Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1896-09-03
READING OF NEWSPAPERS.
BY AMOS R. WELLS.

morning for the last thirty years, and
at once buried themselves In their vo-
luminous folds.
"Ahap exclaimed one. suddenly.
They've been having a revolution In
Brazil, see
"Umt' grunted the other. "That so5
/ hadn't seen anything about 1t"
That Brazilian revolution, which
knocked poor Dom Pedro from his
throne and overthrow the last monarchy
on the American continent, changing
into a republic the largest nation of
South America and one of the largest of
the world, was, in its character and re-
suits, one of the most interesting and
important events of the century, and 1t
had taken place six days before. Their
newspapers had faithfully reported each
of these days the startling occurrences,
but these confirmed newspaper-readers
had just seen ii for the first time, and
evidently didn't care then.
The whole world, it is often said, lies
spread out before us in each copy of
daily paper. So 1t does; but how many
see it? run no risk at all in asserting
that the last portion of the paper to be
read are usually the columns of foreign
news and the letters from foreign cor
respondents.
Why is this? Because people are lazy.
The newspaper has no space for sec
ton of the lexicon, encyclopedia, die
tionary of biography, and gazetteer
every morning, nor can the world part
of the newspaper be read with any
interest and permanent profit without
these aids.
A lazy man read a newspaper He can
read the murders, suicides, fires, scan
dals, embezzlements; but he can't read
the news-the really new and fresh and
important things. The first he knows
he will stumble against such term as
Bundesrath? Is 1t an animal or a town."
Or he will strike Moukden, or the Trans
wal, the Parish Councils, the Centrlsts,
the Sofas, Ellesmereland, the Kara Sea,
Greytown.
- To read the world in that newspaper,
you see, he must do a little work. He
must mark the words and illusions he
does not understand, and the library
must interpret the newspaper.
once knew group of enterprising
young folks who divided up the world
among themselves, and set out to con-
quer the newspaper comparatively.
One looked out for Asia, one for Europe,
one for America. and one for the rest
of the world. Then they kept chang
ing their fields. They met once week
and told each other the news, and soon
they knew more of what was going on
in the world than the Oldest newspaper
reader In town.
There's no royal road to newspaper.
reading.
Don't get the impression, though
that the meagre columns devoted to
foreign news are all that the newspaper
has for your profit. Don't skip the story
of congress and of your state legisla.
ture. Do skip therein, however, the
gossip, the empty political prognostica
tions the reports of parliamentary quar-.
rels and repartee. Notice what bills
are introduced. 1t is at this time that
the newspaper gives an account of their
purpose, henceforth referring to them
merely by title; so that, If you mist
your information from the start, you
are likely to founder in confusion
through the entire discussion of the
bill. Notice what bills are passed
Read with care the speeches that are
aePorted In full, the presidents message
and similar matters.
And then read the comments on all
these that are given in the editorial
pages.
Throughout the whole keep Level
head. Cablegrams from foreign coun,
tries are very costly, and therefore very
curt What you read of foreign news
has been padded" and not always
wisely. Fhe editorials are likely to be
biased by personal or partisan prejudice
Learn to be the judge of what you read
and not its slave.
Some weekly papers give magnificent
reviews of the weeks news, that will
set in their proper relationship all thai
you have been reading and clear up
many doubtful point. An hour with
such weekly paper far more thnn
doubles the value of daily paper.
There are other things of value in
your morning Herald or Tribune or
Gazette. There are the biographical
accounts of the famous men when they
die. There are extracts from the last
magazines, that give us the cream of a
score of valuable articles every day.
There are book reviews, poems, &C.
counts of eminent men, travel articles.
descriptions of great commercial enter
prises, scientific notes. All of these arc
well worth reading "for keeps"
And when will you have time for all
thlss Why, bless you! all this occupies
only small part of your newspaper,
and the larger portion of the mammoth
sheet-the portion over which most men
NULL wouldn't have you read at all.
Never read newspapers unless you
are able to skip the greater part of them
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