Life, 1902-12-25 · page 8 of 77
Life — December 25, 1902 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a poetry section titled "A Winged Thought" (depicting two silhouetted figures) and a satirical article debating which is "the Worst Daily Newspaper" in the United States. The main satire critiques the **New York Herald** as the worst daily paper, with responses defending it and nominating alternatives like the **New York Sun** and the **Evening Herald**. The arguments focus on editorial bias, poor composition, and questionable judgment. One responder suggests the Herald is "more Democratic" in its political allegiance, while another claims the Sun "helped more public men" through exposure of wrongdoing. The illustration of a butterfly on a money bag likely symbolizes the papers' commercial interests versus journalistic integrity—a recurring concern throughout the debate. This represents early 20th-century newspaper criticism within American literary circles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Winged Thought. ! when I’m a nangel in Heaving, I'll wear a fine hat on my head ; An’ ribbings—wide ribbings that's red.” “Shucks! When you're a nangel in Heaving, You can’t wear them bucherful things ; You needn't so much as to hope it ; You'll hev to go round in your wings Lilli Huger Smith. Worst Newspaper. W Bor is the worst daily newspaper in the United States, and why? Lire would like to have this question definitely settled. With that in view we offer A Prize or Firty DoLLars mn Gotp for the cleverest contribution showing why any particular daily newspaper is the worst in the United States. ConpITIONs. Competitors mast limit their arguments to three hundred words each Write on one side of the paper only. The contest will close March 1, 1963, and the award will be made as soon thereafter as the respective merits of the arguments can be determined. The winning argument will be printed, together with such others as may seem to Live worthy of that distinguished honor, ‘Names and addresses of the writers ahould sccom- pany alb manuscripts. Jn no case will these be printed without permision of the render. Those who desire their manuscripts returned should enclose ® stamped and addressed return envelope. Each manuscript may bear » pseudonym, which will be printed with the argument. The Edttors of Live are to be the sote Judges of the merits of the arguments. Nomper One. The worst daily newspaper in the United States is the Duluth News-Tribune—excepting the Duluth Evening Herald, Both Duluth papers are mentioned, because as to ‘‘worstness"” they are twins, only that the Herald is more so. Their principal difference lies in the particular that the Neis-Tribune’s pages sometimes show evidence of ability. The Herald became a political orphan so early in its career that it lacked decent bringing up. Being like ‘Topsy,’ without knowledge of its parentage, political or otherwise, its allegiance goes here and hence as the “wind” blows Democratic or Repub- lica is so badly affected with mental strabismus that it as its political foster-parent the man with the big- gest barrel. A large proportion of the Herald's editorial matter is selected with such rare tact and discrimination that the paper is never com- mitted to anything not favored by a large majority. Its written editorials give evidence of being composed by a man who cannot write, and written by one who dare not compose, and these original YES, IT SOMETIMES MarrENs, expressions of opinion veer from one side to the opposite of every public question in what Seems at times to be indecent haste. In this way the Herald endeavors to “make one y\ band wash the other,” and it is so gen- erally busy in this effort that one is given the impression that its need of hand ablution is constant and unceasing. ‘The only indication of “ yellow- ness” about the Herald is its “streak,” but that is so wide and s0 pronounced in hue that some people are led to the erroneous conclusion that it belongs to a higher class. The worst daily in the United States is a great reformer, but rarely finds an; thing within a thousand miles of the Zenith City that is in need of reformation permanently. If this article were as clever as the Herald is bad the fifty-dollar prize would be earned by Yours truly, The Writer. Detutn, Mrxx., November 22, 1902. Nember Two. ‘The worst newspaper in the United States was the New York Sun. Being no longer a newspaper, it will have to be written of in the past tense, In former days,when it was a newspaper, twas edited by Charles A. Dana. Now itis written by three men, Mr, Laffan writes the advertise- ments, Mr. Paul Dana the jokes, and Pierpont Morgan the checks. There are other minor departments in The Sun. The baseball editor is in charge of the ‘ Poetry Not Worth Reading,” and the letters to the editor are written by a corps of trained office boys, who relieve each other every dog-watch. In the main, The Sun is divided into two parts. Its tragic feature is the Sunday humorous page, and its comic feature is the politico-editorial page. The Sun has helped more public men in th country by coming out against them than any other alleged newspaper. Always being on the wrong side of every public question, it isan exact guuge of public opinion. Wishing to make sure of Theodore Roosevelt for our next President, The Sun has come out against him. Aman who once read The Sun for a year knew all the unimpor- tant things that had happened in New York during that year, and nothing else. There is only one thing sadder than a funny editorial by one of The Sun's light young men, and that is an editorial on the correct use of English by the same man. A foreigner who once came to this country and learned to read The Sun, afterwards tried to learn English and gave it up. Student, T OTS of men would never have reached the top of 4 the ladder if their wives had not steadied it. comicbooks.com