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THE CATHOLIC CONGRESS. 51
receiving authentic news. They may be fully convinced of the fals-
ity of the reports that are published in the non-Catholic newspapers,
but they cannot promptly contradict them nor satisfactorily explain
and expose the discolorations and prevarications of those that are
partly frue and partly untrue. After a week or two they obtain
definite information, and are able to disprove the false report or to
give a true version of what has been misrepresented. But the false-
hoods and misrepresentations have already done their bad work in
misleading public opinion, and the corrections and refutations made
by Catholic newspapers, if made at all, are too late to attract attention.
To relieve the Catholic press of this enormous disadvantage,
two things are necessary. The first is to establish and maintain an
active, vigilant, and energetic Catholic associate press agency. The
second is to establish in one of oyrlarge cities a Catholic daily news-
paper, subsequently to be followed by the establishing of others in
other large cities. The idea of a Catholic associated press has
been mooted before and pronounced impracticable by persons of
large practical experience and keen business insight. Yet, for all
that, we remain unconvinced of its impracticability, and urge it upon
the attention of our brethren of the Catholic press. We do this all
the more confidently and earnestly because we are strongly sup-
ported by persons whose judgment is entitled to high consideration.
Among them are several experienced Catholic journalists who have
spoken favorably of the undertaking.
The establishing of a Catholic daily newspaper is necessary, be-
cause Catholic weekly journals (owing to the fact that they are pub-
lished only once a week) cannot quickly expose and refute the false-
hoods and calumnies that are constantly invented and spread abroad
respecting the church, and especially respecting the Holy See. In
this rapidly moving age of ours what is to be done effectively must
be done atonce. In our conflict with the enemies of our religion our
counter-strokes must follow their blows with lightning-like speed.
The fathers of the third plenary council of Baltimore thoroughly
understand this. They declare:
“It is greatly to be desired that in each of our large cities a
Catholic daily newspaper be maintained, fully equal to the secular
daily newspapers in financial strength, and the sagacity, vigor, and
power of its writers. Nor is it necessary that the word Catholic be
displayed at the head of its pages. It is sufficient that, in addition
to recent occurrences, and all those things which in other daily
tiewspapers are eagerly desired, it defend, whenever a proper oppor-
tunity presents itself, the Catholic Church from the assaults and
calumnies of its enemies, and explain its doctrine; and, moreover,
that it carefully abstain from placing before its readers anything that
is scandalous, indecent, or unbecoming.’’
It is argued that a Catholic daily newspaper cannot be success-
fully maintained. Why? Isit because of want of sufficient capital,
of sufficient journalistic talent, of sufficient administrative ability
among the Catholics of the United States? Emphatically, it is zo¢.
There is to-day more than enough capital invested by Catholics in
non-Catholic newspapers all over the land to amply provide for a
dozen or a score of Catholic dailies. There are, on the great non-
Catholic dailies of our large cities, Catholics who, in sagacity,
quickness, fulness of. knowledge, and all that goes to make a suc-
cessful journalist, are peers to any of their. non-Catholic fellow-
workers. As for administrative, executive, directing ability, we
have Catholics managing successfully and with distinguished ability
railroads, mills, mines, factories, banks, and insurance companies,
Passing strange would it be if Catholic talent could not be found
competent to cope with the difficult task of managing a great daily
newspaper. What is really wanting is the wé//, As soon as Catho-
lics in the United States w2// to establish such a newspaper, the men
and the money to maintain and conduct it will be quickly found.
And until such a newspaper (or a number of them) shall have been
established, the Catholics of this country will not be doing what
they might do and ought to doto defend thechurch, and to promote
the welfare, social, moral, and religious, of the great people, of which
Catholics are an integral component part; and consequently they
will not be doing what they might do, and ought to do, to preserve
and perpetuate our civil institutions, of which it is needless to say
that morality and religion, combined with intelligence, are the firm-
est supports. ,
And now to prevent any possible misunderstanding we add
that we have passed over as not needing to be suggested, that, as a
matter of course, Catholic newspapers designed for general circula-
tion should not confine themselves to subjects of a strictly religious
character. They should discuss intelligently the events and occur-
rences of the day, questions of civil polity, questions that refer to
the industrial, commercial, and other interests of our country, but
not in a narrow or partisan sense. Along with this they should
furnish their readers, according to the condition, circumstances,
tastes, and social status of those whose support they respectively
aim at securing, what will best amuse and interest them. In short,
they should aim to present in their columns all that characterizes a
pure, fresh, entertaining, vigorous newspaper.
