University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-10-21
HEADLINES POWER
FOR GOOD OR EVIL
This is Belief of Smaller Ma
thews, Editor of The
World Today.
VALUE OF TYPE DISPLAY
The Surest Way to Destroy a
Paper is to Take Away
Advertising.

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 21.-Dr Smaller
Mathews, of Chicago, editor of "The
World Today" preacher, teacher and
student of sociology, told the St. Louis |
Congregation club at the Southern
hotel that if he were seeking power
in city or community he would
rather write the headlines of a news
paper than it's editorials.
Il consider the editorial page of a |
daily newspaper practically worth
less" said DR.. Mathews, who is dean
of the Divinity School of the Chicago
University. How many of you read
the editorials of your newspapers, and
how much attention do you pay to
them? The editorial page simply
takes its place in the newspaper and
contains comment How much infu-
ence do you think the editor who
writes this comment has on public
opinion?
1T is different with the news page.
If | had my choice, so far as power is
concerned, | would rather write the
headlines than the editorials. The
people are coming to realize more and
more the significance of the news
gatherer and the headline writer in
the moulding of public opinion.
Gives Instances.
Il have observed instances in Chi
cago where candidates for office were
attacked bitterly in the editorial de-
partments of newspapers but were
given space in the news columns and
were elected.
statement increase with the size of
the headline?
"A statement printed in large type
will certainly make a greater impress
sion on the reader than one printed in
smaller type. 1t does not make SO
/ much difference what is under the
headline
There is another phase of the
newspaper that | desire to discuss, and
| that is the business office, or advertis-
ing department. A newspaper is
commercial enterprise. | know from
| experience you cannot start maya
zine for less than S250.000, and it re-
| quires a much larger sum to start
daily newspaper. An investment of
a million dollars drops out OF sight,
and the newspaper must earn divi-
Gends on that money What would
paper, with such a large amount of
money to protect?
The surest way to destroy news
paper is to take away its advertising.
From an ethical point of view does
the man who advertises in a news
paper have !: right to say what shall
or shall not be printed in its news
columns? | think not, but we know
that when the interests of the big
advertisers and the public service cor
porations are identical, we find the
hardest shedding for the editor
Church Must Act.
DR.. Mathews also discussed the in
fiuence of the church, the schools and
the theaters in the solution of the
great sociological problems that con-
front the country. He said the church
cannot stand still and refuse to take
, part in the sociological work that is
y going on.
He said the labor unions of Chicago
, have appealed to the churches to give
their support to the enforcement of a
law prohibiting married women from
1 working more than eight hours a day
DR.. Mathews said he was watching
| very closely the outcome of this de
mand of the unions on the churches
If the preachers fail to comply with
the request, he said, it will be proof
they are afraid to do what he con
siders their duty.
The speaker said the stage has beer
commercialized, and that, while it is
not hopeless, it is pretty nearly so
He said the public must learn to sup
port what is clean and instructive or
the stage, and to refuse to support
the vicious.