National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-08-14
LOOK AT US.
A screed About Newspapers From tho
Pen OF One Who Thinks lie IS En-
Ilarhteurd

N EGENth AuouN HNb"hDhUtNA NhN
Pen OF One Who Thinks lie IS En-
Iightenod.
II. S. hciicr in american JOurndlid.
Tho American newspaper Of to-day 10
tho direct outgrowth Of toll, money, and
brains 1t has reached standard, an
ominencc, from which elevation II can
look back with pride upon the manifold
achievements acquired. 10 be truly great
in ones endoavorings, is TO contrast tho
results Of to-day with those OF yesterday,
and In the contrasting find sn Increase Of
good.
Tho short, snappy, paragrnphic editorial
conveys more strength, produces moro
weight and in tho ond ~ moro productive
ofgood results than the long-winded, solid
matter so much in vogue some years ago.
10 DO brief 10 to DO pointed. To spin out
line after line, column upon column, Ia 90
be tircsome. Tho latter mode Of editorial
writing tends TO entanglo tho average
readers ideas and to crowd tho readers
mind with countless arguments while
ondonvoring to mako point, weakens the
article and renders it useless for u meant
purpose.
Tho average nowsp per reader Ia not an
animated encyclopedia OF knowledge
Give him plain, common sense matter In
plain readable manner, and you tickle
his palate; when you tickle his palate you
engage mis- heart and mind; when you
have accomplished this, you have reached
the superstructure of his consideration
and laid train Of thought productive Of
results for good to both reader aud
writer.
1t has long been favorito theme of
! Tho al N.y1 60 4 al q 81
rural newspaper. The editor of tho rural
newspaper may not be surrounded with
those advantages which go to make Mp
newsy papers every day in tho year. II
10 not necessary Tor his patrons to have
their home matters brewcd in the obi
torial ink pot daily. Once week Is suf-
! fcicnt.
l know Of numerous instances where
many good rural sheets have lost their
power and become glazing failures just
because they kicked over the traces and
issued Il daily. Happily the cure was
obvious, and speedily put into practice.
The cure was once n week.
1t requires small Amy Of men TO con
duct successful city paper. There must
be a general at the head capable OF direct
ing tho army into the proper channels.
The man of classical education does not
always mako successful general. Tho
political arguments of tho day are so stu
pendous in divorsiacation that IL requires
moro than classical ability to cope with
them successfully. Tho man who eau
solve roots and classify verbs cullod from
the dead languages of the world would
find himself surrounded by an ovorwhelm-
ingarray ofhard, knotty problems, against
which his classics would be as small avail
ability as u tack hammer seeking TO crush
tho iron anvil.
Humor, to-day, is ono of the prominent
features of many of our great papers
Humor of proper sort is not out of place
and often clinches question pointing O
direct moral, beneficial to the reader
The professional humorist is the hardest
worked hack of tho entire journalistic
calling. Ho must make men laugh. even
though his own heart break. He must
pun and pun, even to his souls disgust
And, when his line becomes absolutely
sickcning, ho must take up his pen and
pun and pun again. 1t is not pleasant
matter to wrest sunshine for others
hearts out of tears of sorrow. Yot, some
of tho most successful humorists of to-day
are men who are surrounded by suffering
The clown of the sawdust circle is not the
clown ut home. Tho professional humor.
ist often drops his pen, dripping with
merry jokes, and goes home to comfort q
sick wife, an alling mother, or to close the
glazed eyes of n dying child. The humor-
ist with certain restrictions, is poy ~ in
any newspaper Office. and the gcN. a.
the head Of the army is II power When h,
knows wherein to restrict.