Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-01-22
RepOrtOrial Padding IA Potent
Cause Of Insanity.
From San Francisco Argonaut.

From San Francisco Argonaut.
The nervous system OF every man
who has brains enough to go crazy is
at the mercy OF the daily newspaper.
But the most blood curdling, soul.
soaring, heart breaking announce
ments OF terrible accidents, brutal
murders, fatal casualties, devastating
scourges, and shocking scandals have
no other effect upon his mind than to
tone II up and brace it with double
vlgor for the business OF the day. II
Is the intensely anxious but fertile
hunt for ideas in the bewildering
mazes OF words, and the constant,
neverending disappointment in nots
finding them, that drive the eager
reader mad by degrees.
Every morning the well-balanced cit.
zen settles himself down to a repast
OF breakfast and newspaper Nine
tenths OF his anticipated pleasure is
IN his newspaper. He glances over
the attractive captions of the differ
ent editorials, articles, and news items
as a bee hoVers and buZZes over the
flowers of garden. But while the bee
gets at least a taste of honey at ev-
cry dab II makes, the poor reader.
Valnly lunges his intellectual proboscis
INTO thousand deceptive frauds, and
after wearing himself out by persist
ent and frantic efforts to collect a few
ideas from amongthe dreary waste of
words he finally, reluctantly, disgust
eddy, despairingly, and gaspingly
abandons the hunt. Under like cir
cumstances every bee would 90 staA
ing mad and would sting itself to
death
Sarah Jones, a five-year-old-girl, has
fallen out of a fourth-story window,
and has died of the injuries sustained
The sad fact, when brought to the
knowledge OF the reader OF daily morn-
ing paper at his breakfast would have
only the wholesome effect of awaken
ing IN his heart a kindly pity for the
unfortunate child but, as set forth
by the reporter, it will raise in his
breast only the bitterness OF impa-
thence, anger, and disgust The head.
ing OF the item will bemade attractive
and sensational by the liberal use OF
large type; the reader will be eager TO
ascertain the name of the child and
the result OF the accident. The report
Adam; it will inform the reader that$
Adam was never boy-therefore,
much less could he have been a girl
therefore, that an accident like the
above could not have happened in the
Adam family until after at least one
girl had been raised, Then a good
loke about raising Cain Next, chill
dren. IN general-girs in partition
lar-their nature and peculiarities;
the nature and pecularities of the
young OF other animals. In what
respects the nature, peculiarities, and
habits OF children resemble those OF
the young OF other animals. The
initiative faculty of the ape. A dis
cuSslon on the Darwinian theory.
Anecdotes OF monkeys; to show how
the INITIATIVE faculty breeds trouble al
ways and disaster frequently. A refer
ence TO thep prevailing OF China
men cleaning fOurth-stOry windows,
ana thereby increasing danger to life
by standing on the projecting window
sill outside the window. An aproposx
and humorous suggestion OF Coroner
ODonnellS probable wishes concern
ing the fate of Cinnamon thus exposed
to danger. \ full account of the orr
gln OF glass windows and the discovery
OF glass. \ probable theory OF how
the little girl came to be tempted to
initiate a Chinaman by climbing out of
the window. Several theories as to
how she became frightened and fell
And the brilliant article may end with
out either giving the name OF the child
or stating the result OF the accident