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Publicity.
PUBLICITY .
ONE of the chief features of the age we live in is the very slight respect shown for privacy . Questions that affect the common weal , must , of course , be discussed in public , nor is there harm , but rather the reverse , in bringing before the tribunal of public opinion those acts done in
private which may prove hurtful to the general body . But publicitiy is not unfrequently abused . The press , as a whole , has done service , by directing , restraining , or exciting public opinion on grave questions , and the most esteemed among our journals do studiously exclude from
their columns whatever is offensive to propriety and good taste . Offences against decency are most carefully reported , all objectionable details being as carefully veiled in mysterious language as possible . Divorce cases are summarised in like manner . Not all journals , however , are
careful to observe this highly proper rule of conduct , and too often the revolting details of a vicious act or life are displayed , in all their native hideousness , in black and white . Again , there is another way in which the privacy of life is
treated with utter disdain . Some terrible catastrophe occurs , and some journals , which only look upon their raison d ' etre as the attainment of large profits , aro not over nice in obtainine : the earliest and most detailed
intelligence . A well known case will best illustrate our meaning . Towards the end of last year we learned , by telegraph , that a large emigrant ship had been overtaken by that most terrible of all calamities—fire , aud that of nearly five hundred souls aboard only . three had escaped to tell the dreadful tale . It was known that these men were on their
return home , and that in the ordinary course of things the usual inquiry into the disaster would be held . The anxiety of the public to learn all the particulars of the loss was perfectly natural , but we question if it did not learn with anger that even before landing the survivors had been
"interviewed by one or more of " Our Special Commissioner " class of news agents . No doubt the mate and his companions were glad enough to disburden their minds of their fearful narrative . Investigation was necessary , in the interests of the public , but the public court was the proper
place for such evidence as could be furnished . This waylaying and interviewing of men who have jusfc escaped with bare life from a terrible fate , merely in order that some journals may be first in the market with their news , strikes us as being a flagrant violation
of decency . The feelings of the survivors were of little account compared with the all - important question of £ s d . Again , our readers may call to mind that in one of our earliest issues we reviewed a work by the late Sir Arthur Helps , the very last , indeed , that he ' wrote , —Social
Pressure . The subject of one of the essays it contained was "OverPublicity . " We cordially endorsed the author ' s views , and illustrated his condemnation of this special vice of the age by citing the publication of the "Greville Memoirs " as a case in point . Their appearance had attracted general
attention , all the more for the scandal they contained ; but the conduct of the editor in publishing them has been very generally and , we think , very properly condemned . Many of those who fignre in the narrative are yet alive . Tor most of the information in his Diary Mr . Greville was
indebted to private sources of information and the confidential position he held as Clerk to the Privy Council . We all know what a pestilent set of people are the busybodies and Paul Pry ' s of the circle we move in . Be we inhabitants of a small village , or members of a small coterie , there are
Publicity.
still certain things which we claim the right to keep sacred from the inquisitiveness of our neighbours . No matter how narrow the circle of our acquaintance , we can all of us point to one or more tittle-tattlers ifc contains who
spend the whole of their days in prying into the private concerns of their acquaintances . We all despise those people in our hearts , if not openly , and the journal that rends the veil separating privacy from publicity is equally objectionable .
There is little danger of Masons erring on the score of over publicity . Indeed , many of us are too reticent . One of the greatest obstacles to the success of Masonic periodicals , is the aversion felt by many of the Craft to allow even a formal announcement to be made about
Masonic proceedings . We have read somewhere—we fancy it was in one of Dr . Oliver ' s works—about a brother , in days gone by , who expressed himself , in no unmeasured terms , of his objection to all Masonic publications . When pressed to say what he had found in them that was
objectionable , he very candidly admitted that lie had never read , and never meant to read , any of them , and he thought they should one and all be committed to the flames forthwith . We do not for a moment believe that Craftsmen of the present day are so bigoted , yet is it beyond all doubt
that a large aud numerous section of our Order is opposed to Masonic journalism , while a still more numerous section is supremely apathetic in the matter . They will read a journal if it comes in their way , but they will not trouble themselves to support it . Those who obiect to Masonic
publications are , doubtless , influenced by conscientious motives . They firmly believe that anything in the shape of a Masonic press is strictly forbidden by the Constitutions , that publicity in connection with a secret society is a monstrous anomaly . While , however , we shall always evince a proper
respect for the opinions of our fellows , we feel constrained to point out to them that what they so strongly object to has been the very means to which the Fraternity is indebted for its wonderful progress in these latter years . No Mason would ever dream of divulging what he is obligated to
keep secret . Would any one believe him if he did ? Would it not he asked—Can he be trustworthy who has proved himself faithless , who has broken the most solemn obligation , voluntarily contracted ? So far then as tho secrets of Freemasonry are concerned , there need be
no fear of their being made known . But we are a numerous body now , and scattered throughout the length and breadth of the land . The few hundreds of which the Praternity consisted in the early part of last century have swelled into many thousands . Our
kinsmen in America are most enthusiastic in their love of Masonry—in fact , all the world over , the Craft is most prosperous . Now what after all is a journal but a medium for the conveyance of news among the scattered members of a communit y ? Events of general interest are
happening around us every day of our lives . Questions of policy occasionally crop up , and whore better can such questions be discussed thanin the pages of some periodical ? The history of our Order has given rise to a considerable variety of opinion . Some carry it back to thn remotest
ages , others look upon the Craft as the work of a few speculative philosophers who flourished about a century and three quarters ago . The open discussion of these and cognate matters involves no fracture of the conditions on
which we were admitted into the Order . There is a numerous array of works on Freemasonry . These are known to the Masonic student , but the bulk of the Craft has but a very limited idea of their contents . The Reports of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Publicity.