The importance of this seems to us self-evident, but it is not
sufficiently attended to by editors of some of our Catholic news-
papers. Their pages lack variety. In some instances they are too
heavy. The range of topics covered both by their editorials and
their selections, is too narrow. The ‘‘scissors and the paste pot’’
are employed too hurriedly and without sufficient thought or good
judgment. In other words, too little care and discrimination are
exercised in making selections of matter taken from other news-
papers and periodicals. ‘There is too much ‘‘padding.’’ Too little
attention is given to the process of .‘‘boiling down’’; the art and
power of summarizing and condensing into smaller compass, yet
preserving the pith and substance of what is thus summarized, are
too seldom employed. There is room for improvement in these
respects in’ many of our Catholic newspapers. We are sure, too,
that such improvement will be followed by increased circulation.
But that Catholic newspapers may even approach the realiza-
tion of what we have been urging, it is necessary that a support far
greater than that which any of them now receive be accorded them.
Until this is done—and it is not done now—much that we have written
will be entirely impracticable, purely visionary. Editors of Catholic
newspapers and their assistants are notoriously overworked and
underpaid. ‘There are, among editors and writers for Catholic news-
papers, men of eminent ability, sincerely desirous to do their full
duty in their respective positions; men who in other pursuits or who
on non-Catholic journals might win their way to fortune and fame,
yet who receivea meagre compensation. They are overworked, for
no one or, two or three men can properly and thoroughly do the
work that is comprehended in an zdcal Catholic newspaper as we
have sketched it.. Yet the ideal is not, emphatically zo/, a visionary
or impractical one.
Were it necessary to give sharper point to what we have written,
we might easily do it. We could name at least ten or twelve Prot-
estant journals, which, as respects numerical strength of editorial
staff, number of regular contributors and correspondents, scholarly
work, careful thought, and painstaking, discriminating labor
employed on them, contrast most forcibly and favorably with even
the very best of our Catholic newspapers. | In the respects mentioned
they are incomparably superior to almost every, if not to every,
Catholic newspaper in our country. It is unpleasant to say this; it
is unpleasant to you to hear it; but, unhappily, it is true.
Whose fault is all this? Is it that of the owners or business man-
agers of Catholic newspapers? ‘To the latter question we answer,
No. ‘There are exceptions, but, asa rule, we believe that the current
supposition is entirely false. ‘The fault lies at the door of the Catho-
lic public. And we believe that our intelligent, educated Catholics
are most to blame as regards this. They expend for themselves and
their families, ten, twenty, fifty dollars on non-Catholic publications
for every two or five dollars that they expend on Catholic periodicals
or newspapers. Converse with one of these intelligent, educated
Catholics. He tells you he is deeply interested in some special sub-
iect which directly concerns the interests of the church or some
movement in favor of or against the church. Hand to him a Catho-
lic newspaper, or monthly, or quarterly, which contains an interest-
ing article from a Catholic writer of distinguished ability on that
very subject—say from Cardinal Manning or Cardinal Newman,
He thanks you warmly; he will read it with great pleasure; not
now; he has not time; but soon. ‘The article could be read in five
minutes. It is placed on his table; perhaps it speedily finds its way
unread, into his waste basket, or it is labelled carefully, placed
where it may be easily found; and then it is forgotten. Meanwhile
he and his family consume hours every day in reading non-Catholic
newspapers and periodicals, some of which contain things which
every Catholic should conscientiously abstain from reading. This
is no fancy sketch. Every observing Catholic writer knows that it
is true.
As regards Catholic young men and young women, and Catho-
lics of the less educated class, it is notorious that they spend dollars
for sensational,-trashy ‘‘story papers’’ and novels, where they spend
five cents for a Catholic newspaper.
There is still another class; Catholics who attend to their relig-
ious duties, and take a daily or weekly non-Catholic paper for the
sake of reading the ‘‘news,’’ but who take no Catholic newspaper,
no Catholic journal or periodical of any description; who are con-