The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-03-04

ohurch, brooklyn, mas preached sermon
to newspaper people, Iledeclared therein
that the newspaper was AT once com.
mercial exchange, a historian and lead.
er for the great mass of the people, Its
advertising columns should be for sale
on strictly business principles, its opin.
ions in the editorial columns, never,
fhis last rule, the doctor says. is very gon,
orally observed by the great metropoh.
tan journals and very generally violated
by local and country newspapers and
altogether too often by the religious
press, This is thoroughly complimen,
tary TO us metropolitans. but rather
rough on local and country newspapers
and the religious weeklies. Toall alike.
however, the preacher administered
wholesome suggestion by recommending
to us the advice of Paul:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are
true. whats~ cr things are honest, whatso-
ever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are OF good report.
think on these things.
This is grand advice indeed. and it is
to be wished that everybody would take
1t, ministers as well as journalists.
One of the reverend gentleman's
charges against the newspaper press
however, plainly proved that he had
never been reporter and run to fires
and never been the managing editor of
morning paper just about o'clock in
the morning, He derided in whitening
terms the practice among morning pa
pers of writing out events before they
happen. He made merry over bad
break once made by an interior journal
that printed description of reception
in Washington which never came off.
because about the time it was to occur
member of a cabinet family died sud-
denly and the party had to be dropped
The correspondent had visited the
rooms, described the decorations, found
out who the guests were and the gowns
the ladies were to wear, and then writ.
ten OF the event as though already past,
in order to get the description in on
time, so that her journal might not get
left.
or course everybody connected with
the daily press knows that this thing is
done constantly and that it must be
done. Would DR.. Abbott wait till day
after tomorrow for the account of an
event which came off tonight? If he
would then his paper would become
laughing stock in journalism. 1t could
not sustain itself week.
People want the news, and they want
it now. Suppose DR.. Abbott is to give
an eloquent lecture to the Congregational
club and there is to be discussion af-
terward, perhaps little dinner. At
any rate the audience is kept together
until midnight. The report of the meet
ing must be in next mornings paper |
The newspaper young man must get the
material and write column and a half |
about it if it is important. How long
will that take? Then the printer must
put the matter in type. 1t must be proof
read, revised and stereotyped. How long
again will that take? No reporter or
printers alive could get it for morning
paper if the writer waited till the ban
quet was over to pen a description
No! Enterprising modern journalism
has better way than that The re-
porter goes to the hall or house to which
he is assigned. He feels brisk and
rested, and can take in at flash the
salient points. Then he goes, for in
stance, to Mr.. Chauncey Depew. who is
to speak He makes his politest bow, and
newspaper reporters do make beautiful
bows. Then he asks the silver tongued
orator to kindly give him copy of the
extempore speech he is to make that
evening. Neither is there any fraud
here. 1t would be an insult to an audi
ence to so before it without thinking of
what speaker is going to say at all.
The most brilliant speaker must collect
in his own mind what he will tell his
audience. What, then, is easier or more
natural than that he should dictate it to
a stenographer and have it ready for the
young gentleman Of the press? So the
description is written beforehand and
put into type. If extraordinary Incl
dents happen at the meeting. few lines
or quarter column, painted in dozen
bold strokes, will give the perfect picture
to the public. What would DR.. Abbott
have?
Moreover perhaps Dr. Abbott never
thought of it, but human nature grades
about the same everywhere An expe-
rlenced reporter can tell beforehand Just
about how given number of persons
Will act in given circumstances, whether
at fire, horse race or wedding. A re-
porter who is lazy and constituencies
can write description of an event he
has never seen so that it will deceive
anybody but another newspaper person.
The latter knows unerringly the ear
marks of taking" against which DR..
Abbott may expend all his powder and
shot, as much as he likes, and the best
clement among journ alists will be with
MIN.
Eleanor Kinks Idea denies with scorn
he allegation that woman hates wom-
IN. That paper says, of all the I'M
malicious and cruel state
nents which pass current in society
here is not one which is greater false
hood than the assumption that women
dislike women"
There are twenty-seven breweries in
jlncinnati and the adjoining cities of
jovington and Newport. No wonder