quiet and orderly congregation of decently dressed and modest people.

This is what the chairman said:

The essayist for this evening is an old member of our club whom you all

know, Mr. Parker, assistant editor of the Daily Democrat. The subject

of his essay is the American Press, and he will use as his text a couple

of paragraphs taken from Mr. Matthew Arnold's new book. He asks me to

read these texts for him. The first is as follows:

"'Goethe says somewhere that "the thrill of awe," that is to say,

REVERENCE, is the best thing humanity has."

"Mr. Arnold's other paragraph is as follows:

'I should say that if one were searching for the best means to efface

and kill in a whole nation the discipline of respect, one could not do

better than take the American newspapers."

Mr. Parker rose and bowed, and was received with warm applause. He then

began to read in a good round resonant voice, with clear enunciation and

careful attention to his pauses and emphases. His points were received

with approval as he went on.

The essayist took the position that the most important function of a

public journal in any country was the propagating of national feeling and

pride in the national name--the keeping the people "in love with their

The American Claimant