Gilpin observer., 1919-07-03
POINTERS ON NEWS
PAPER WRITING
One of the Craft Gives Good Ad-
vice to Boys Working Reserve.


A. U. Mayfield, formerly one of
the leading publishers in Neb-
raska, and who is now identified
with the craft in Denver, was re-
Gently asked to make an address
on Newspaper Publicity" before
the national convention of the
United States Boys Working Re-
serve held in Denver. In part he
said:
"Never expect to see every
thing you write appear in print.
There are other important news
items the editor would like to get
| into his paper. Less than one
third of all the copy turned into
the editors desk gets into the
paper. That's why his waste
basket is always overflowing with
blasted hopes and bursted ideas.
do not be discouraged if the
copy man cuts the life out of
your able article Have an in
exhaustible reserve of life to draw
from the next time.
eff the editor wishes your edi-
torial opinion he will ask you for
it-editorials have but very little
in common with the news items.
They are usually the outburst of
opinion on some 'weighty subject
that has to be worked out of the
system.
81 have known college profess
ors to labor days and weeks to
give birth to a mouse. They use
big words and many fine-spun
theories. They build enough
ideals to block a German army.
Then they send the essay to the
little country editor and actual
ly it takes him, sometimes, half
an hour to boil the three columns
down to a stick of fifty words or
so, and present it to the readers
so they will understand what the
professor was trying to say.
GAS George Ade would say
'Brevity is the source of joy to
the editor A short, snappy ar
ticle will get into print while a
long one generally has its vitals
cut out of it; or, possibly, the
whole thing drops with sicken-
ing thud into the basket.
Weekly bulletins-or, even of
tener-mimeographed very plain
ly, will receive more attention
from the editor than if printed
with type. Always double space
your articles.
"Put the meat in the first para.
graph-they'll eat it first. That
is, tell the story in the first para,
graph, so that in event the rest of
the article is cut out you will
have put over the essential.
"In sending copy to the outside
papers, date lines sometimes
come nearer pleasing the editor
it gives metropolitan appear
ance. Following is an example:
"'Denver, Colo, Jan. 1.-(Spec-
iaD-Five thousand rattlesnakes
were blasted from the rocks re-
Gently by Prairie Dog Joe, two
miles east of Aurora, as he was
quarrying rocks for the recupera-
tion camp. The snakes were hib-
ernating for the winter.
THAT, you see, tells the story
in the first paragraph. 1t carries
a date line and looks authentic
Subsequent paragraphs may be
given to details and embellish-
ments. Following is the way not
to write the same story:
"'God, in his mysterious man.
ipulation of things ETHEREAL and
material, moves in devious and
wondrous ways to care for the
creatures of earth, no matter
whether it be the sparrow that
flies thru the azure skies and
builds it's nest under the caves of
our homes, or whether it be the
lowest reptile that craws upon
his great footstool. This was
brought vividly to mind last We'd
nesday morning while Mr.. P. d.
Joe was blasting rocks with which
to build a domicile at the recup-
Grafton camp which is to house
those brave boys who fought, bled
and died on the shell-torn bat
tlefields of France-when the
haavan SnIled its huckafs Of lnun