Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-04-04
O'RELL ON NEWSPAPERS.
The Lively Frenchman Contrasts the Brit
ish with the American Article, and Tells
Some Stories.
Detroit Free Press.

In my opinion American newspapers
are reflex of American life. They would
be different than they are should the de-
mands OF the time warrant the change.
An American newspaper Is gotten up pri-
marty to interest by amusing. The main
idea seems to be to get together as many
odds and ends of news as possible and
place them before the people in the most
taking dress, with catchy headlines and all
that. Now, for illustration. contrast an
English with an American item. Say that
Mary Jones, servant was tried in the
police court for stealing pair of earrings
from her mistress. The London paper
would come out the next morning with
something like this:
Mary Jones, servant girl to the Lady
Jane Grey, p Cock lane, was brought up
before Judge Bull yesterday on serious
charge. 1t appears that Lady Jane Grey
has some valuable earrings. 1t also APP
pears, etc, etc, etc. Suspicion at once
attached itself to a servant girl. by name
Mary Jones, and it further appears that
said maid servant, etc. etc, etc.
''Oh, what an insufferable bore such
news is to be sure! Now, how would an
American daily dismiss the same bit?
Perhaps like this:
Mary Jones is petite Soubrette. Gv-
ing at q Cock lane. where she has a COM
Portable place near my Lady Jane Grey.
The other day as Mary was looking in the
mirror, she suddenly became aware of the
fact that she had very pretty ears, whose
beauty she also felt would be greatly
heightened by pair of flashing jewels.
Il will never do it again" sobbed the
pretty Mary in Judge Bulls court yester-
day, and may die if" etc, etc. Il
have had two newspaper experiences and
| presume there are more to follow The
other day in st. Paul a nan came to me
| and said: Sir. we are having discussion
! of contagious disease in our town Just
now. Will you Oblige me with your
view
Another case was that of Boston re-
porter. He secreted himself in my room,
| and when | returned late one night | was
astoIished to find him coolly seated at my
| table reading book. He was also using
the cnspidor at very long ange and with
deadly accuracy, the latter, a feat which
at once won my admiration. He turned
to me and said: Sir, you will pardon this
intrusion, but the city editor told me that
| would surely get half column interview
| waited for you In the hall but you did
llOG NOlllt 81 SItN jlItu anu came UP
here. You will now kindly talk half a
| column. But as am a little deaf would
beg of you to speak into this tube, where
upon, said Mr.. O'Rell. ''the Boston re-
porter produced a yard of rubber tubing,
holding one end to his ear and giving the
other end to me.
But that was nothing tt, what ! expert
enced in Pittsburgh | lectured there not
long ago and the morning daily came out
with a very tldttering notice of the lecture
think the whole notice was overa column
long. There were forty lines devoted to
the lecture and the rest of the article to
my personal appearance. especially to my
brown hat. A chivalrOus Frenchman
would have considered this a thrust at his
honor, and would have demanded salts
faction, a la code; but am a cosmopolitan,
so took no offense. Next day | wrote Il
letter to the editor and presented him
with the hat. Like a true American edit
or, he published the letter in his next issue
Yes, this is the genuine American spirit
No, said Mr.. . Rel, by way of con-
clusion, ~ do not think that with added
leisure and wealth on the part of the Ameri-
can people the newspapers of the country
will change much. On the contrary.
believe the American press is now strong
enough to cast its impress on the news
papers of Europe. Our most prosperous
London and Paris papers of to-day are
those that follow American ideas. "