The Demand for Sensational Literature
By Editor
The Oakland Morning Times thinks that the reason why bad books and vulgar newspapers sell so readily, why there is such a demand for this kind of literature, is because these publications are full of action. People like more to read of men and their deeds than to read about pious do-nothings. These are not our contemporary’s words, but they embody the idea. There is some truth in the statement; but the greater cause is a depraved appetite, which has been fostered for years. We can recall the time, not so very far distant, when solid books were read and studied; but now papers and sensational, light literature are scanned. The memory is injured, the taste is perverted, and solid thinking is ruined.