The Daily News THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7. A PLEA FOR PUBLICITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 208, 7 October 1909, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7. A PLEA FOR PUBLICITY.

In some of the London newspapers to baud by flic last mail, a letter iiv Mr. ,1. S. Wood, advocating a "Press League of Silence.'' is given some proniiiienc?. The writer argues that the editors of newspapers might impose on themselves a voluntary censorship in order to prevent the publication of seditious or re volutionary speeches, blasphemy, .lis loyal sentiments, incitcnicnts to murder and suchlike. The episode of Dhiugr.i, the murderer of Sir Curzon Wyllie, is used as the example. When Dhiugi.i \\as in Court he declaimed a speech carefully prepared beforehand, knowing that it would be telegraphed abroad and be published in newspapers all over tne world, "and," in the words of the l.'i ter, "would stir the blood of thousands of his native fellow-creatures." It is well-known that the details of criminal

carters often ilii influence weak minds to imitate the acts they have read about, of only for the fearful pleasure of achieving notoriety. At lirst sight, therefore, tile proposal- that reputable editors should hand themselves together in a "Press League of Silence" is un dotibledly attractive. It is argued that it a majority of the editors of newspapers which count imposed a voluntary cen-oi'Miip on themselves, the revol tliouai.i-, assassins, and half-sane criminal- notii I be deprived of most of Lhe yia.ii. ott- publicity which is now their chid ;ik--iiiive. The proposal is also attractive because in its moderation it avoids all foolish talk of muzzling the Press. Hut, says the Spectator, when the proposal is pondered it will be seen mil only the tiisadvantages greatly ouv weigh the advantages, but that'll is quite impracticable. The Spectator agrees with Delano, the famous editor of Times, that "'Hie business of the journalist is publicity," ami only makes the reservation that the duty of publicity should be tempered a such a way by discretion that it shall do much more good than harm. Publicity without the guiding and checking power of an honorable, clean and honest mind may indeed become the most disreputable of occupations. But publicity is none the less, the only goal to be aimed at by the strong and fearless man who is willmut guile and is confident [ of the lightness of his principles. Take this very case of Dhingra which prompted lit'. Wood's letter. No one can, ol course, reject the possibility, even the likelihood.'that Dliingra's speech, whi-h j , tins been given to the whole world by the newspapers, may be handed down as a kind of sacred watchword by Indians, and be quoted ill Uhe generations to romc as Hubert lOmmet's speech is still quoted in Ireland; yet the disadvantages of suppressing Dliingra's pronouncement would have lieen much greater than the advantages. The virtue of all pnlilicMy is that it puts us in possession, so Ig . speak, of the enemy's plans. We know ' exaellv what we h.ivi to expect, and ! what 'to light against. It is not as 1 though a "Press League of Silence" 1 could be absolute or universal in its pro- : hihiiion. If Dhingra had been allowed to .make it known' to the world that, in ', his opinion, lhe chief grievances of In- . dhi were (I) thai Britain makes an enor. moil* financial drain on India every yea", virtually rubbing the Indians of their [ property, and (2) that Hritain has cans- . eil the introduction of famine and plague '. into India, and is therefore the direct ] and responsible agent id the deaths of . many millions of natives, we should no-. [ have known that these charges eorre- ! spend exactly to the accusations made 1 in Mr. Keir llardie's book. As it is, we 1 have a perfectly eleaf-eut situation in | which to deal; we have a British mem- . ber of Parliament encouraging the na ' tivce of India to believe what certainly ', is not true (but what we trust, for his • own honor, jlr. Keir Jiardic believes to I be true), and what becomes in the brain . of an assassin the essential part of an • ' incitement to murder. Publicity in such | a case can give us iulitiite help, and the > want of it would be the worst of impeai- | ments. If the "Press League of Silence" ', had been in existence and in working ■ order, Dliingra's message would have rc- [ luained locked up ill some legal archives, , but the contents of .Mr. Keir Bardie's ■ book would still have been widely known \ both in India and in Britain., That . would seem very much like giving in- ► formation about our movements to tnc enemy while voluntarily refusing to accept even a hint from' him. In countless unexpected ways publicity serves lhe purpose of righteousness because publicity is light; and good lives in the light more easily than evil. Another objection of the Spectator to the idea of a "Press League of Silence" is that it would be bound sooner or later —and much more likely soon than late —to shackle a man's conscience. Suppose (though wo are sure that this will turn out to be quite untrue) that in a generation from now the provinces of South Africa, (having taken over the native protectorates, were administering them in a manner which the Imperial Government of to-day, in assenting to the South Africa Bill, intended expressly to provide against; ati.l lei us suppose thaf a native leader had arisen to urge the cause of the protectorates, and was uttering sentiments, if not seditious, at least verging on sedition. The members of the "Press League of Silence'' might very well say: "There lino danger to be apprehended from this man if only he is not made notorious by publicity. We must, therefore agree that nothing be says shall ever find lis way into print. We shall thus serve our country well; we shall be loyally helping the Government, and weinay ovm save lliem the expense of a little" war." It might easily happen that some member of the League would feel himself oh. ligcd to accept against his will the judgment of the majority because he would feel guilty of a certain disloyalty if he did not, and he might even remember that others had deferred to his opinion on former occasions; and thus good nature, loyalty and casuistry combined would bring it about that, he consented to silence in a matter in which eonscience told him he ought to speak out. He would be a man who knew the history of a generation before better than j his colleagues, and he would perceive that the native leader had a good deal of right on his side. Personally we should think it nothing but a national misfortune if such a man were prevented' by such a League as is proposed from exercising tike liberty of, his opinion. It is always bad 'to crush, the opinion of a minority. Suppose a "Press League of Silence," wishing to simplify our relations with America, had smothered the voices in England which declared in the early stages of the American Civil -War that the Federals deserved our sympathy in spite of every other consideration because they stood for the great cause of the abolition of slavery! Aftc* all, when discretion is allowed to modify publicity "ami reticence to justify itself on grounds of expediency, it can onlv be rightly the result of individual judgment. In by far Hie greater number of cases, however, publicity works extremely well. For we cannot make an absolute rule—life would be much simpler if we could—that publicity should be given only to truth and not to error. We must'never forget that. there are certain forms of u-ror which can only be exposed by publicity, and that it is often impossible i> sift truth from falsehood until the alleged facts are submitted to that great test.

