Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1883-07-21
X, Hanr nurosuu

vuml timely. communication has been handed
Goo %, literary editor " the Press by an e,
l.,mci contributors
Mcsss. Local Writers of the other papers,
go sit on ih, front form, please. YOU arc IN
print a, uiu ol journalism aud authorities ON
plud Wutus. Nuu need tn bc reminded, |
gentlemen, ibrl no journalist who has emerged
tom the sNlddling clothes oi his ncWspapc,
Iilph uwl writes IN his luttl columns with The
editorial "wc;' and lur this very gond reason
The r,liiunll pfpnoun Is allowable when It cN
presses the opinion ui the plural management
VI the paper in which II appears, The local
columns 81 paper OUGHT to tccurd the facts,
iancics and opinion. ri general society, ~ the
individual opinion uf the writer's ~ It's articles.
II would be helpful ior the gentlemen who do
most OF Tie newspaper writing NJ this town to-
bc subjected Ia the tender mcrcics oi the city
editor un some big daily, The ordeal would
he valuable one IN many ways but, best oi
all, it would teach the value OF careful work.
There is no reason why men OF excellent com
mon sense, extensive reading and brilliant
fancy, should not produce as good work here
as they would I've obliged TO do II they earned
their salt in any big city. II is from the
depths OF severe experience, and not from con.
ccit, that | siy this. know you can, all OF YOU,
write. II You Try; You have ideas. Hut II you
PERSIST in miSusng your opinions; II you will
not give up the use OF party for "pcr.
son, gent lot gentlemen, "pants" lor
"tIpusets, aud the like. " you can moi per
suhdc yourselves that you simply disgust your
reader, when you call vulgar names, WHEN, 10y
the Use of artistic dispmisc, you might delight
ihem then | shall simply he sorry for You
and retire within my she'll pcrlorcc 10 admire
you a. brilliant and chivalrous gentlemen,
but most unfortunate journalists.
| Miss MopFsTy.
In order To aforl the maligncd craftsmen OF
the other newspaper shops a chance to reply,
Miss ModesIy's letter was sent to the literary
editor of the Advertiser, who referred it To his
recently lcsuseiatcd society contributor, Mrs.
Ncgus, sislcr-in-law Of the more famous lady,
long since dead That venerable lady's com
municatou is printed exactly as written:
But how can | be expected to ut once forget
the form inscnsibly adopted by poor Negus and
| during his life time; we (you see must use
itl always thought very much alike, land when
we did not we said nothing about it to each
uihcr) and know that the habit OF referring to
what Ncgus had done or was going 10 do as
being done 10y both Of us, and his habit (dcai
mani Of always giving me half tat the very
leastl of the credit belonging TO both OF us for
some bright idea or wise plan, led to the use
Of "we as ma,tsr Of course. | cannot re-
collect now that MIR. N ever used the
pronoun |, except when he had done some
very foolish thing (which sometime happencd),
and then he was perfectly at liberty to dis
tinguish himself, and take all the credit to
himself
However, will try and see if can't inn
prove myself and abstain from using any pet
expression OF terms of thought that become
after while monotonous. Now that the "two
bright red spots on my otherwise ashen
cheeks have subsidized, will do the same.
Mrs. NEGUs.
Mr.. Create, OF the Gazette. was selected by
the literary editor of that powerful family
Journal 10 defend the newspaper style of his
paper, and did so in the following effective
manner:
Newspaper writing, considered merely rs
writing, is sometimes good but more often
bad. II is commonly written in hurry, is
often written to fill space, and is sometimes
written To confuse. The systematic collection
of news by an elaborate bureau system, and its
dissemination by means Of the Telegraph, com
pei those grea, journals which are distinctivcly
Uf7ospapcrs to adopt one OF two systems. The
New York Herald prints a daily OF from eight
TO ten pages apI Sunday edition 81 from
sixteen to thirty-two pages. The New York
sun prints daily OF four pages, with a sun
day edition OF eigh, pages. The former gives
everything in full. The latter gives every
thing in brief. For the unfortunate slave who
is miserable until he has devoured his daily,
the method Of the sun is manifestly the bettef,
Yet the bald condensation OF much Of the Sun
writing is questionable improvement on the
padded elaboration of much Of the Herald
writing. Cultivated readers prefer the middle
ground occupied by the New York Times and
the New York Evening Post. Either of those
papers gives all the daily. news OF the world
that is worth giving, in good type and at jus,
sufficient length. Its editorial writing is digni-
fed, pointed, clear, but is neither cur, nor
diiuse. Its sentences are rarely unduly long,
and therefore difficult to follow, OF short,
jcrky and fragmentary. Beauty Of style is not
saoriiced for mere force and directness. II
does not follow that the Times or the Post are
always right on every important public ques-
ton. Neither men nor newspapers are in
vafiaby right
Mr.. Pixley, Of the San Francisco Argonaut,
is the most forcible recent exponet of the pro-
position tina, consistency is the logic of fools. y
Times change and We change with them. y
The intelligent man who docs not change may
have his value as a tine example OF well pre-.
served conservatism, but he gets left in the
march Of events, all the same. II is so with
newspaper ut,erance. The paper that refuses
to tell the truth, 10 acknowledge its error, To
correct its Measurements, TO adopt the ripes,
experience Of the hour is deaf, alike to the ten
d-ncy OF the age and to sound business prin-
ciples. II Is true that my screcd has very little
Ia do with Honolulu newspaperdom bu,
then
II Although Mr.. Creates portion OF the syn.
postum ended somewhat abruptly, /, is so elab.
oraiely not To say ponderously written, that il
carries lis own full weight apart from the
nianiies, advantage Of being written by il
eminent author. In his briei final summing NJ
Of the newspaper situation in Honolulu, Mr.
+, Henley fiizroy Raglan Bieg, to whom III,
foregoing articles were submitted by the lii
efary editor the Bullelin, displays the careful
analytic training he has received IN the Aus
!. ,ralian bush, where his experience as peaceful
and industrious school teacher Of the children
/. Of bush rangers has filled him with the wis
dom OF Nelson's series Of school books ant
fully fitted him ior some nice Fat iiule plac,
1 under the benign government which he alter
6 nately prods with haifinch pen and white
washes with iour-ioo, brush.
!, We are pleased to have this opportunity I,
explain wha, We think We believe We know
e about Honolulu newspapers. We mean ,h'
4 English ones. First, there are the Press ans
/ the Gazette. They are pulling different oar
in the same boat, and their boai Is bound /,
1 win. Then. there's the Advertiser. The Al
4 yerissr is splendid example Of arrested de
! yelopment. Ne should like to see il free,
!, from the incubus abou, is neck. We are airai'
, il never will be freed. How can paper h
= independent, when !, is obliged TO uphol,
, ,..a..,t,tx anil ,..,ff Nj Gibson in tl.. sam,