Page:The Newspaper and the Historian.djvu/102

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none,” “ Fiat justitia , ruat coelum ," " Vérité sans peur, " " Nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice.” A paper sometimes

tries several mottoes or creeds before it finds one to its liking. Niles'Register had as themotto for the issues of its first volume a passage from Shakespeare's Henry VIII :

" I wish no other herald , “ No other speaker of my living actions, “ To keep mine honor from corruption “ But such an honest chronicler."

With the second volume, it changes to “ Haec olim meminisse juvabit,” and with the thirteenth volume it becomes and continues ,

“ The past — the present - for the future.” It does not seem possi ble to find a statement of the functions of a journal that more perfectly expresses the idea of the historian on this point than does the motto finally selected for Niles' Register . The motto setting forth the ideals of a newspaper shades im perceptibly into the statement giving the basis of its appeal to

readers or advertisers. Age is one appeal, - " New York 's oldest newspaper. Established 1797; " youth another, — “ The Twenti eth Century newspaper;" — local pride a third , — " Boost White Plains," " Success is yours in Amsterdam ,” “ The leading news

paper of a leading Connecticut town,” “ Pasadena and suburbs first, the world afterwards,” “ The first seven -day newspaper in the Southwest north of Dallas, south of Kansas City , east of Denver, and west of St. Louis ;" and the industry of the staff still another , - “ Keeping everlastingly at it brings success.” An ap

peal is made on the score that the paper is an excellent family newspaper , — “ An evening journal for the fireside,” “ A family journal devoted to local news, literature, art, science, and general intelligence," " A homenewspaper for all the people ,” “ The paper with pictures,” “ Clean in news and clean in advertising,” “ The

magazine that entertains," " More fascinating than fiction ," “ The liveliest magazine in America.” Others attempt to square

the circle in the assertion of their principles, — “ Independent but notneutral,” “ Progressive but not radical,” “ An impartial news

paper, democratic in politics,” “ Clean but not dull.” The appeal may be directed to the business interests of the community , with