The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-10-08
ing as they think, and speaking as
they write,

o"H, not only on the great poll
ucaI questions of the day. bit on other
questions hat are stirring the world
lhey take this papct and adopt all
that II says. They take that paper
ana are Wiling to swear that black
Is white, and has ALWAYS been white
because that paper says SO, Yes.
and they not only adopt the views
and believe all the news. uut they
catch the style, the slang, too often.
and adopt that, too.
low many young writer's are there
VINO, after careful study Of what
Hamilton Mabie calls the Books Of
LIE, are ambitious 10 form their
style from them? How many. CON
sclouSly or uncOnSciOusIy. are in
by sensational newspaper re
ports and stories and prefer to follow
them?
Al the time newspapers began their
existence, the widest fight Of fancy
or the greatest dreamer would scarce
~ nave pictured the newspaper as it
IS To-Day. Not only the daily issue
with the "a pidity of the spread of
news, thanks to Morse, Edison. and
Maroon, out the multiplied de
partments. 50 that one can find
something about almost everything in
creation, AT a great many that never
were nor will be, save in the pages of
the paper-but. what concerns us
most, just now-the literary depart.
mentS, which have become such i'm
portant features Of the SUNDAY edi-
tons Of the big dailies.
In many wayS the illustrative work
CT America is more interesting than
that OF any other ountry and since
the days Of the late Thomas Mast.
the cartoon has been an Indispensable
feature OF American Journalism. The
illustrated newspaper has econ an
enormous factor in u lives.
Who could have foreseen thai the
New York World would force the
daily press to adopt this feature
Yet. in a short time nearly every daily
IN New York and other large cities
was illustrated and even country
by various syndicates until our news
papers began to maintain their own
engraving plants, when the success
Of the cartoon WAS assured.
But what of the effect Of his on
the literary tone of a paperc Can
a student Of literature. knowing all
that literature means as to purity Of
style and artistic construction-can
such d student hope to compete with
the cartOOniSt and the reporter in
holding the interest of the newspaper
reader, whether he be writing in the
capacity of editor or contributor
This is a question that must neces-
sarily arise in the mine Of the journal
list who earnestly desires to retair
his literary standard, while he earns
popularity and his living.
1t would seem more possible fol
the editor and the contributor O.
graVer articles than for the reporter
or the stOry-Writer. The reporters
concern some one has said, lis with
facts and with details, the more The
better. These he must present il
effective form. suppressing his oUr
personality" He writes always with
a view to headlines" and to pande1
to a taste which he has probably
helped to create, and he gets his big
pay for presenting his news in Ian
guase which may be vigorous ant
picturesque, but which the masters o
literature rarely ever employ.
And what Of the newspaper story
We are not unmindful of the fac
hat many Of our most famous writer
have written from time to time 70
the papers, that many began to b
famous. in this way, but do the vas
majority of newspaper stories-Wha
are known as "~syndicate stories
long to literature? Are they anything
more than trash? DO they accom-
plish any more for the reader thai
excite and amuse him for q fey
moments?
True, they pay him sometimes well
sometimes as in Mr.. Doolev's'' case
ID Jul - liz Ill
aging for the trouble Of writing, eve
t When you lOok at the money value
$ but since little of such writing ca
possibly be classed as true 1iteratuie
, being neither eleVating, vigorous
t broadminded. nor pure and SracefU
, in construction. the man who, year II
2 year out, makes this his work. mus
If | may be allowed to parodize tW
lines from LOckSley Hall:
Lower to its level day by day
= What is fine within him GROWN
coarse to S~ympathize with clay.
y Literature is one Of Sod gifts t
the human race. In the hands OF Ii
servants it must uplift as we'll a
cheer. it must inspire. and 1t mus
g amuse, too. Goo forbid that the happ
G laugh should not ring out from IN
G newspaper reader as it has ten thoU
s sand times from the readers c
Dickens. Tharker"y. Mark Twain, an
100 Ii. fttl =