PUBLICITY .
ONE of the chief features of the age we live in is the very slight respect shown for privacy . Questions that affect the common weal , must , of course , be discussed in public , nor is there harm , but rather the reverse , in bringing before the tribunal of public opinion those acts done in
private which may prove hurtful to the general body . But publicitiy is not unfrequently abused . The press , as a whole , has done service , by directing , restraining , or exciting public opinion on grave questions , and the most esteemed among our journals do studiously exclude from
their columns whatever is offensive to propriety and good taste . Offences against decency are most carefully reported , all objectionable details being as carefully veiled in mysterious language as possible . Divorce cases are summarised in like manner . Not all journals , however , are
careful to observe this highly proper rule of conduct , and too often the revolting details of a vicious act or life are displayed , in all their native hideousness , in black and white . Again , there is another way in which the privacy of life is
treated with utter disdain . Some terrible catastrophe occurs , and some journals , which only look upon their raison d ' etre as the attainment of large profits , aro not over nice in obtainine : the earliest and most detailed
intelligence . A well known case will best illustrate our meaning . Towards the end of last year we learned , by telegraph , that a large emigrant ship had been overtaken by that most terrible of all calamities—fire , aud that of nearly five hundred souls aboard only . three had escaped to tell the dreadful tale . It was known that these men were on their
return home , and that in the ordinary course of things the usual inquiry into the disaster would be held . The anxiety of the public to learn all the particulars of the loss was perfectly natural , but we question if it did not learn with anger that even before landing the survivors had been
"interviewed by one or more of " Our Special Commissioner " class of news agents . No doubt the mate and his companions were glad enough to disburden their minds of their fearful narrative . Investigation was necessary , in the interests of the public , but the public court was the proper
place for such evidence as could be furnished . This waylaying and interviewing of men who have jusfc escaped with bare life from a terrible fate , merely in order that some journals may be first in the market with their news , strikes us as being a flagrant violation
of decency . The feelings of the survivors were of little account compared with the all - important question of £ s d . Again , our readers may call to mind that in one of our earliest issues we reviewed a work by the late Sir Arthur Helps , the very last , indeed , that he ' wrote , —Social
Pressure . The subject of one of the essays it contained was "OverPublicity . " We cordially endorsed the author ' s views , and illustrated his condemnation of this special vice of the age by citing the publication of the "Greville Memoirs " as a case in point . Their appearance had attracted general
attention , all the more for the scandal they contained ; but the conduct of the editor in publishing them has been very generally and , we think , very properly condemned . Many of those who fignre in the narrative are yet alive . Tor most of the information in his Diary Mr . Greville was
indebted to private sources of information and the confidential position he held as Clerk to the Privy Council . We all know what a pestilent set of people are the busybodies and Paul Pry ' s of the circle we move in . Be we inhabitants of a small village , or members of a small coterie , there are
Publicity.
still certain things which we claim the right to keep sacred from the inquisitiveness of our neighbours . No matter how narrow the circle of our acquaintance , we can all of us point to one or more tittle-tattlers ifc contains who
spend the whole of their days in prying into the private concerns of their acquaintances . We all despise those people in our hearts , if not openly , and the journal that rends the veil separating privacy from publicity is equally objectionable .
There is little danger of Masons erring on the score of over publicity . Indeed , many of us are too reticent . One of the greatest obstacles to the success of Masonic periodicals , is the aversion felt by many of the Craft to allow even a formal announcement to be made about
Masonic proceedings . We have read somewhere—we fancy it was in one of Dr . Oliver ' s works—about a brother , in days gone by , who expressed himself , in no unmeasured terms , of his objection to all Masonic publications . When pressed to say what he had found in them that was
objectionable , he very candidly admitted that lie had never read , and never meant to read , any of them , and he thought they should one and all be committed to the flames forthwith . We do not for a moment believe that Craftsmen of the present day are so bigoted , yet is it beyond all doubt
that a large aud numerous section of our Order is opposed to Masonic journalism , while a still more numerous section is supremely apathetic in the matter . They will read a journal if it comes in their way , but they will not trouble themselves to support it . Those who obiect to Masonic
publications are , doubtless , influenced by conscientious motives . They firmly believe that anything in the shape of a Masonic press is strictly forbidden by the Constitutions , that publicity in connection with a secret society is a monstrous anomaly . While , however , we shall always evince a proper
respect for the opinions of our fellows , we feel constrained to point out to them that what they so strongly object to has been the very means to which the Fraternity is indebted for its wonderful progress in these latter years . No Mason would ever dream of divulging what he is obligated to
keep secret . Would any one believe him if he did ? Would it not he asked—Can he be trustworthy who has proved himself faithless , who has broken the most solemn obligation , voluntarily contracted ? So far then as tho secrets of Freemasonry are concerned , there need be
no fear of their being made known . But we are a numerous body now , and scattered throughout the length and breadth of the land . The few hundreds of which the Praternity consisted in the early part of last century have swelled into many thousands . Our
kinsmen in America are most enthusiastic in their love of Masonry—in fact , all the world over , the Craft is most prosperous . Now what after all is a journal but a medium for the conveyance of news among the scattered members of a communit y ? Events of general interest are
happening around us every day of our lives . Questions of policy occasionally crop up , and whore better can such questions be discussed thanin the pages of some periodical ? The history of our Order has given rise to a considerable variety of opinion . Some carry it back to thn remotest
ages , others look upon the Craft as the work of a few speculative philosophers who flourished about a century and three quarters ago . The open discussion of these and cognate matters involves no fracture of the conditions on
which we were admitted into the Order . There is a numerous array of works on Freemasonry . These are known to the Masonic student , but the bulk of the Craft has but a very limited idea of their contents . The Reports of