The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-18

tave and half-twelve keys-on the plan
oforte. We simply had TO find somebody
who could strike thirteen. We made boy
wonder do Tin the story-and as for the
picture, the artist drew his own hand
large enough to stretch to the necessary
extra key. So one more enterprise won the
day!
Il want page OF pictures about this
bull-fight." said the Sunday editor to an
artist one day: "a big picture of a thrilling
scene in the ring, border of little sketch
es running ali around the page. down here
in the corner a portrait of Mazarini. which
you viii have to fake, and here'-drawing
his pencil around a spot in the page
leave a blank space"
Whats to go there's" asked the artist.
Oh he said, I've got a retter that's
going there"
When the drawing was almost done, the
editor again went to the artist this time
with two pieces Of paper. One of them was
genuine letter from a prominent South-
ern woman, the wife of a high state Of
fetal, whose visit to Mexican bull-ring
was TO be illustrated by the artists pic
ture. This letter was written on official
paper-not, however, to the editor-and did
not refer in any way to the buR-fight The
other was an ordinary sheet of copy"
paper, such as the reporters use, and writ
ten upon IL in the EDITORS own handwrit-
ing was a letter addressed to the editor
and signed with the lady's name. In it she
was made to declare the pleasure she took
in complying with his request to write her
Impressions of the bull-fght for publica-
ton in the columns of the Sunday --,
and the letter closed with a complimentary
remark about the paper
You can use this little note of hers for
guide" said the editor to the artist, land
just fake this other note into her hand
writing to fill that space"
The artist looked at him, and the editor
saw signs of New England" conscience,
for he added:
What's the difference? You have to
make lines with your pen to fake that por-
trait Why shouldn't you make those lines
into letters%'
The artist thought that perhaps the edi-
tor really did not know, and so told him
that it was proceeding known outside of
some newspaper offices as forgery.
''Wel," the editor said, after a moments
reflection, 'I'H get old Smith to do it, He
won't mind
1t will be recalled that a wealthy Ameri-
can last winter bought the latest work of
a famous French painter The picture had
never been photographed, and its own
qualities and the prominence of its Amer
lean purchaser made it of interest So our
London correspondent sent what he de-
clared was a pencil sketch of the painting,
made by the artist himself. Perhaps it
was. At any rate, slight, to the verge of
crudeness as was the SKETCH 1t was if gen.
uine, well worth publishing in fac-simile,
as being the only copy of any kind in ex-
istence. But great Sunday newspaper
could afford to pay the artist for better
sketch than that pencil serawl So the
following Sunday ID had a detailed half
tone reproduction in color of this painting
from a careful study made especially for
the Sunday -- by the great artist him
self. 1t was in color, and yet not one of
the papers artists knows now the color
scheme of that painting nor a single detail
of the costumes. The picture was painted
over again for the paper, by men who had
never seen it.
You see, pictures play a large part be-
cause the yellow papers never publish
Sunday story unless it yields a good Illus
tration. They know what a child their
public is. And they profit well by its child
ish tendency to strong parusanship, and
strive to accenutate their mutual rival
~.
The task of obtaining the ideas for Sun
day stories of the yellow variety is not at
all a complicated or a trying one. There
are twelve subjects which always pan
OUT well They are: Prehistoric man, So
cal scandal fads, freaks, hideous ami
maTs, criminofogy, love, violence, disease,
inventions, stage people, and 1.-THE 400. F."
Each of these subjects is covered by num-
bers of people who make their liVings by
suggesting stories to Sunday editors The
detail of truth, while it has a value, is sell
dom inquired into if the proposed story is
a good one. Indeed many of these persons
Systematically manufacture stories about
prominent people out of whole cloth, or
with next to nothing as basis. All that
is necessary is TO keep a straight face
when telling it to the editor, so he won't
know that you know he knows you're ly
ing And you must bring a photograph of
some one connected with the story-any
photograph will do, no matter whcse, so
Tong as you cut off the edges to make it
look as if you had distracted ID from
family album.
It is a nice business, take it altogether!
F. c. d.