Communications: For The Signal Of Liberty: Influence Of The ...

Most of the young at the present time are ' readers; and icaders aro moro or less convers ' anl wit'i the newspnpers nnd periocJicale of the ' doy. These, in fnct,coi)Biitutea large portion ! of iheir reaaini. It becomes then, nn impor ; tant inquiry - Wlint infhience does this read j1 ing exert upon the moráis nnd genera', ■ acter of the yourig? Are thoy benefitted or I ' injured bv an exlensive acqnaintance wilh ihe popular literatura of" the conntri? Tliis depend?, of course upon i de chnracter of '.hese P'iblications. Youth gnther wisdom from papers filled wilh pohtical slang or frivolous love stories, no more thnn "men gnther grapes of lliorns, or firs of thislles." Wisdom is a jrem that must sought; it is nparly allied to Virtue; if youlh find llie ine. thoy are almost sure to obtain the otlier. But nre tliey aided in their senrch for wisdom, or encouraged to Knik in the path of virtue, by the politicul papers, and popular lilerury periodicals of theday? The political pres bears to every cottntre in thé land, to be us''d by ev firy..iruLvo-eUUd-cTJ,nn account, ot" all ihe disgroceful intrigues, planned and cxecuted by skilul buf. tinprincipied poliicians, for the ex press purpose of securing a nar! y iriuinph. - iow merely reading euch articles may not be materially injurious to the young; but when ihey find editora nnd oihers endeavoring to screen the cuthors of these intrigues; when they sec lliem npheld in their imqnity, and shielded froin public indination by the con dnctors f the press: impressions are made t'pon their rninds whtch are very uufavorable to the growth of correct principies, ind wlnc!) are not likely to be easüy eradicaled. Tijo young are generalJy very credulous. Unless otherwise tnught, they put greut confidence m the papers which ihey read. Tlie consequence of thiais that they imbibe, by degreess the nolion that "all is fair in politics," and ihat ihe end to be gained will justüy n resort to any means which their ingenuity may suggest. They find thnt parly tnkes the preceflonce of principle:that pohtician3 labor for the elevntion of an individual, rather ihan for theestablishment of some great nnd g'orious truth. - All tliia they see pf'icticed by the press, and sanctioned by it when practicad bv others. - Henee, they soon become iniiiated info the modem pra-tice of electioneenng; und it is nothïng uncojr.mon to meet with a by of tweU-e years who can deal ns largely in tin- gentlem-iiily, poliiicaf epithets ns the basest poliiicians tha! hatint a village grocery.Pülitical ktxnvledge is nece.ssary; political papers are required to diffuse this kuowledgp iimotig the people; bïU such politica' papers a.s are a mujorily of those that have tallen vinder my obtervatioi nre, I om satisfied, liighiy pernicious. Tliey conto in no essays upon pohlical economv, except such ai aie calculnted to tecure sume selru-h end. Tliey do not discuss in a íoirnnd candid marnier tbc subjects upon whieli they differ witli tbeir opponents. Tliey scarcely toiicfV npoi) the great principies wliich Jie at the foundation of all juat governnien'.s- They coñtaiii uo solid pentinients for tha mind; notliin l'ó strengtlien the intellect; nothing to chasón tlie imayination. New discoveriës in the arts and eciences reccive, at most, hut a passing nolice. Aside from the political chnructer of thie portion of the public press, there are sonle tliings to coinmend, somü to condetön. The Mime may be suid, ivith equal trulh, of the Periodioalá of Liglu Litcrature, laat flood the land. Their best recoinmendution are their cheppness, splendid émbe llishrnenls &lc. Their contents, to say the least, are not satislactory to tiie eiKjuirinr mind. "hovc tates and love diiiies," remark.s an eastern paper, "are wcll enongh in their place, hut there are toó' inany of them in our fluating Literature." Doubtless they are wel] enüiigh in their place, bnt I think they ure tar from whete ihey shotiJd be, when tbèy placed ín the hands of Üm youni) to the excisión óf moe important - ' If the younnrread, they shon.'d róad sornítbí'ig which wiH prove beneficia! to lliein; UU what pö'ssible bcnelH car. they derivo i'ropi love mo riès and lotfe dittieè, espéciolly i'' Ihese constilutc the vvliole of their reding? Aluch more ñiiglil be saidj but ör the present I forbeur.No'tsÍ Althqugh wo have given placa to the preceding reinarte, we dissent iVöni the conclusión which may bc drawn from them, ;1in.t t::e politica) prèss, oh ilio wlio'.c, is i damago to coniniunityi ]{ad as it is, t is prúduciive uf fur more goot] than e vil'. Tiic proper questiun ie not whether ilicse papera ure as betvoficial in fhciimíluence aa lliey ougkt lú be, or as iliey núght be: but whether lliey are not betttír (han nojte. ín our judgemenl, u id betiertliai political maters bediscussed tl1r.ju.5h the papers superficial!)'. or mémperaíeiy, or íor partizórí furposeg, than no( atnll. Uur impression ia (hní ony kind oí' rending is b(ier thnn notic; unlcss it be iliai wlilch a directly ndnpiecl to propagtKC vicc;, nnd deiiroy all moral disrïpefions The most niengre oaper on onr exchnnge list coiuams tinnunily 400 columns of readinij upon eviry subject, etibr icing a vast arnount of useful knowledge. It is equivnlent loa largo votante evoryyear. Would it not be beiter for a man 10 rcad such a volume ■innually than not to icad at all? Ku.