OCR Text |
Show The Newspaper. Concord Monitor. Who would uot be surprised and shocked at an announcement that the publication of all the newspapers of the country was suddenly to cease? Could there be a greater blow to the progress of civilization, the spread of knowledge and the development of the arts? Probably Prob-ably not. Give the world the railroad train that speeds like the wind from city to hamlet, but in it bring no bundle bun-dle of papers; its coming will excite ouly a passing interest. Let us have a telegraphic tele-graphic service, but-suppress tho nies-senges nies-senges of newspaper correspondents aud reporters, and it will hardly pay for its own maintenance. The newspaper is tho most influential agent in the world. It moulds the opinions of the people. It entertains, amuses and instructs. It is felt in the election of public officers, and it controls very largely the policies of government. What the press universally univer-sally condemns must go down; what it universally and persistently advocates must ultimately bo established. The newspaper is the accompaniment and the sign of intelligence and enlightenment. enlighten-ment. Wherever a respecable paper regularly tinds its way there must bo a regard for truth and a desire for knowledge. know-ledge. Where the newspaper is prohibited pro-hibited or where it is not wanted, there is sure to bo despotism, darkness, ignorance ignor-ance and crime. |