Page:The Newspaper and the Historian.djvu/109

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p. 109.

reference was made to them as “ engaged in their Jakery and Mikery ,” — a course " most effective in bringing that kind of political activity into disrepute.” 8 . The emblem of a newspaper in still another way indicates its personality . These emblemsmay illustrate the name of the paper, as theWorld , the Globe, or the Sun ; or a characteristic occupation

or feature of the locality , as hunting and fishing equipment be come the emblem of the Boonville Herald and Adirondack Tourist, and miners ' tools for a Pennsylvania paper, or themission belfrey that belongs appropriately to the Daily News of Santa Barbara , and a view of the surf to the Santa Cruz Surf . The products of

the country , prairie scenes, characteristic city buildings, the building in which the paper is published, or the printing press are all utilized as emblems. Often these emblems represent abstract ideas, as the scales of justice , the horn of plenty, the American

eagle, a national, state, or municipal shield or coat of arms, or they may be scenes that never were on land or sea . Whatever

form the emblem may take, it adds one more noteworthy feature to the personality of the press.

The headline in the American newspaper is perennially dis covered by foreign travellers and is deemed by them the most

striking feature of the American press.° Yet it is not necessary to turn to visiting tourists from Europe to realize how essentially the

headline measures the good taste or the bad taste of the press. The headlinemay be a space filler, as where twelve lines of head lines are placed over two lines of news; it may be absolutely mis

leading, as when it reads, “ Say women sold votes” while the item it heads states that three women and 1100 men were in dicted for vote-selling; it may feature the least important part of

a political victory , as when it proclaims the election of a certain governor — a foregone conclusion - but does not mention the pas sage of a hard -fought-for amendment to the Constitution ; it may feature doubtful items as certain ; it may be “ question -begging;" it may wilfully misrepresent, it may misinterpret, it may be

dubbed " scare," " screaming,” or “ screeching;" headlines may 8 J. B . Bishop, “ Personal Recollections of E .L . Godkin,” Century Maga zine, September, 1902, 64: 694- 700. Stephane Dubost, letter to Marcel Complans,quoted in full in the New York Evening Post, November 21, 1908.