|THE _Paper World_ says there's no use talking, the newspaper men of the
press are to-day becoming more and more "color blind." In other words,
they have lost that subtle flavor of description for which the public
yearns. They have missed that wonderful spice and aroma of narration
which is the life of all newspaper work.
We do not take this to ourself at all, but we desire before we say one
word, to make a few remarks. _The Boomerang_ has been charged with erring
on the other side and coloring things a little too high. Sir Garnet
Wolseley, in a private letter to us during the late Egyptian assault
and battery, stated that if we erred at all it was on the highly colored
side.
There is an excuse for lack of spice and all that sort of thing in the
newspaper world. The men who write for our dailies, as a rule, have to
write about two miles per day, and they ought not to be kicked if it is
not as interesting as "Uncle Tom's Cabin," or "Leaves o' Grass."
We have done some 900 miles of writing ourself during our short, sharp
and decisive career, and we know what we are talking about. Those things
we wrote at a time when we were spreading our graceful characters over
ten acres of paper per day, were not thrilling. They did not catch the
public eye, but were just naturally consigned to oblivion's bottomless
maw.
Read that last sentence twice; it will do you no harm.
The public, it seems to us, has created a false standard of merit for
the newspaper. People take a big daily and pay $10 per year for it
because it is the biggest paper in the world, and then don't read a
quarter of it. They are doing a smart thing, no doubt, but it is killing
the feverish young men with throbbing brains, who are doing the work.
Would you consider that a large pair of shoes or a large wife should be
sought for just because you can get more material for the same price?
Not much, Mary Ann!
Excellence is what we seek, not bulk. Write better things and less of
them, and you will do better, and the public will be pleased to see the
change.
Should anyone who reads these words be suffering from an insatiable
hunger for a paper that aims at elegance of diction, high-toned logic
and pink cambric sentiment, at a moderate price, he will do well to
call at this office and look over our goods. Samples sent free on
application, to any part of the United States or Europe. We refer to
Herbert Spencer, the Laramie National Bank, and the postmaster of this
city, as to our reputation for truth and veracity.