Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1910-06-22
PASSING EDITORIALS.


We have been struck recently,
In reading our county exchanges,
to see how many of them are now
printing no editorial articles. Old
and well-establi>h,d newspapers,
with honorable histories dating
back TO the brave days of Virginia's
part, arc now being sent to their
subscribers without the slightest
editorial comment: and some of
them which used to he the leaders
of their people now make no
attempt to- mould public opinion
or TO guide their readers in their
judgment of public questions.
Patent insides appear where edi-
torial articles once had space, and
stories of crimes in New York or
of speculations in Chicago usurp
the place once reserved for the
editors.
The use of these patent insides"
is, in fact, largely responsible for
the passing of the editorial article.
These "insides," as some of our
readers may know, have nothing
to do with the EDITORS anatomy.
but arc merely intended TO reduce
his printing bill and to give his
readers more news for the same
money. Enterprising printing
offices in the cities furnish TO the
county papers form, containing
two, four. or six pages of printed
matter as the case may be. and
leave the county office from two to
four pages TO fill with local matter.
This arrangement may be a good
one, IN some respects, for it gives
the subscribers of the weeklies
much more news than they could
get under the old system of print
ing the entire paper in the local
Office; but it has had a very DIS
astrouseffectupon editorial writing.
The editor who has had a fair line"
of advertisements and who wants
to give his readers the local news,
generally finds every inch of his
available space preempted before
his editorial copy can go to the
printers.
The passing of the editorial
article from the county papers is
sincerely to be regretted. When
newspaper ceases to print editorial
articles, it loses its personality and
becomes merely a collection of
news matter, through which the
reader must wade without a
word of explanation or note of
comment. This may not, of course,
be the case with paper which has
a personality from the very asso-
Citations of its name, but it is GER
tainly the case with the smaller
county papers, whose editors
literally made them.
Then, again, the passing Of edi-
torial articles from many of the
weekly papers has put a new
burden on the other editors who
wish to get correct a idea of
public opinion of the State. A
metropolitan newspaper has
large force and generally its editors
study conditions as closely as
possible, but inthe mature of things
they cannot be expected to know |
what the people in the Southwest
think of prohibition or what the |
people of the Northern Neck think
oftheever-pressing oysterquestion.
The editors in other days we're the
unfailings pokesmen of their people.
and from their articles an editor
in Richmond could always Judge of
public opinion in every part of the |
State.
The county editor must pass. |
il bis editorials are to pass, and i'll
he is no longer TO play a part i'm
the intellectual life Of the State. we
have lost on" of our mostinterestinpl
characters Times have changed. !
10 be sure, since the dlNs when 1,
the editor kept jl@ under his I
desk and derringer Ia hi~ drawer. !
but the editorial writer's for the I
county papers have remained an
interesting, an able AID ulique
company. Centrally uuderpa.d
and Often Ia debt thanks 10 tic
short memory 90 delinquent SUI
scribers--tlIey are men at rea'
mental force, NH, give To ID j.