The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1881-05-14
Patent Outsidcs.
From the N. o. Evening States. |

them except by hearsay. They take
the shape of sheet printed upon
one side, which is sold at so much
the hundred to editors of country
newspapers, and used by them to
distribute local news. Large pub
fishing houses in the North and West
are engaged in preparing these ready
prints, and it is to their credit that
their labor is uniformly well done,
and attractive. Manufacturing by
wholesale these outside pages of
country weeklies, the publisher can
afford to do the work at cheap rates,
and thus enable the country editor
to place attractive and otherwise
unattainablc reading matter before
the eyes of his patrons. Another
method of obtaining, practically, the
same result, is by the use of steleo-
typed printed matter. The type mat
ter, instead of being printed off upon
paper, is stereotyped, and the stereo-
types are sent to the country editors,
to be used along with type set in the
office, and is paid for at a regular
rate, reasonable reduction being
made for the return of the stereotype
metal after it has been made use of.
The reduction about covers the cost
OF the freigltage between the points
OF manufacture and Of use, and by
this arrangement tue country editor
gets the greater portion of his paper
printed at a cost considerably less
than were he to have all his copy"
set up in his own office.
The great drawback to the system
is the difference observable between
the print and substance of the out
side, or patent portion of the paper,
and that of the inside or homemade
portion. The one is solid, well Sc
lccted, clearly printed matter, which
excites the admiration Of the reader;
the other is muddy, generally iIlegi-
bic, the type being "off it's feet" to
use printers term, and is made up
OF odds and ends of little interest
to anybody, and thrown into the
paper in way which is a disgrace
to journalism.
Notwithstanding this conceded
fault, there are not wanting persons
to praise the system, and doubtless
it has its merits also. The late Louis
lana Press Convention discussed the
subject at considerable length, and
came to several conclusions. One Of
these may be argued, namely: that
one which states that the ready prints
are advantageous because their use
allows the editor time to attend more
carefully to the editorial and local
departments of his paper
We are inclined to think the result
is just to the contrary. The editor
who has all his light reading matter
his news clippings, his monographs,
his Geographic summary and his
commercial notes prepared and print
ed Tor him, thinks his paper il ready
and will move along, even should he |
happen to neglect his departments of
the paper. He throws in hastily |
written, hastily considered editorial
upon Malone, the idea being Dor
rowed from the Herald or Sun, pre-
parcs few personals about Judge
soandso, who dropped in last week"
and paid his Subscription, or Captain
W hatshlsname, who lost his valuable
pig on Tuesday, fills up the column
with paid puffs Of the tailor and shoe.
maker, and smokes his pipe over the
uDloafhalistic hodge podge.
lie calls this work editing" but
it is nothing of the sort. Ten to one,
the editor who prepares all portions
u his paper has none too much to do,
but he will gain an insight into things
movable and moving, while attend,
ng to such work. he will become
acquainted with the ideas of his con
,enlnoraries throughout the country,
md will be enabled to write an edito.
'ial which will he up with the times,
md have the additional merit of being
n demand. He will be alive, up to
business, at his post, ready when
wanted, and, in short, the right man
n the right place. He will gain the
of his community and be
egarded as business man. Such
'dltors are All honor to the profession,
md we want more Of thea.
The editor of a patent outside is,
~ the contrary, go-as-you-please
ind OF man, who cannot make a Iiy-
ne at anything hut newspapering,
nd even at that but a bare subsist-
nee. lie has no office hours, and
'otlling to do but smoke, chew and
oaf He might spend his time profit,
bly, seeing that <Ais" side Of the
aper is pat up properly and clearly
rinted; but what is the use so long
$ the outside is all right! No, it is
etter to go fishing five days in the
'eek and devote the other two to
lshing things in the office, than to
rag out ones life in daily Wrestling
nth the anremuneratiye details Of
usiness. We do not know any sach
iitor. bat we can paint his picture
asisy, using no other hotogra PHI than
Ne inside Of bis weekly paper. s