Waterbury Democrat., 1901-03-15
, ]. LIllG \ IT VI , ].

.-- ,.s | s'is '.s !sY s; ant talked Interestingly 1d ahs Church Of the EAdeemer, Tuesday evening, on .'The Making of a Newspaper, giving the fourth and final lecture in a series under tine auspices of the Young Peo- ple's guild of the church. Herbert ID. Belden introduced MT Clark, exhibit- ing a copy of the Connecticut Coufant of October %, 1764.s The lecturer started with the. statement that this is a newspaper reading public. All with any kind of eyesight read newspapers, most citizens paying, but not few. borrowing or approprlat ting their newspaper making is a wide one, and the lecturer deplored the fact that he had not prepared a more systematic paper, and said that he took refuge in the church, as people don't expect their moneys worth at a church entertain ment. He said that MT Perkins, who invited him to give the lecture, had taken occasion to flee the city. In sub- stance MT Clark said:
 The material used in printing has shifted from rags to wood pulp. In the woods are growing trees that will turn into paper rolls three miles long. ] mill was established in what has be- . come East Hartford, and converted rags into food for the press. The Con- necticut Courant printed fervid ap
 peals to the thrifty colonial house wives to save their rags for the mill. The presses of that early time were worked by hand and the impression 1 were first on one side and then on the i other, the sheets being turned like l Nhr cH.N 1 of to-day mark q wonderful evolution, similar to the progress from stage coach to locomotive. In the up-todate newspaper work the locomotive is back number, useful only in distribur- l ing. It begins to figure as the time l for going to press approaches; there are then two things which must not be 1 lost-the latest news and the earliest trains. The mission of the editorial department is to print the latest hap penings here and elsewhere: the press men and public yearn for the coming of the news on time. How is it with the craft? Here is business that de- mands long hours, exacting duties, ir l regular habits. tension upon the nerves, and. withal, is i'll paid. is over 1 crowded. Yet, despite of all these facts, few days, and scarcely ever a week, passes but there is an applican, for situation in the office of an es- tablished newspaper. Perhaps the fascination lies in large part in the range of the call upon the reporters s mind. Sooner or later the young man must venture into nearly every path way of knowledge. Here the lecturer took occasion to say that he believed that there is no man with a genuine hobby. however cratic or comical, but that he becomes some fine day just the authority to be consulted.
 Headlines, he said, are working their wicked or benefcent will. In the pressure of modern life the demand IS for anything that will eeonomiZe time and eyesight. and so the headlines are printed philanthropists. But they of
 tentimes run riot. according to the style of the paper andsth temper and
 temperament of the headline carpe1,- ter. Just here MT Clark fired broad side into the yellow journals. In the early days of the Spanish war an evening paper printed in New York at 12 noon, came into the city at 4 or p. m. It blazed in big circus poster, scarlet type, the headline, '"The First Battle." reaching from margin to mar gin. Underneath. in microscopic type,
 was the line twill probably be fought next week." The use of headlines,
 wicked or wise, or otherwise, has led
 to a new verb ito feature" Important
 news is "featured'' in striking or 1n-
 genious headlines in offices that have
 the ability and are up to date. The
 liveliest and largest interest of paper
 is in its home news.-. What is next
 nearest and, paradoxical as it may ap-
 pear, the public are most interested
 in what they know already. Burn the
 Center church tonight and half ot
 Hartford will be at the fire or know
 about it. but the first thing turned to
 the next day will be the account of the
 fire. The late A. s. Hotchkiss used
 to say that he started local reporting
 here The Hartford papers of forty years ago printed little local news.
 Bulletins next occupied MT Clark
 attention. Stick up bulletin and the
 sale of the paper increases. Give away , up there in the front window what you have to sell and you'll sell more copies. Give away the dinner yor have to sell and the diners will buy ] the bill of fare. The ''city'' articles . are read more than the editorials They are next to the hearts of tht readers and their lives. The city edi ! tor has his finger upon, the city pulse. Into the office of every active
 paper come letters and communica ] tions on matters and persons in th' city. and it is no small part of the duty of the city department to verify these , "stories." Many communication ex plain that the paper really musn' ; print the names of the writers wht wish their views or news to appear but who wish the paper and not them selves to be responsible for the publ1 I cation. The fact that the news ma, , slash or iniure some citizen matter z naught to the writer, although it would i. be perfectly evident to the citizel Q when he saw the printed lines.
 7 The ideal editor is n man withou ? friends-that is, hampering or az I grieved friends. He studies matter 9 upon their merits. If he has unrea s soning friends he finds them urg1n: - personal interests. The difficulties O r. the domain of abstract logic are in s creased by the pulls" pulled upol l him. It is better for him to sift issue