The Cairo bulletin., 1909-10-01
THE TALE OF A SKIRT.

Miss Agnes MacDouogh is wearing
a pretty dance frocK of pale blue chif-
fon made slightly empire. - (From a
Philadelphia newspaper
No one is more regularly the butt
Of ridicule among the sophisticated
and smart dwellers in large cities
Ran the country editor whose news
columns are eustomarily filed with
reports OF the small events of small
community.
In conversation. in comic weeklies.
in comedies presented to amuse met
ropolitan audiences. the country editor
of the country edito.. 1t may be said
s derided for regarding as news the
TACT that Mr. Smith or Mr.. Brown has
3ainted his harm. sold his riding
horse, killed his hogs or sold his crop
If corn or tobacc<. But in defense
hat the scope of his operations is not
wide, The financial support he re-
ceives does not warrant him in filing
his journal with expensive articles.
and. finally. the community is inter
asted in knowing whose barn has
been painted. whose horses have
changed hands whose crops have been
sent to market The city newspaper
mas its reportorial staff. its special
correspondents, its teIegraphic news
service. wherewith to ill its space. 1t
is a trite saving that in making the
modern city daily the problem is not
that Of filling the columns, but of
eliminating the least interesting of
he valuable items.
1t is impossible to eliminate all
minor items to give space to lengthjer
reports Of events Of worldwide, state
wide or citywide interest. The rule
under which the country newspaper
reports the painting or barn holds
good in the local room Of the largest
metropolitan iournw The fact that
Mrs Jones, or Brown, is in, or out,
Of town. is news" The personal
column serves its purpose as a more
n less complete record of the goingS
and comings of persons whose goines
and comings interest their acquaint-
lnces ana, to an extent, a wider circle
IF newspaper readers. But it is pos
sible that the reading public in
arge American city is interested to
'snow that Miss Agnes MacDonogh is
wearing a dance frock of pale blue
chiffon made slightly empire.
Descriptions of gowns worn at
Official balls, or social events of i'm
1ortance are descriptive of the
brilliancy" OF the function to use
he parIance Of the personal column
sonceivably they might interest a
treat many persons. AS a matter Of
fact the experience of publishers
,roves that they do But is there
could there be-a half dozen readers
If the press who feel an interest in
he cut and material of a dance frock
added TO the wardrobe of Miss Agnes
MacDouogb?
Every reader is consistent and
confident, though not always com
petent critic OF the press, There is
no one who has a casual acquaint-
ancoship with the headlines who
hasn't an opinion as TO how the news.
paper of his time. and country, could
be improved The press. arrogatng
to itself the privilege Of general criti-
cism, cannot consistently complain
when it is the object Of criticism.
And. considering the faults and fail
ings that are insepdrable from jour
nalism, the blast blown by one journal
in the direction of another might well
be tempered by a sense Of modesty. II
not of humor Before the seIl-con.
ident city daily pokes fun at the
rural ROSTERS .s=nse of news val.
ues it might we'll mediate upon its
sims and self -CourierJournal.