The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-07-24
THE EDITORIAL PAGE.

IL 10 WHdO lne Iuuuel IL W tuc podt'
1t is what the bit is in the horses mouth
1t is what the soul is to the body 1t is
the breath of life-the living. vital part.
Latterly there has been deal of dis
cussion in the press as to the value Of
the editorial page in a modern daily news
paper. Some papers, edited from the
business office, have subordlnated the edi
torial page until they have concluded that
it might be we'll to omit it altogether
They find that paid editorials have no
weight, and therefore they argue that the
editorial page is of little or no utility
and it would be well to save the salary of
the writers II the editorial page is inspired
by some sordid or selfish motive, they
are right.
The question of the worth of the edito-
rial page, having been raised by an Iowa
paper, the Melvin Argus thus answers:
There is class of people that turn
to the editorial page OF a paper first, and,
after peruslng its columns thoroughly
find much interest III the general news,
but without the editorial page their inter-
est in the paper would not be sufficient
to buy the paper or subscribe for it. The
editorial page is necessary, and it should
be made the main feature OF paper
The class of people that subscribe for
daily by the year are people who would
miss it."
Commenting upon the view expressed by
the Argus, the Burlington Hawkeye says:
There is no question that The Argus
Is correct In its opinion. A newspaper
without an editorial page is like a man
without a mind. There are some newspa-
per readers who care only for the infor-
nation which they can CLEAN from the
telegraph and local columns But as q
rule the man who carefully reads the news
departments turns to the editorial page
for review of what he has been reading.
He may not always find his own ideas
among those in the editorial columns, but
he Is given interest by cleaning other
peoples ideas, and if they are not in ac-
cordance with his own he has the salts
faction of combating them in his mind.
1t is usually the case, however, that the
editorial page is a source of suggestion
and information to the student of politics
and world affairs, and those who read it
regularly are among the best posted per-
sons
The Nashville American publishes both
the above opinions and adds its own as
follows:
in the old days when news was regard
ed as of secondary Importance in a news
paper, the editorial page probably exer-
clsed a greater influence than it does to-
day. 1t made few converts, however, and
its Influence was chiefly exerted in keep
ing party followers in line and melting
them to more intense partisanship and
greater political effort The influence of
the modern newspaper is to cause more
people to think and TO think without
clamps or letters. The editorial page is
the balance wheel of the newspaper, and
those who read 1T have far more to do
with shaping public thought than those
who don't. The editorial page that is
most apt to have the greatest real infu-
ence Is that which is usually somewhat in
advance of popular thought"
Mr.. John Temple Graves, the eloquent
and learned editor of the Atlanta News,
contributes the following to this interest
ing symposium:
THE simple truth is the possibilities of
the editorial page of a paper are no less
and no more than they always We're. In
the old days, before the science of gather
ing news had grown to its present Won
derful proportions and character, the
news end of a paper was necessarily a
limited sphere, and the brains of the
business, therefore, turned to the editorial
page.
when, however, the gathering and dis
semination of news began to come to be
what it is. the youth and vigor and dar-
ing of the profession turned to it and
developed it to an Importance impossible
in the days of s'the great editors" So,
by comparison, the editorials shrunk.
so long, however, as reason and SEN
timent and humor are enjoyed by men so
long will the deserving editorial page
flourish. 1t is beside the question to say
people have come to think for themselves.
That is true. and because it is true
logical presentation of any question ap-
peals to the people OF this broadened and
thinking age as it never appealed before"
Much depends, in estimating the value
paper. If it is printed merely as finan-
cial venture, its editorial page will need
to be bright, piquant, fresh-calculated
to divert the reader from any complaint
that the paper is lacking in principles and
policy 1t will hammer vigorously upon
unimportant topics and observe discreet
silence or mutually upon vital ques-
tons. For a time such page will de-
ceive; it viii always attract: but an edi
torial page that does not breathe convic-
tions and teach high ideals will not In.
fiuence those who read it. The old Ma.
tional Intelligencer would sometimes have
one editorial to cover a whole page. But
it would have no other editorial and it was
printed only once week. Today the edi-
tor of a daily paper, in shorter editorials,
will discuss different phases of a subject
from day to day, and will really write
much more about the subject, together