Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-06-05
oldf;.h on .Neyvspapers,


Oidfish on Newspapers.
"The daily newspaper issthe only insti'
tuition on earth in which a 2-cent invest
ment Is held by the investor as sumcient
TO make him at the same time member
of the board OF directors and full
fiedged censor.
This mature observation advanced by
DIR. Oldfish met with no opposing voice
and the doctor continued: Every sucn
investor is firmly of the opinion that his
view of the matter, whatever may De
under consideration. IS infaIlibe, and that
for his snewspaper-tlie paper in which
he has Invested his money-to hold any
other view Than his view should be SUI
iicient to bring upon IT. upon its editors.
upon each and every reporter the con-
demnatipn of all right thinking peoples-l
the right thinkers being those who think
as he does aud no nthers,
.The sublime egotisrn OF personal opin-
ion is nowhere else so marked as In the
Old. subscriber who permits himself 10
become peeved two or three times. d week
or more ut pieces he sees in his news
paper He remembers the oideTa days
when one could swear by anything he
saw in his paper. Today il is altogether
different, but he has. ipstead of TINS
magnificent cnniidefee. the inalienable
right of swearing at anything he sees IN
the paper-in his paper.
''But this sad aspect of outraged ego
tism does moi disturb the circulation oil
the offender. as II was wont to do in the
olden time when the old subscriber could
call on fhat trembling caitiff, the editor
with the demand to stop the paper.
That day, fortunately, has gone by. As
time has gone on the circulation has out
grown the editor and the irate subscriber
and the paper can not be stopped.
ssThen there is the old subscriber VINO
comes to the Office and demands thai
something that may be of more or less
consequence as matter of news be LET
out OF the paper. He AYERS that the
publication OF this item would seriously
scarify his sensibilities. and besides, il
could be or no Importance whatever te
that rnany-headed monster. the general
public AT this point it would be wei
for the newspaper man to tell the short
but simple story of the man who called
OF, Major McClosky, a st. Louis editor
The old subscriber had come to protes
against the insertion of a certain piee
df news. Wheeling his. chair about am
facing the visitor the editor asked thi
question: Mr.. Jones, why do you bu
the paper? For what is In 1t or for VIVA
en't in it?'. And Mr.. Jones could max
10 reply.
1 est may be matter Of regret-not t
me editor-that those fine old days VINE
the man with grievance and horse
Whip would cali upon the top molder o
public opinion and. failing to obtain a re
traction, would lay on Macdun or o
aid upon, are no more.
Zone OF the things that is done bette
n France than here is that no man wn
goes to newspaper Office with grfes
snce is ever suffered to go away DIS
satisfied. The visitor who demands tn
satisfaction Of the duel is cared for. N
Newspaper is properly equipped unless
Mas fighting editor. The lighting ed
COR does not write line for the pape
but is on the pay roll to meet all blood
thirsty Corners. He is a master of fenc
and can ring the bell every time with
revolver. He spits the challenger on HI
rapier or draws a drop or two Of bloc
from his arm or shoulder and everybod
goes away satisfied.
1--WE Americans may think differentl,
but that seems an admirable method G
fixing up things with the old subscriber
But what fiat, stale and unproiitabi
venture would newspaper be toda
conducted on the principle of pleasin
10 c,ta1
paper could survive half year. News
paper are not made in heaven. Ii the
were they would have no subscription lis
on earth. There are persons who CON
plain that the newspaper does not CIV
enough religious news-their particula
brand of doctrine-and others that tn
horse racing interests do. not have sun
Gent space.
s..Now newspaper is much like a de
partsnant store. all kinds of goods for a
kinds OF people. l recall that one da
on the cars returning from Cincinnati
was reading The News. 1t was gre;
first page that day, marvellous sprea
Of news: everything seemed to have ha1
pened. Having looked through the pap
was about to hand 1t to two young me
in the seat in front of me. Les see. II
baseball page said one OF them. l fol-
ed out that page and handed it over.
half an hour or SO they returned Il
paper They had read nothing but II
baseball page, nothing else interests
them.
Some people object to the space give
By 5newspapsrs TO mankind's multifario'
uisdeeds and playing them up on Il
FIRST page Now, within reasonable Lin
ite. the community, and that takes in II
state. sometimes the nation, should n
be In Ignorance Of the .seething wicke
ness that is about. IT. Ignorance is
harmless evil until IT touches. a live wi
Or lights a match in q powder factor
Everything that happens is Of cons
qnence to point a. moral or adorn a tai
s<ptimns Water. Lafayette editor. h;
this idea. Some one asked him why
did not put something in tho way Of II
local news In his paper He was great