themselves into battalions under com- j petenl leadership. The movement is one that i?,n be cordially commended t) parents and guardians, alike on physical, mental, and moral grounds. The basis of tire Boy Scouts movement is not, primarily, military or compulsory or religious. ' lis root idea is "the recognition of the adventurous nature of thI boy." All healthy boys love adventure, I and long to to associated in some deed

of daring. From their earliest yeais they play at pirates and lied Indians and shooting tigers, and so on; and these naturally predatory in many instances seek an outlet in bird-

nesting, teasing animals, and fighting or I bullying others. What the Boy Scouts movement does is to take chiyge of this boyish enthusiasm and .overflowing energy and direct them along rational and helpful lines. Instead of- wanton

destruction it asks the boy to save anl exercise his strength and powers in channels and along paths that shall prove beneficial to himself, to his companions, and to the community in which lie lives. In brief, while there is neither desire nor attempt to compel a boy to ' become a scout his joining being a voluntary act —once having become a 'member he is subject to discipline, and

discipline is the crying need of our age. ft is not less but more discipline that we need as civilisation advances, am! linden Powell'; Boy Scouts movement has (he unique advantage of combining discipline and Ireedom with abundant opportunity for the play of youthful spirits and the eiiltivation and exercise (.1 the best traits of our common natm". for the growing boy the Scouts moirjmpiit provides a splendid addition to l.is ordinary mental and physical life. He gels the benelil of an npeii-air school 111 wl.ieh the syllabus is admirably idjusted to tii.. needs of the scholar', and be becomes part of a -chen.e that is at onee civil anil military, religious and moral, and mentally and physically helpful.