is an Amerioan merit. Lord Roaebery does not Use the leading artiole at all ; but In a well directed j jurnal the editorial gives tone and oharaoter to the paper. To abolish it would be like cutting out the sermon in oburch or chapel service*. The backbone ot Eoglish j jnrnalism is its earnestness, Its sense of responsibility, whioh Is chiefly centred in its editorials. The Daily lelegraph from its very earliest days bas made Its leading articles more or less literary essays as well as expositions of opinion. The Times keepa one idea in view — that of emphasising some piece of important news or expressing an opinion. But talk of the American Preas, was there anything more high-falutln than The Times advertisements of the Century Dictionary whioh it is offering to the publio 1 It was a curious out-of-the-way example of the Amerioan headline tbat I fuuod in my journallstlo album that led me into this passing mention of the Globe's protest against ' too muoh American ' ia some of our newspapers. One is often tempted into an impromptu critioism by a suggestive illustration of a subjeot. If oortaln Traos-atlantio papers offer exaggerative examples of unrestrained impulse. Mr Talmage may be named as an exemplar for the English pulpit to disregard. But it ia the following instance of the more or less amusing abuse of an otherwise use* ful method that offered Itself as a olimax to this note, or the tip, let as say, to a Cigarette;— Mr Talmage had ben lecturing on Jepthah. The Ctnoinnati Enquirer reported it with these headline) ; -' Jeph— The Old Freebooter —At an Early Age he was forced to Bough It— He Held up the End of his String la Great Shape — And Soon Sewed up the Games of Twenty Oitiaa —On His Eeturn from Viotory He Kept a Promise— He Must Saorifioa the Firat Person Saen in His Door— Ho looks— Holy Horrors— lt is His Pair Daughter — But Jepthah was a Man of Ills Word and the Beautlfnl Young Girl was Slain.' Tae St. Louis Despatch, which quoted this from its 'seithetlo contemporary,' hazarded the opinion that Mr Talmage ' oould Boaraely be more pleased with this display if he had written the headliqes himself,' wbiqh argues that there are American journals that depreciate this kind of thing no less than their high" olass English contemporaries.