The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1880-11-16
NEWSPAPERS.

~ 10 uiWhyo outo W Wiito uti u UCic
about pewsr apcrs, for 1t is something
even the most constant readers know
very little about, and one can write q
column or two without telling very
much about them that ought not TO
be known.
We are not going to lell any Sc
relsc III this article No wish 10 call
attention to some OF the well.knowil
idiosyncrasies OF the press. AT the
outset il is well to reiiiark there is a
great deal ofhuman nature about a
newspaper this is so from the neces-
sity OF the case, as it is made by hu-
man beings who have like passions
with the readers. II has been the
dream OF many men and especially OF
many managers, to invent an auto
matte type-seiter, but 1t a cast iron
managing editor with "a perpetual
motion attachment could be invented
liz would be much longer step in
advance. The great advantages Of
such M editor would be that he
would leave uoihing out. II is some
matter of surprise TO the lay reader
that q newspaper learns AS many
small facts as il does but ones sur
prise would he increased If tho same
reader could know how much Is left
out by special request This is an
unmisiakable mark OF provincialism.
and ii Is not SO prevalent a custom as
once il was. Yet very many such re-
quests are needed. Only yesterday
II poor creature who had attempted to
commit suicide promised to try to
live on If her name was kept out of
the newspapers last week was espec-
tally a week in which such requests
were frequent and urgent. II any of
the details of these cases werc given,
the impression which exists in many
minds that an editor is a man utterly
without { cling or sympathy or gen
crosity would entirely disappear !;
but we said we did not intend TO tell
any secrets, so the beat paragraph IN
this article is omitted.
Perhaps the most unreasonable de-
mands made upon editors and news
papers come from those who have
the least claims to consideration.
The newspaper il now necessity in
every intelligent community; il il
generally a little better as news
paper and u little more careful ofits
morality than the standards of.a COM
muniiy demand. Much is said by
great morali-ts who are seeking to
reform everybody but themselves,
that the press of to-day is a licentious
press. But this is not by any iacans
true; il is the public not the prcas
winch is licentious there is morbid
appetite for descriptions of the vilest
acts which disgrace humanity, all ap-
petite which the best newspapers re-
fuse to gratiiy. Any paper In Lonis-
vile can double it's circulation IN
thirty days IL it viii publish the de-
tails of crimes 10 the extent the pub
lie desires them.
Perhaps some, net Of our readers
but say the readers of.the morning
papers will be surprised at the state.
ment that no class OF men are as
scrupulousiy truthful as are the edi-
tors. II is ihc habit Of wits real and
so called to refer 10 the mendacity o.
the press, whereas. If lawyers. ply
siciais, preachers, merchants and pol
iticians were as careful ne are the
newspapers not to tell a lie, society
would soon reach state of unimag-
ined bliss. 1t is both principle aud
policy with newspaper TO tell the
exact truth to be carefully accurate
sensations arc well enough, hut with
out there is truth at the bottom; SEN
sations soon cease TO be eileciivr.
| But II was not of the pecuiaritics
of the press We intended TO write, Lu
rather about The ecccntricities of GER
tain papers. The Philadelphia Times
has but Que provincial habit: that IL
to state fact, adding THAT this is ~
exact accordance with The prediction
made in these columns 1t is said
this sentence appeared in its first
number, The crudition of tho New
York World has reached such q poinl
that it can tell you what the first wo-
man who used u needle said when
the point broke off. The New York
Tribune is insane on the cipher dis
patel es; tho Times turns green will
envy when ever il hears the credi
for the overthrow Of the Tweed rins
imputed to any one else the Cincin
lnati Commercial is mad on the silvs