Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-11-11

type ASSURANCES mat FORT Arthur mas
Been Taken, and Such Faxed News by the
Daily Press-Such Papers as the "Oreson-
IAN Do Not Prostitute Their Columns by
Such Shystsr Methods.
From the Progressive Printer
"Scare head" newspapers are the
result of "scare head" living. They
will therefore not last long, for the
living which causes them is already
passing away.
By "Scare head" living is meant
living which Graves excitement. For
eigners say it is a PECULIARLY of Ameri.
can cities. We are strenuous and live
at high nervous tension, they tell
us. We are wrought up from morn
ing till night.
The newspapers publishers have OBJ
served the same prevailing condition
and invented "scare head" newspapers
to fill demand. They are exciting,
and that is the sole reason for their
existence. Take the yellow journals
with their staring lines and loud
mouthed newsboys out of a city's life
and note the difference. 1t will make
new city-quieter and mentally and
physically healthier and happier.
The falling off in demand for "scare
head" papers goes hand in hand with
the country movement. The people
are tired out. The papers themselves
have overdone the thing. They have
made a scare of everything until PEG.
pie are scared" to death. Such news
papers might last if they used "scare
heads" only on occurrences that justi-
fled them-assuming that they can be
justifed-such as the assassination of |
a President or the destruction of a
city. But when Il scare is started over
a plain murder, divorce trial or a
horse race the intelligent reader turns
away in disgust.
They never was any demand for
yellow journalism except in the large
cities. The towns and country never
have taken to it and never will. With |
the cities now turning from it its days
may be considered numbered, which |
is very fortunate thing.
There is nothing beautiful, nothing
artistic. in the clumsy scare heads
stretching across whole pages, in the
black type, the choppy paragraphs, the
columns cut into sections of a half |
dozen lengths and the stories scat
tered from column to column until
one is lost in the attempt to follow
their struggling heads. Country read
ers have not been able to accustom
themselves to story which did not
stay in a column until it came to the
end of itself or of the column. They
don't like double column heads or
any other kind except the plain, grace
full, easy.to-read single column. City
readers for awhile liked the freak
heads because they are exciting
almost frightful. They are firing now.
Speaking OF his favorite paper, a
Chicago man said recently: "Why,
it never went beyond a single column
head except once that I remember,
and that was when Mckinley was
killed. Then it had two.column
head. That is the style like. 1t is
plain, simple and easy to read" And
Chicago. it should be remembered, is
the city of excitements.
Every printer will say that anything
beyond the single column head is
hideous. Double heads, triple heads
and larger cannot be made into an
attractive page. They will result in a
freak makeup. That is all. They
will attract attention, but SO will q
bad piece of architecture or anything
else that looks extraordinarily bad.
Simplicity and grace are as much to
be desired in the newspapers as in art
and in writing. They are without
question to be found in the single
column style. A paper that follows
this has we'll balanced pages. It is
never top heavy or one sided in ap.
pearance. 1t is restful to the eye.
1t has the appearance of refinement
and appeals to the intelligent man as
sane and sensible. The scare heads
attract attention but there may be a
good deal in the charge that a paper
which has to scare to attract attention
has very little of worth in it. A really
excellent paper, it is said, does not
depend on such articles.
These are still days of scare heads,
and at first glance there may seem
little likelihood of q return to sanity.
A closer study, however. reveals the
fact that the yellowness is paling and
sanity returning. The end of the de-
mand for such excitement will be met
with q complete return to simple, at.
tractive methods. which will meet
with the appreciation OF all intelligent
people.