The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-04-29

cuss American newspapers, | can
proceed with safety because If say
anything uncomplimentarS | have a
scrap book to prove that they began
ii
Helping the Editor,
Everybody wants to help the cd
ito Not us regards cheaper wood.
pulp or keeping down the nay roll,
out with suggestions for filing up the
paper Most people still believe that
every newspaper must hustle every
night to get enough copy to separate
the advertisements. Being a past
graduate know that you are com
peeled to throw columns and columns
OF stuff on the floor. Very often, IN
glanclng over long tariff odito al
wonder what was thrown Ch the
foor, however, am not here to up.
set any traditions, merely TO offer a
few helpful hints.
in the first place the city news
paper of today as compared with the
hdiana newspaper OF the seventies is
tame, inyertebrate, colosless and
apolcgetic. The first newspaper with
which | was associated came out ev-
cry Thursday from a room over The
hardy ware store. The fires of Civil
war were still smoldering, lndianas
chief occupation was politics. Nea,-
ly every man was voting as he shot
and some OF them a good deal oftener.
Our office equipment consisted OF a
Washington hand press, foot power
job press, perennial towel and q
few fonts of type-mostly Italics. All,
but we had an editor Those were
the palmy days of Journalism OF
which we hear 50 must at present
No taint OF commercialism, no sub
servience TO the counting room (be-
cause there wasn't any counting
ooml, no cog-wheels or cara indexes
simply majestic ligurehead of an
editor who was animated by high
and patriotic resolve to promote
manslaughter as often as possible
When he opened up on man, the
mans only escape was to walk out
side of our circulation. which he
could do in about ten minutes.
"lf you hear man raving about
the golden age of American journal
ism when each editor exercised an
individual influence aud lea the way
through the darkness with flaming
TO- CHI above his head--let it go at
that. Don't take The trouble to ex-
anime the files of that wonderful pc.
riod or you may be discouraged 7o%er
your present efforts. | plead for q
return of those heroic days when ev-
cry editorial was trumpet blast and
evc.y paragraph was firecrackcr.
We used to go to press at O'Clock
and by 4 O'Clock the whole population
would be on the streets waiting for
the sounds Of assault and battery. The
old time editor the one we all read
about, who stamped his individuality
on every issue Of his paper and didn't
bother about the press work, do you
remember what he called man II he
didn't care much for him? He didn't
call him mollycoddle or an insu
gent, or q maleEactor OF an undesr.
able. He said that the man was a
poltroon, bellhound, a pusilanimous
liar. an unmitigatcd horse thief, a
iackal, a marplot, a caitlff a reptile,
a viper, a cur and a whelp. Here are
lot OF valuable and expressive
words that ae gradually being elm
mated from our vocabulary because
the editors of today, stepped in com.
mercialism. have abandoned the meth
0ds OF Wilbur r. Storey and accepted
the leadership of Edward w. Box
Seeks a Third Term.
Also. the newspapers OF today are
criticised because they are kind to
the big adve tiser | think newspa.
pers are somewhat under the DONNA
tion OF the big advertiser. In fact the
big advertiser has got them so work
ed up that many OF them want to run
him for a third term.
Il read not long ago that down in
Brown county, Indiana. the from
room Of the county poor house--a
large, cheerful apartment with south
ern exposure and plants In the win
dows-is occupied by a man who fol
many years conducted newspaper
that pleased everybody. On the othel
hand it's hard to be successful with
not disappointing some OF your besl
friends. So II YOU can't please al
your critics, do the next best thinl