The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-12

benefit Of the lay reader that story
is any item, fact or fiction, written
for a newspaper Later this news
paper revised its method of making
the award and divided the prize, ana
rightly SO, between the reporter who
wrote the story, and the copy reader
who edited the MS.
For the benefit of the copy desk I
want to point out that its first occu-
pant was none other than the illus
trious John Milton. In other words,
the distinguished author of Paradise
Lost" was the first to edit copy for
the newspaper office. When Milton
became connected with Mercurtus
PoHtic1ts well toward the close of 1850
he did not III all probability write a
Jine for that sheet. He did, however,
ledit the English of the articles turned
in by other writer's. One can fairly
, fix the exact date when Milton's edi-
tordal correction began by noticing
the sudden Improvement in its news
paper English, and one can determine
when he left Mercurius PoHticus by
the temperance of it's former sloppy
style. At later time, when Milton
was the State Licenser, he again
helped the poor London newspaper
man In the writing of news stories.
The copy desk does we'll to blue pencil
fine writing. and to cut out sentences
that are "viciously fiorid." The news
paper man deals with facts and has
not the time to arrange them in any
elaborate mosaic. He has no use for
the delicate patterns of a professional
man OF letters. The facts speak for
themselves and need no ornate frame
to set them off. If newspaper English
Is as poor as some critics would have
us believe, why is it that literary adj
visers suggest to beginners that they
work for while on a newspaper?
Chester s, Lords Definition,
without waiting for an answer to
this question l may ask the more APP;
PIRATE one, What is the taste of the
modern newspaper reader?" OF
course it will vary with Individual
papers and with their various Glen
teles. In general way, however, this
taste may be indicated. 1t has been
so well expressed by Chester S. Lord,
long managing editor of THE sun,
that ! cannot do better than to quote
his words: "a
Just now we are living in
commercial age, not a literary
age, and the people are not a
hunger for literary food. They
care not 80 much for the niceties ~
OF literary expression, for the
well rounded ornamental SEN
fences OF Washington Irving and
his contemporaries who were UNI
der the inspiration of the Vic
torian literary era. They prefer
plain spoken words, expressed
with businesslike direction. l can
see plainly how this transition is
affecting the newspapers, how it
is changing our choice of topics
from literary topics TO commercial
topics, and is changing our very
diction from a refinement of liter
airy expression to a blunter and
coarser form of expression. The
so-called human interest story so
popular a few years ago, the ro-
mantle story, tho pathetic, the
sentimental, all possess less fasci-
nation for the public. The people
themselves are not 50 emotional
or lachrymose. Nowadays nobody
eSeds many tears over anything,
much less over literature. In
other days the entire family circle
was moved TO emotion A.cs
father read aloud OF the death OF
Little Nell or of Col. Newcombe.
To-day the family circle does not
meet for literary eXercises-has
no time for them-and If it did,
father would be reading not from
Dickens or Thackeray or the
poets. but of progress i'm extract
ing the fraction of grain of gold
That exists in every ton Of sea
water.
/ sometimes shock my academic
friends by advocating that a good
daily newspaper should be included