The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-10-08
NEWSPAPERS MOURNING.

tia proper symbol of mourning Tor
newspapers. In long list OF ex-
! changes we have found taste rather
than "loudness to prevail n q
few instances. Newspapers have
various ways of displaying their
sorrow over death, just as people en-
\ ploy different methods for showing
their grief. One way is to print con
spicaously the cut OF an urn: an
other is to put at the head and foot
OF an obituary, or OF editorial com.
ments on the dead, broad. black
slug; another is to turn the column
rules Of the paper, and enclose the
matter in q heavy frame work OF
black The rules dividing the COL
umns OF reading matter are bread on
the lower side, while st the top they
are thin, printing only the fac hair
lines that are seen ordinarily. When
these rules are turned bottom side up,
they print the heavy black lilies that
we're seen in the HERALD on the
morning after the President's death.
All these methods were employed By
newspapers in the issue succeeding
the death of the President. In all
our exchanges We do not remember
to have seen one, republican or DEM
ocratic, religious or secular, that did
not adopt one or another of these
Ways of newspaper mourning. The
large majority OF the papers turned
the column rules for One issue
some few kert! the rules inverted
until after the funeral; others en-
pl0yed the urn, and still others the
heavy dashes or slugs at the begin
ming and end OF the account of the
death. Some few papers that at first
merely inserted toe orosd dashes or
the urn, found that the public was
displeased with that style, and after
wards turned the column rules. Some
simply turned two or three column
rules, and others confined their heavy
lines to one side or ona page only of
the paper. Hence, as remarked. it
will be seen that taste figured largely
in the Lastter. though the majority
followed the Oldest and commonest
AID loudest style of the deep black |
rules between the columns, regard
less of taste in the matter OF appear
Ance. A publisher usually likes to
have his paper appear clean. neat and |
attractive. He detests big type and |
abbors the deep broad marks made
by turning the column rules, which |
1isGgure the sheet, and give dirty |
appearance to the paper. He has to
submit. however. for the public ia not !
70 uauoa interested in the clean ap-
1esrance Of the newspaper as it is in
he editors and publishers putting on
he evidence ofsmourning. IN point
IF fact, the mourning does rot con-
'iss in flags at half-msst, in hats and
,oat sleeves sied about with Grape,
nor IN making daubs OF newspapers.
The journals grief is conveyed in
IS words and the spirit in which
hey are written. The HERALD
placed broad Slugs or dashes at the
top and bottom of the editorial ard
obituary articles On the death of the
late Orson Pratt. The writer's of
hose articles and the publishers were
ls sincere in their grief as they
would have been bad the paper been
narred by the repulsive black lines
'etween the columns. The inverted
;oiumn rules on the occasion of Gar
ield's death were evidence only to
he vulgar of deep mourning and
iorrow. i
The deep ''draping" which news
,apers SO generally adopted on the
of tue demise CT the late
amented President, We are pleased
0 note, is calling out discussion OF
Phat is proper for newspapers 70 do
4 the matter OF mourning symbols.
{ is to be hoped that this discussion
7iu result in the discontinuance by
equitable and clean journals of the
epuisive practice of turning column
ules and surrounding thu printed
natter with a border OF deep black.
t an editor is unable TO express his
orrow in words. he cannot do so by t
his paper. Among the
more sensibls OF the comments on /
DE subjecI that We have eeep, is the
glowing from the Springfield, Mass,