STRANGE LEADING ARTICLES

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12211, 8 August 1925, Page 11

STRANGE LEADING ARTICLES

“THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT” In the last few months Italian newspapers have raged at the rigid censorship forced on them by Signor Mussolini. As a protest against this considered imposition, they adopted the measure of printing chapters of the Bible in the columns usually devoted to the leading articles. The use of the Bible in this connection is hardly an innovation; for leading articles of-a religious nature, and containing copious extracts. fx;om the Scriptures, were at one time omnparatively frequent in the United States, especially, among the Quaker groujp of journals. Even now the practice is by no means dead, for a great many American newspapers rarely go to press without a fewTßiblical extracts in their Sunday editions. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT It is on record that the “Chicago' Times,” in 1891, braved public opinion by printing the whole of the revised version of , the New! Testament; while on Christmas Day, 1910, the “Monmouthshire Evening Post” blossomed forth with the “Sermon on the Mount’.’ aa its leading article. Although, leading articles in general cannot be'said-to err on the side of brevity, there have been a few memorable occasions on which they have amp-

jy fulfilled the axiom that “brevity is the soul 61 wit.” Probably tbe mpst notable instance occurred sbnie years ago,- when the socalled Gorham case was dragging , on month after- month before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, until newspaper readers generally were heartily sick and tired of its very mention in the Press. FOUR WORDS A colonial newspaper came out with the shortest leading article on record. It--waa—Jieaded, in bold type, “The Gfprham' Case,” and consisted of four small words < printed beneath—' ‘Corse the Gorham’Case!” It .certainly expressed!- thd.feeling of both the Press and the public at the time. Another gem, though - somewhat Sinister in tone, appeared during tap - war, in • “Nationality,’* at that time’, the organ Of the Sinn Fein movement.!:' Under the heading qf “Conscription”-' appeared the words: “England is again , forth threats of conscription Tor Ireland. Don’t worry I’*But for concentrated sarcasm, the “leader,-” In a London evening newspapers (the “Star”) on May 31st, 1918 —•the subject being the German bombing of Paris after we had humanely retrained, aVthe special request of the Pone, from nhombing Cologne at thu time of the Oirpus Christi processionmust he awarded the palm. It simply ran; “Blessed are the merciless, for they shall obtain mercy.”