Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-10-05

which the Average Reader Is WoGully
Ignorant.
Special Correspondcncel
CuICAGo, Sept. 27-Chicago is as IA
NOUS for its newspapers as for anything
else There arc no greater newspapers
anywhere than those printed in this city.
No better examples can be found of tho
marvellous organization, concentrated en-
ergy, lavish expenditure and executive
genius which combine to make the great
public journals of this country News
papers go before the public eye, day after
day, morning and evening, the whole year
through, altogether the most important
and Indispensable fal ricHtcd article min
isteriny TO the wants Of man, entering into
his daily lie and consciousness as nothing
else foreign to himself can possibly do,
and yet the public does not know how
newspaper is made. The bright pages are
placed before the readers eye, quickly
telling him the worlds daily story but
back OF these pages ali is Iuys, cry to him.
They are there. and he knows they como
with unccasing regularity and uulugging
interest, but how they came to be, how
they were designed, built, carved and
nodded he does not know. The newspa-
per is All open book, the making of news
paper puzllc which the average reader
has never had an opportunity to solve.
One Of the principal streets in Chicago
Is Madison street. It runs from the lake
10 the prairie, distance of about five
miles. At the corner Of Dearborn street.
few blocks from the lake, curious
throng may often be found of Saturday
night pc2rinc down into the basement
They SEQ dozen or more men, red and
perspiriur, moving uncasily about among
huge kettles filled with molten metal,
pouring here and striking there as if they
were founders or blacksmiths. The rum
pie Of machinery comes up through the
sliylieAts, tie crowd falls to discussing
and guessing what is going on down
there, and is informed by an urchin who,
being n noWSboy. imarincs he knows all
about newspapers, that "Dey's maxim
De lri-Ioon.
lie lsrieht One Of the multitudinous
process ny which newspaper is made is
there il operation. but the curiosity of
the crovJisl 40 means satisfied. When
1t learns that ~ newspaper is beng manu-
facturc1 il becomes moro curious than
ever. Deep down in the soul Of the aver
age way!lrcr Is a secret and strong desire
TO learn the secrets of the legcrdcmaiu by
which his morning newspaper Is, presto.
made to leap from the presses. 1t is true
they are carrying on one Of the processes
down tL-rc in The basement by the big
caldrons. Dut that IS not tic beginning Of
the trick. Indeed, it would not be easy
to say whore the newspaper begins. Per
haps in the far east. where reporters
gather the news Of China, Japan India,
Russia, continental Europe, and prepare
it for transmission by cable, so far ahead
Of the American worker in point of time
that the European day often laps into
yesterday al tie columns of the American
newspaper. Tor instance, tho recent IIar-
ward C%forl rowing race, which came off
at Q o'clock in the morning, was reported
in the American journals which went to
press at ! o'clock the same morning.
~
But We shall best get az the making of
d newspaper if We sit down beside the
mon Who make it, in SO far as may be
practicable, ard watch them at their
work. We must not ask too many qUcs-
tions, for tie newspaper man is not over
burueucd with patience. We must rather
Keep our eyes and ears open and our wits
alert. 1t is a strange. muljituiou5, com.
plicated, wonderful process, this making
u ltt" ~ i''l' anu Il W. u'H l4ooN sharp
we 7h"L ia.l To understand ANA arpreci-
ate so-.- Of It's best and mot interesting
methods.
Of tao thou and men who help make
Eha Tribune, every day tie first one on
duty-et least in Alucrica-ls tie assist
ant to the managing editor II 8 o'clock
81 the morning he shuts himself up in q
attic room. win all the morning papers
OF C-i-4go, numbering ha.. dozen be-
fcr- liza. -a leads tLese papers column
" Gotham AID item l.. itcI-. Whenever
Re coL..s Upon an itc,a Of news which is
N ono Of tie other papers and not i'll The
Tribune, LIE marks it with It big and
o~incNs blue pencil cross. This cross in
+iu" Turns out to be hard enc for some
body to bear, for the man who should
have sent in That item of news. and did
not, is likely to hear something about it,,
suppose the missed item IS ono which
came in b. telegraph from erosion, Ia,
Tie mana ,iug EDITORS assistant iMmodi-
2taly grabs up a telegraph blank, takes
down big book in which ho keeps list