The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-01-27

tlon of the printing press has reached it's lowest point, and that public sur feited with wulgarity would turn gladly to a Leech or Du Maurier.
 It is to be hoped that MT. Swift will carry out his suggestion of a discus- sion of typographical defects and mer- its in the newspaper press. Regard for the printing art ought not to be confined to the handsome books that are made handsomer every day, but reach no large public. The finer beau- ties can be achieved only in more de- liberate work, in sumptuouS special editions, but there can be no reason ex- cept indifference why a daily or an hourly journal should not be an exam matter of cost, and no one has yet suggested that the public demands and must have an ugly and badly printed page. In other kinds of mechanical work there has been a marked i'm provement The schools are teaching as they never before taught, the prin- | ciples of taste. Pupils are taught to like harmonious colors and simple, we'll constructed designs. Pictures are shown in the class rooms, and stress is laid upon taste in the makeup of the text books put before the classes Lessons are given in lettering, in the right placing of a note on a page. The fundamental idea is that art is not something prevailing lie, governing the choice of a necktie, a book or a piece of furniture. A generation SO trained will not be apt to resent a little regard for appearance, even in a news paper. It will do no harm for the printing experts to take this subject into their field, as we'll as the making of handsome books. A frank criticism and a discussion of ideals would be helpful
 In other fields of printing there is a laudable pride in the quality of the work done and a keen rivalry in keep ing up with every Improvement Tx perts are paid large salaries to design beautiful type and improved processes, A firm that sends out a handsome cal
 endar or a well printed catalogue knows that it is a good advertisement. Good printing commands respect, and bad taste makes a bad impression. But no calendar or catalogue or souve- mir has the opportunity for making an impression which a newspaper enjoys, 4 and it is strange that the opportunity is so often wasted. The public tole- l.at nc hiJ6Onu tfu i11f etain i,y,,a i screaming headlines, and scrambled makeup because it has come to accept deformity as the normal condition of American Journalism, but if we could see a wholesome rivalry in appearance it would be quickly seen that the gen eral preference is for "the good job" in printing a newspaper as in everything else The great army of amateur pho- tographers-hundreds of thousands oi them, turning out neat and tasteful work, is one sign that the public takes an interest in the looks of things Those who have occasion to look ovei old files know that the printing oi newspapers has degenerated that il has not kept pace with other branches of topography, and the rich and pow erful New York press. which ought tc be an example is with few excetions quite the contrary. It would be a good thing to have the subject stirred up By all means, let some master printer tell us, from his point of view what g 1 newspaper ought to be. The newspa. i per press freely passes judgment upor the makers of fine books -let us hear what the most skillful printers have tc say of newspaper typography actua and ideal.-Springfleld Republican.