The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-05-20
SOME SOUND ADVICE
IS GIVEN
BISHOP ScADDlNG OF OREGON
TELLS HOW NEWSPAPER MEN
SHOULD BE TREATED.

Spokane, May 19.--Newspaper men
should be treated as allies instead
of as spies and impairment meddlers
in things which do not concern them
We can take them into comradeship in
the work we are doing and, by treat
ing them as friends instead of enemies,
secure their confidence, good will and
cooperation"
Rev Charles Scadding, bishop of
Oregon, said. this in the course of an
address on 1.-The Secular Press as (
Missionary Agency at the biennial
sessions of the eighth missionary de-
partment of the Episcopal church in
Spokane, when high churchmen from
Washington, Montana, Oregon, Idaho,
Wyoming, California, Utah, Nevada,
New York, Pennsylvania and several
other states were in attendance.
Bishop seadding intimated that the
average minister does not know news,
when he mentioned that frequently
an item of vital Importance is con-
cealed in mass of matter other.
wise of not the least interest to the
reader On this point he said:
IF you could hear the righteous
Indignation and the unrghteous abuse,
and, 1 fear, profanity. created in
newspaper offices of Friday nights
when all hands are called to fix up
the church notices for publication,
there would be instant reform in this
direction. | am told that week after
week and year after year there are
poured in the newspaper offices these
careessly written notices, often in al
most decipherable chirogra phy
with DO regard for the style of the
paper for which they are written, fire.
quently written on odds and ends OF
paper and often on both sides an6
thrown together in a haphazard sort
of way. r
Clean Copy
1.-THE task of preparing several hum
dren notices has become the most
detested work in the newspaper Off
ces. and every Friday night our
civilizing Influence on the working
staff is in a large measure undone,
1t is only due to the newspapers that
we be courteous, even in this small
matter, and take pains to secure uni
formity and cleanliness and the pres
ent Well-dressed and carefully pro-
pared copy ..@
TN preparing matter for the press
you should observe newspaper rules of
composition: Tell your story in the
first three lines--three words are bet
ter--and elaborate afterWar1 Then
the reader can not ring off before
you have told him the gist Of what
you have to say
Bishop Scadding said the value of
the newspapers as missionary agency
depends upon the Willingness Of the
ministers to go and make some ef-
fort in assisting it; "and,'' he added
sin considering the subject 1t is ncces-
sary for us at the outset to appre-
ciate not the theoretical function Of
the secular press, but what it actual
ly is, and what it actually does for
the people. 1t is not the 'molder of
public opinion often it is not even
the leader: but it does supply the
facts, the fancies, the fallacies, if you
please, on which public opinion is
based. g. 7.e
None to Waste.
at must be borne in mind that the
newspaper, even though it has "a
pages, has not a single line to waste.
1t pays thousands of dollars for mat
ter it does not print, and it lis safe
to say that no newspaper uses half
the matter poured in upon it by the
press associations. it's special CORE
spondents and the public generally.
The great bulk of this news matter is
bought and paid for, though never
destined to sec daylight, not because
it is not news, but because matters
which the trained senses of the editor
pronounce more important news
crowd it out.
''Those same trained editorial SEN.
tes are constantly on the alert for the
important item Just mention in the
midst of three columns of really inn
porant church reports the mere in
cidental fact that the Rev John Doe