many cases mere casual comment, in some have been
altogether eliminated, in others so neutralized and inoffensive
that a man who had bought a certain daily for a year might be
puzzled if you asked him its political, religious, and sociological
views. He would not be in doubt if asked what his favorite magazine
was trying to accomplish in the world. Unless it is a mere
periodical of amusement it is likely to have a definite purpose,
even though it be nothing more than opposition to some other
magazine. If a magazine attacks Mrs. Eddy, another gallantly rushes
to her defense. If one gets to seeing things at night, the other
becomes anti-spirituous. If the first acquires the muck-raking
habit, the complementary organ publishes an 'Uplift Number' that
oozes optimism from every paragraph. The modern editor does not sit
in his easy-chair, writing essays and sorting over the manuscripts
that are sent in by his contributors. He goes hunting for things.
The magazine staff is coming to be a group of specialists of
similar views, but diverse talents, who are assigned to work up a
particular subject, perhaps a year or two before anything is
published, and who spend that time in travel and research among the
printed and living sources of information."

[3] _The Independent_, Oct. 1, 1908.

Now my conclusion of the whole question under discussion is this: While
commercialism is at present the greatest menace to the freedom of the
press, just as it is to the freedom of the Church and the University,
yet commercialism as it develops carries within itself the germ of its
own destruction. For no sooner is its blighting influence felt and
recognized than all the moral forces in the community are put in motion
to accomplish its overthrow, and as the monthlies and weeklies have
thrived by fighting commercialism, so it is reasonable to suppose that
the dailies will regain their editorial influence when they adopt the
same attitude.

I know of only four ways to hasten the time when commercialism will
cease to be a reproach to our papers.

First. The papers can devote themselves to getting so extensive a
circulation that they can ignore the clamor of the advertisers. But
this implies a certain truckling to popularity, and the best editors
will chafe under such restrictions.

Second. The papers can become endowed. That others have thought of this
before, Mr