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Show INFLUENCE OF THE PRESS.. Speaking a short time ago at the annual dinner of the Newspaper Society, Sir Edgard Grey, whose words always carry weight, had something to say with regard to journalism. The following report is taken from the Times: The government of the day was dependent upon the House of Commons, a body which was subject to human imperfections, but how much better to be dependent upon a House of Commons freely elected by the country as a whole than to be dependent de-pendent upon, the caprice or will of a single individual indi-vidual or class. After all, the public opnion of this country reflected the national character. The Press had a great responsibility with regard to the formation and maintenance of national character. How much responsibility the Press had it was dif-fcult dif-fcult to say, because the Press in its turn might retort upon the country that every country! in the long run had the sort of Press which it deserved, and that the public opinion of the country was ultimately ul-timately responsible for the character of the Press. It might be said with perfect truth that the Press played a great part with regard to public opinion, and he trusted that the pride which the Press took in its independence would make it always feel in this country that it was bound to be the expression of the national character and of what was typical in the British race. It was these elements in our national character which had made us what we were, and unless the Press and public worked together to-gether to maintain that national character and to secure that public utterances were the expression of it; unless our national character were preserved unimpaired, neither Free Trade, nor Fiscal Reform, nor parties, nor programmes, nor wealth, nor pros-. pros-. perity, would enable us to maintain that high and honorable place among the nations which our national na-tional character had gained. What Sir Edward said with reference to the Press of his own country can aptly be 'applied to the Press of every other. |