Book Exercise 155 FREE

From time to time we have discussed the question of the influence of the press, and you cannot deny that on all occasions I have been able to make out a fairly strong case for the justification of the statement that journalists on the whole work for the cause of progress; and if you should not be willing to allow this, they would be unduly condemned for that for which they were not altogether responsible. You will recollect that some time ago, I cannot say the exact date, you stated that you were not satisfied that the influence of the press was for good. I would not reopen this question so soon again if it were not for the speech of one of our leading orators the other day, which impels me to write a few words respecting it. He was the principal guest at the annual dinner of the local Press Club, and I have carefully perused more than one report of the speech in the several newspapers in which it has appeared. He said he was getting on in life, and for some time past had withdrawn from public life, and hoped that he had done with public speaking. The great terror of every public speaker in his time was the reporter; but to some extent, and to what extent is apparent from a study of newspapers, pressmen had ceased to report the speeches to which it was understood the whole community were looking forward with breathless interest.