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Show - t THE CATHOLIC PRESS. The prss is "a most powerful ensrine for the uplifting and battering of people. peo-ple. It is "ever enlightening, always confirming grand truths, ever baptizing baptiz-ing infant peoples and always new." Leo XIII has said that a good Catholic Cath-olic newspaper is a perpetual mission, and indeed there, can be little doubt of it. While it may be true that the growth and influence of the Catholic press have not kept pace with that of the secular press, it cannot be gainsaid that it is fast winning its way into pop ular favor, and today it is wielding a most powerful influence over popular opinion. It is the desire of the church that the Catholic press should be fostered. fos-tered. She looks upon no factor for good as too mean or trivial to further her design, and the attention which she has given to the religious newspapers, through the Popes, prelates and distinguished dis-tinguished writers, as well as through the solemn councils, is an evidence of the great importance which this all-powerful all-powerful church attaches to the religious relig-ious press am a potent agent in leading into correct, channels the modern growth and civilization of . the world. The Catholic newspaper has had much to contend with. In almost every ev-ery instance the' lack of capital makes it impossible for the Catholic publisher to present the news, either as attractively attrac-tively or as fully as his secular rival, and the consequence is that the com parison is often very unflattering to the Catholic paper. The day has gone by when men should be expected to support any enterprise en-terprise because of sentiment. The Intermountain Catholic realizes this and understands that in order to be successful it must have a broader conception con-ception of the needs of its readers. Catholic newspapers heretofore have not made as rapid progress as they should, because they have sought only to edify, and not in any degree to entertain en-tertain and please. Catholic readers, to be sure, desire a reasonable amount of Catholic and national na-tional news. Nevertheless, they expect their Catholic paper to present the more comprehensive resume of current affairs, and in case it does not do so, a secular paper generally supplants it. If our Catholic papers have not succeeded suc-ceeded among Catholic people as well as secular papers, the fault seems to ha fViot ro v.i: !;.,.. ... i i I given to the readers of Catholic papers to the almost utter exclusion of things of general interest. Catholic editors are not inferior in intellectual equipment equip-ment to the editors of the secular press. Quite the contrary. Some of the very ablest Avriters of the country adorn the pages of Catnolic publications today. to-day. There are names connected with the Catholic press which shine resplendent resplen-dent in story and in song, in church and in state, in history and philosophy, in diplomacy and in theology; in fact, in every walk ofllife. However, notwithstanding not-withstanding the 'transcendent ability of these men, it cannot be claimed that up to the presenf. an ideal Catholic paper pa-per has been produced. The Intermountain Catholic believes that the ideal Catholic paper will be the one which will recognize actual, existing conditions, and not ignore them to the preferment of everything Catholic. Cath-olic. . .. . The Catholic paper will not, of course, compromise with error, or false doctrine, doc-trine, but why should it not deal with everything of interest to the human mind. Nothing which relates to man should be a matter of unconcern to it. Let it be Catholic, in every fibre, fighting fight-ing the battles of the great God, teaching teach-ing and preaching the doctrines and dogmas of the church resolutely and in-fluentially in-fluentially Catholic first, last and always. al-ways. The ideal Catholic paper can do all this and yet recognize all that is of interest to the human mind. By this we mean, it can recognize all that is good and with it feed and nourish the mind and soul of the reader. AH that is bad, it can easily eliminate. Politics, government, music, the drama, society, dress all are of Interest Inter-est to the Catholic, and all can be properly prepared for his mental digestion di-gestion by the Catholic editor. The Intermountain Catholic aspires to be a Catholic paper which will satisfy sat-isfy the needs and desires of its readers, read-ers, and all matters important to them, either as Catholics or citizens, will find Place in its columns. 1 |
