The Delta independent., 1888-06-05
English VS.. American Journal
iSpo

GA6A1SA vs. AulcIlCCt1 JOuA A0ske
ism.
On comparing the English with the
American newspaper, l cannot but OBJ
serve the great superiority Of the
former in several important respects,
and hasten to give few pointers to
the noble brotherhood of pencil
pusIhers.
glance over copy of the Times and
read of workman having been blown
I into several small pieces by too previ-
Gus explosion. I am further informed
that the man was picked up In sections
and was found to be quite dead, and
that an inquest was held. 1 submit
that the insertion of tho adjective quito
removes NIL doubt from tho mind of tho
anxious reader. The average Ameri
can paper-too hurried to be accurate
would omit the quite and we should be
harassed by tho awful doubt as to
whether the coroner had not inquested
n set Of remains only partially demlsed.
Then, in the reading columns or at the
bottom of the local news column, find
few choice selection, as follows:
For Debility-Try Salts. Quininc md
Copper Tonic. Sold everywhere. Price
ono shilling. [Advt1
Toothache-Buy Puller's Rough on
Toothachc. Sold only by Puller's
Dental Company. [Advt1
Were it not for the cabalistic letters
"adyt." the gulleless reader would
doubtless take such items to be the
very latest telegraphic news or an
| editorial on the Eastern question.
There is degree of consideration
shown to their readers which the Ameri-
can editor entirely ignors. On the con-
trary, we read through whole column
| OF what purports to be a first class sem
sation and proves to be only the latest
cure performed by DR.. Horner's Secure
Liver Remedy, sold by all druggists
and then we want to go and lick the
editor. Again. your English editor
tells you nothing as fact; it is only
"alleged." Thus a man is caught in
the act of setting fire to neighbour
barn, and the Times has it, "A case of
| alleged arson" OF course it may turn
out that the barn simply asked the
man for light, and he was acceding
| to a polite request with no felonious in
tent. and SO by careful and judicious
use of the word "alleged' they hurt
no ones feelings and escape possible
damage suits -
But the chief excellence of the Eng
1ivh ;,, &hat, IL, %
speeches by public men in Parliament
| or elsewhere.
| l was delighted to find that by close
| ly reading the speech of Lord Noodle.
with all the explanatory notes inserted
by the faithful reporter. l could not on
| ly entirely comprehend it but knew just
where to laugh. whore to applaud and
when to groan. and how much laugh
ter. applause and groaning wonld be
apropos. 1t would be SO easy for our
reporters TO adopt this system. and in
writing up Mr.. Slangwhanger's great
effort in the House to insert in the
proper place Hear, Hear,] Zap
plause,l Much laughter etc. II this
system were applied to the publication
of the Congressional Record, It would
give quite new interest to that institu-
tion.
The humorous papers. too, show the
same kindly spirit to their readers. and
whom they perpetrate joke they obvi-
ate any possibility of misunderstood
ing by elaborate foot-notc explanations
| of its mysteries. Artemus Ward was,
l think, the only American humorist
who ever took the trouble to explain,
"This is goak." These few simple
words remove all doubts, and tho read
er was then prepared to laugh.
Bill Nye, Twain, Sweet, Burdette
ct al, have uniformally failed to give
even that much specification of their
work. and beg hereby to remind them
of duty they owe tho reading world
in this particular.
once loaned Scotch friend. ''The
Innocents Abroad" but he became ut
terly disgusted at the Doctors stupidi-
ty in asking the guide "if the mummy
was dead'' and forthwith returned the
work to me. Now, Scotchman's ap-
probation of a joke is unbounded--if
the joke is carefully explained-and I
maintain that in this case, if Mr.. Glenn
ems had inserted m explain atory foot
note at this point, my friend would
have read the work with unbounded
satisfaction n.-Terds Stftings.
|