The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-20
Local News @ s...%. r .: s:sss:

to the Cross Roads the first of the week.
and I haven't seen her since. I guess I
will run over and see if she is sick and if
it is anything catching. I'll bet they have
that old DR.. PillboX again, and he don't
know putty"
These are fair samples of the unsatis-
factory, curiosity creating way of writing
locals. In the case of the last local it
would have been far better to say:
Mrs Il. Il. Jones, the wife of the book
keeper for the mill company who lives at
No. PIT Hickory street, has been quite Ill the
past week, but is better at this writing. Mr.
and Mrs. Jones attended the wedding ami
versary Of Mr. and Mrs. S. r. Dickey at
the Cross Roads the first of the week, and
as the drive was a long one and the day
stormy, Mrs Jones took severe cold, and
DR.. Pillbox, her physician says she came
near having pneumonia. BY prompt action
and good care, however the cold was broken
. up aud the danger from pneumonia averted.
= But the other extreme should always be
avoided, While a news item should in
every case be coEL]ete, it should be al
the same time terse and clear, avoiding
verbosity, Or the use OF language not
readily understood b. your readers.
Again. the selection of Jews is q very I'M
pOrtant thing. Some newspaper men do
not seem to be able to distinguish be-
tween the items which will be Of interest
to their readers and those which will not.
These men are always short Of copy, and
in their anxiety to find some tbdng to
write about when the devil begins to call
for copy they are apt to sit down and
write: T..-.-..
Sam Wilson's stovepipe blew down
Wednesday night"
But for frst-class space filler we will
quote from The Gentleman from Indi-
ana When the editor was white capped
the boys In the Office tried to get out the
paper and the following is a sample from
their local page:
1.-The large and handsome fawn- colored,
two wears and onehalf year old Jersey
Of Frederick RibsEaw Jones, Esquire our
popular and Well-dressed fellow citizen,
can be seen daily wandering from the far
end Of his pasture to the other far end
of it." -
Some may say these eanlples are over
drawn, but who that has been reader Of
country exchanges has not seen their
equals? Minnesota has a high class OF
country papers, and there are fewer OF
this class in the state than will be found
in some other states but even in Mime
sofa the local writer's do not all come W
to a high standard. There are cases
however, where the local man should not
be too severely blamed. For instance il
Mr.. Johnson,s over: grown 16-year- old girl
the paper and relates the startling fact
that Charlie Morgan is cut at our house
painting on the inside" he is compelled
to take the handful OF sawdust and serve
a nice appetizing pudding in the way Of a
local. setting forth that Mr.. Morgan, tic
painter, is doing some interior decorating
ETC., etc. If this is not done, the paper
going every week to Johnson's house is
discontinued and they tell their neighboI
that that paper never was any good any
way "don't orinte half the news The
close competition caused by daily free de-
livery Of mails in the country and g
keener and more discriminating appetite
for the right kind of local news, equires
higher class of work OH the local pap 81
than formerly. The cheap daily fur
nishes the news Of the world and the local
paper must give the home news, fully
and in a satisfying manner or give place
to some sheet that Will.