Evening star., 1939-06-01

II you of the States wish to picture
your weaknesses, who am to avert
my gaze?"
But you, as a journalist, must
know the good of turning light upon
little vices that thrive in the dark?
OF airing certain affairs of bad
odor?"
Washing Linen in Public.
Such journalism, within the bor-
ders OF your country, may be all for
the public good I cannot say.
But when it goes abroad that is an
other story! OF this, I am sure!"
who created the taste for the
bizarre in journalism? Did the
public educate their pubhcists or
the other way around?
Here 1t was a little of both. Our
readers are cosmopolitan, well-in-
formed from many sources, highly
partisan to various causes, critical
and suspicious of propaganda. We
try TO strip our news down to facts
and let our readers interpret them
for themselves.
I'VE do not sensationalize crime,
divorce, or suicide. That news goes
on back page. We do not play UP
| criminal trials. We have never
published a picture of a corpse. If
we use picture of a Governor we
think it just as good If he wears
Shoes
"A long time ago-four. or was it
five, years?-a wealthy man killed
his sweetheart. We obtained photo
graphs of the principals, but we did
not publish them. We posted them
in our Office and informed the read
ers they could call to view them in
private ;. Only four or five came,
yet we received hundreds of letters
thanking us for not exploiting the
photographs!
One Yellow Journalist Tainted All,
From my point of view down here,
1t seems that one great leader of
yellow journalism tainted, If he did
not color, all the rest.
The rise of the tabloid followed
Readers appetites became jaded.
Why read love story unless illicit,
why read Of government unless cor
rupt, of crime unless violent. .
why look at a picture of Gov
ernor unless his honor Is barefoot,
or shaving?"
"As long as 7 live, and the men
I've helped to teach remain in con-
troll OF this publication, 1t will be
the cleanest tabloid in the world! !"
College boys here have some odd
| ideas about the behavior of their
northern cousins-so do college girls.
One asked me the other day:
DO all the girls in America act
like Carole Lombard?"
College boys here invited my wife
and me to a big formal dance they
were throwing. One of our hosts
unobtrusively took me aside and
inquired, in his best classroom
English:
"Senor Beel, is If for you always
on occasions of festivity to sing
Rambling Wrecks of Georgia
Techs?'" Il had tried to teach them
| the tune, several days previously. on
a motor launch cruising the delta )
always, Senor," I replied, AL
wavsi'
The college boy gulped. For a
| moment he was at loss for words,
then took another. and less direct,
tack, In 10 minutes or so he man
aged to convey the impression. with
out limiting, that solo on my part
would only confirm the misconcep-
ton OF North Americans entertained
by his classmates. I promised faith
fully not to sing a single solo.
And Senor Beel." he went on.
'if you wish to dance with the
senoritas. we will superintend the
introduction. You will not break the
back of the senorita's partner. no?
You will not-what do you say?-
! cut him. no?'
NO" said. mo. no. no! That
went out when I was in college
| Is years ago
Merit: Meeting With Beans"