Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-05-31

No. 16.
that in which strikes that greatest force o.
mankind, self-interest. What moves the
pocketbook moves the man. The local page
should be systematically arranged into de
partments, symmetrically made up. and thu
publisher should insist upou not mixing III
| uiHerent kinds OF news, and especially upon
not mixing the reading with the advertising
Ihts Is y hard thing 10 do In a local paper
but 1t is real injury 10 both the reading anu
the advertising. Ii gives the paper an inhar
monlous appearance, and annoys the rea Ter
Local advertisements, If properly set up, cur
be made Just as attractive and valuable When
put to themselves as If scattered all through
the reading. Proper arrangement of the
local paper requires skill, taste and frmness
1t Is not possible to enumerate the items
| lily occur to an editor who possesses an apti-
| tude and ambition In his profession. A grea,
deal depends, of course, upon items being
written in piquant, direct aud entertaining
| manner, for perhaps the best paying commo-
dity in the editorial department is humor.
MUST MEET ALE WANTS.
But while the local is primary, that editor
makes great mistake who neglects other
features. think it is q pertinent criticism
that few editors set corresponding estimate
upon all departments of their work. Some
are absorbed wholly in politics; other.
think of nothing but the local, many are of
opinion that the world will not revolve II
they have not their weekly editorial upon the
politlcai situation in Europe; some, again,
run TO poetry; others affect various C, ank re-
forms, and others, still, care little what be-
comes Of the readers so that they succeed in
persuading subscribers and advertisers into
the necessary wherewithal to buy bread for
| Rllft tho odi ka 80
one idea. He must recognize the varied
tastes Of his readers, and regard the details of
MS business from every standpoint. He must
insert that which will interest all sexes, age.
and conditions. As q matter of fact many
subscriptions to country newspaper are
taken chiefly for the women and children OF u
family, and the editor makes grave mistake
II he has not them in his minds eye. The
TACT Is that an editor needs to be an omniver-
Gus sort of an animal, not seeking whom he
may devour, but feeding upon all sorts of
tastes. .--
Avoid long articles. Make everything short.
Boil down. Get as much in as possible, but
much depends upon the judgment shown in
the selections. 1t requires more newspaper
talent to determine what to leave out than
what to put in. The more original matter
there Is the more freshness and force are
given to the paper. provided, of course, 1t Is
lncislve, direct and to the point.
BRIGHT OUTLOOK.
believe that such are the extremes to
which the large dailies have grown in the ex-
tent and detail OF their news, so far beyond
the capacity of the average man in the rush of
modern business to read. and so far really
beyond the necessities of statement, that
there will be growing demand for the week.
iy paper, with Its synopsis Of current events.
its terse reports simply of such facts as are Of
real interest, and its general embodiment Of
the news OF the day in such condensed and
practicable form rs to enable the busiest OF
men to grasp the news quickly without wad-
ing through columns Of rubbish in order to
got it. / am not of those who despair of the
future OF the local paper, but believe that II
kept within Its sphere it Is destined to great
er success and wider favor than it has ever
known.
Opini0n.
The forceful feature of the newspaper Is
Its relation to thought. Journalism-cOuntry
journalism has become profession. The
time has passed when One-hOrse lawyers or
school teachers can hope to sustain them
selves or The town paper by writing for it, or
can fall back upon it as refuge from failure
in other pursuits. Such Is the advanced in
telligence Of the time, such the growth of
journalism and its complex and arduous duties
that only the best equipped talent can expect
success in field where competition is SO
sharp as TO render triumph here an actual
illustration of 1.-THE survival Of the fittest.o
The fewer outside responsibilities an editor
takes upon himself the better for him. He
cannot esnnot practice law, teach school,, run the
local politics, play base ball and edit a news
paper. All Of his thought and energy are
demanded by his business.
THE EDITOR. -q--
Think Providence has done a rare and ex.
ceptionally good work wherever he has made
an editor, but fear great many have mis-
taken His purpose when they took their seats
upon the tripod. James Parton has said that
while al individual Is man speaking TO
men, the newspaper is Providence speaking
TO men," think crying evil Of Journalism
Is that we find the individual In 80 mauy
places where Providence ought to be. II
were to ennmerate some OF the distinctive
qualities of an editor l would say first that
he ought TO have natural adaptation to his
business. Mark Twain's suggestion that he
eat annually several whales for the acquisi-
tion Of brains will tall in results. AS Shake
speare says OF man. nai ure must have set its
seal upon him-ihat he he trained to his
work. He should be master of it. details.
he ought to know how to do anything. from
washing type to writing editorials. He ought
also to be liberal, courageous, independent,
quick, industrious, consistent and pure. He
ought to be many other things, but these will
answer.
OF course all that say here to-day refers
not let all our city friends rise when l say I
think it takes higher qualifications, greater
variety OF TALENT more grit, energy and man.
hood to succeed in country than IN city Jour-
nalism. Mind you, will concede that the
city editor needs better equipment in specific
directions, but his duties do not call for fit
ness in so many. There is no demagoguery
in this statement. mean it.
LIBERALITY.
think primal element of an editor should
be liberalty, or. if you prefer the term, non-
personalism. He ought not to carry his pri-
vate feuds into his columns, nor ought he to
permit any one else to do so. He not only
has has no right to thrust his individual snimosi-
ties, his likes or dislikes, upon the public, but
1t is great source Of weakness. When any
one else wants to creep into his columns to
vent personal malice he ought not to permit
u. anu II any communication Ia offered for
publication, which reflects in any way upon
men and measures the author should always
be required TO Sign his name to 1t. No editor
should allow his columns to be used for the
assassln-like purpose of venting personal
spleen or traducing private character. Every
journalist knows what it is. especially In pol
itical campaigns, to be appealed to, to publish
Communications Of this nature, the blame Of
which is nearly always visited upon him III
stead OF the author, who. nine times out of
ten, never cares for it, and would not go out
OF MS way to aid the editor even when in
away with all this sort OF Journalism.
The habit of retorting to every mean and
enVinus fling. and of filling newspaper COL
umns with spite and venom is quite q COM
mon anu unnecessary practice of many news
papers. An editor is greatly mistaken if he
thinks he Is called upon to become rutfier
ana strike back at every snarler at his heels.
t0rbearance Is stronger than demonstration
Abuse does not hurt an editor. 1t only shows
he Is hurting somebody else, and u newspaper
may conclude that it is upon different sea
than that Of fortune when it finds itself sail
ing over unrutfled waves.
INDEPENDENCE.
II there Is one element more than another
needed In country journalism 1t Is indepen.
of thought, indepeu-
uence OF expression, independence of pnrse
knew gentleman who seriously contem-
plated calling his newspaper 'Nobody's Dog.'
lie had the right idea. The great trouble
with some newspapers l know not in Mis-
souri,, however-is that they are not simply
somebody's dog" but "everybody's dog"
And when their editors gather i'm public con.
ciafe-in other states-instead of empty and
eloquent apostrOphes to the freedom of the
press II would not be a vain inquiry to ascer-
tam the particular collars certain ones wear,
The answer, il honest, fear in more eases
than one would be in the language of the
famous couple:
am Billy Buttons dog;
Whose dog are you.
| hope such editors will either 20 to heaven
while young, or move to Texas aud never
come to Missouri.
l think All editor should have convictions.
which Is good deal to have. Then he should
TN AvF L.,s