The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-26
THE PERSONAL NOTE
IN FLORIDA JOURNALISM

A new departure In the method
of Florida journalism is suggeste
by the Orlando Sentinel which
worth considering. The Sentine
objects to the incessant persona
note on the editorial page, tn
trade last" system between news
papers involving an almost continu
Gus exchange of compliments, badi
mage, piffie and persifiage, an(
thinks that the space so occupied
might be better filled with matter OF
more interest to- the subscribers
Perhaps so and perhaps not.
The opinion of good many peo-
pie Notwithstanding, we feel sure
that the editorial page of the news
paper is more widely read today
than ever before While we have few
if any great editors left who speak
excathedra and do the thinking for
a large personal following, as in the
old Greeley and Bennett days, the
higher level of thought to which the
modern world has been educated has
SO vastly multiplied the number of
intelligent readers that no part of
the newspaper now misses perusal
by very considerable number of
people.
The better educated and more
thoughtful among these seek first
the news, and then the editorial
page to see the editors comment on
the news he has printed, and the
better and brighter he makes that
page the more certainly he holds his
readers and increases their number
, Labored columns of moralizing,
heavy leaders on dry themes which,
like the poor are always with us and
in which the public feels no present
vital interest, and above all. the
superior didactic pose which assumes
that the editor knows it all and is
merely leaking wisdom for the igno>
rant from his overlooking abund-
ance-these are the methods to min
imiZe the influence of the editorial
page and decrease the number of its
readers. And modern newspaper men
understand this so well that they
tiOht ChV nf thu 81, 4,
crisp, incisive comment and criti-
cism On vital questions, photographic
sparkle and whatever else may be
necessary to piquancy and variety to
the one page above all others which
gives distinctive and individual
character to paper.
The leading articles are useful,
even necessary, when the themes are
right and their treatment has the
ring of force and logic and the charm
OF an attractive style, and when
these conditions are met there need |
be no fear that they will lack for
readers and those, too, representing
the best intelligence of the COM
But to gather the largest follow
ing the editorial menu must be va
ried with the skill of a true artist, [
and to this end the badinage and
piffle and persifage, even the hon !,
eyed words of reciprocal compliment
between editors, when not laid on
900 thick and frequently, have their
proper place and supply just the sea-
'oning needed to make a palatable
to public that wants
plenty of entertainment along with
is instruction and not cough of
either to tire
No feature of modern life has
shown more Improvement than the
modern newspaper. and in no de-
oartment of the paper is that i'm
orovement more marked than on the
page, piffle and all. The
1icious and nasty personal journal
SIN of generation ago is dead and
he genial, egotistical note of which
he Sentinel complains, even if
sometimes overdone, is immeasur-
IDLY better and decenter than the
u quoque filth and foulness of our
,arlier journalism
.