later passed on them by leading American journalists.4 Nor have the American papers alone been the recipients of adverse crit icism . It has been a habit everywhere to affect a critical attitude
towards the press from the timeof Ben Jonson to the presentday.5 It has been inevitable in our own day that with the enlarging sphere of influence of the press corresponding distrust should arise . Everywhere and at all times there has been this distrust
and it has been manifested alike by governments that have attempted to suppress , to regulate, and to control the press, and
by its increasing millions of readers who have had no share in the production or the distribution of the news, who have passively but their badness and ignobleness are beyond belief. They are the worst
feature in the life of the United States, andmakemefeel kindly even to the Pall Mall Gazette by comparison with them .” — Ib., II, 404 .
- E . L . Godkin wrote to C . E . Norton , January 12 , 1895: “ But with a
villainous press - venal and silly, - and a somewhat frivolous and distinctly
childish public, it is difficult to be sure of more than a few years (of good city government), . . . the practice of reading trivial newspapers begets, even among men of some education , a puerile habit of mind.” - Rollo Ogden , Life of E . L . Godkin , II , 199 . He writes again , December 29, 1895 , apropos of the Cleveland -Venezuela Great Britain difficulty : " The press is theworst feature in the situation ,and
yet the press would not be what it is without a public demand for it as it is.” Ib., II, 203.
5 George Crabbe in his Preface to The Newspaper says:“ It must, however, be confessed , that these things (newspapers) have their use ; and are, besides , vehicles of much amusement; but, this does not outweigh the evil they do
to society, and the irreparable injury they bring upon the characters of individuals. " . . . “ That in writing upon the subject of our Newspapers
I have avoided everything which might appear like the opinion of a party, is to be accounted for from the knowledge I have gained from them ; since , the more of these instructors a man reads, the less he will infallibly under stand : nor would it have been very consistent in me, at the same time to censure their temerity and ignorance, and to adopt their rage.”
Two provisions in the will of Dr. Rush should be remembered : “ Tem perate , sincere , and intelligent inquiry and discussion are only to be dreaded by the advocates of error. The truth need not fear them , nor do I wish the Ridgway Branch of the Philadelphia Library to be encumbered with the ephemeral biographies, novels, and works of fiction or amusement, news papers or periodicals , which form so large a part of the current literature of the day. ” — Provisions of the Last Will and Testament of Dr. James Rush ,
Relating to The Library Company of Philadelphia , p . 13. “ Let it be a favor for the eminent works of fiction to be found upon its shelves ; but let it not keep cushioned seats for time-wasting and lounging readers , nor places for every -day novels, mind -tainting reviews, controversial politics, scribblings of poetry and prose, biographies of unknown names,
nor for those teachers of disjointed thinking, the daily newspapers, except, perhaps, for reference to support, since such an authority could never prove the authentic date of an event.” — Ib ., pp. 27 – 28.
