Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-01-13


fact that n that partieulas s1oetioo g
the United States meeo paoess ass
found In smaller towns than n seAer
sections ana there can - ut 60
reason for u. there are mere newU.
paper readers there than II this eeAte
Tor The came number Of pcpulaslen.
The above statement of the oafluenee
and personal touch Of the weekly -
per 10 verieed In the followtne sxtraes
from an article In tho saturday Eve
ming Post Of Dec. %. by Chester q.
Lord on The Young Man In Journal.
Ism.
II had not learned that there 10 no
such thing In New York OF Phiiadsi-
phia or Chicago ~ focal news--that
10, that happenings OF considerable
Importance are not printed simply
because they happened In New York.
They must possess enough interest IN
themselves TO interest q largo num-
Der Of readers. must be a. interesting
to outsiders as TO New Workers..
Scores Of big societies give annual
banQuets with three hours Of oratory,
and reporters listen TO every word.
but unless something important or
highly interesting 10 said the news
papers print not n word. An crdi-
nary murder or suicide or elopcment
or the celebration OF q golden wed.
ding. even though II may have hap
pened In the next block TO where no
lives. does not interest New York.
er any more than II u had happened
In Boston or Buffalo. BE does not
"a la.
newspapers make very little Of tho
event unless Il possesses somo dra-
matte or unusual features. :.
''In New York City there are go On
JOO homicides every year. and not
half OF them are even mentioned by
the newspapers. Tho details OF every
ono are known IN every newspaper
Office. but nothing IL printed because
they possess no feature Of general
public interest. Now had the big
banquet or the murders or the other
things happened In n small town tho
editor would have printed columns.
for the very good reason that In
smaller communities everybody
knows everybody else and all are In
tercsted In one another. Everybody
especially interested in the account
OF II for people like 20 read about
things in which they themselves par
ticipate"
Never before has the financial con-
dillon OF the editors and printers
been AZ good as during the past year,
for all those who survived the hard
ships incident to the war. have como
to realize that the printer whether no
be one producing job work or pub
fishing newspaper In entitled to a
profit OF his labor and material lust
the same as a grocer, olothier or any
other merchant and II In only when
. man in the printing business COM
mences to learn something Of his
overhead costs and the percentage of
productive time. in relation to his
chargeable time, that he will com
mence to see that in order to live and
pay his bills he must take In more
money than he pays out. This condi.
ton can only be brought out by q
thorough system Of education whichs
may be obtained by studying trade
journals. Joining press associations,
ETC.. and coupled with a good stift
spine. enabling him to charge q fair
profit for his output.
Another great help to any man In
our profession Is for him to take ad.
vantage of every opportunity Of get
ting In touch with what other men
In tho same business are doing by at
tending such meetings as this or
meetings OF the county associations
the same as we have m Aroostook,
and by keeping in touch with what
others are doing In the same bust.
ness.
In some instances more caro-
should be given in the editing of our
papers. for il we realize the influence
that paper may exert in the COM
munity In which it circuIates. then
care must be given to the best
there Is in US to our readers. This
idea was very ably expressed in q
paper read ut the meeting Of the
press congress by James Wright
Brown. editor of the Editor and
Publisher OF New York. when no
said:
I'VE all agree, I am sure, that the
press should be used In far greater
measure than at present. to promul-
gate ideas: scandals. crimes and So
called crimson news have occupied
the columns Of newspapers the world
over since the signing of the armis-
tice. to the exclusion " the live and
vital international and domestic prob
lens that must inevitably engage tho
attention Of the thoughtful peoples OF
tho world.
with us In the states we have had
the HamOn murder case. the Stillmnn
divorce case and the Arbuckle scan
dal all over our front pages for
months past. Professional baseball
and other sports have been given
space all out OF proportion to their
importance and for one have felt
that this was Just n natural and In
evitable reaction from the goose
stepping of war days. jrst q rassing
phase, on tho road to more militant
public service by the Press than cvcr
before. American publishers are
anding out that the clean dependable.
reliably accurate newspaper. IL the
newspaper TINT wins and holds public
confidence and sound financial sup
port and II has been clearly demon
strated in American journalism that
character Is the first essential TO sue
cesE."
These are few Of the things which
60 to make up a successful printing