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TELLING THE GOOD MEN DO

By WILDER D. QUINT

T is no longer necessary to believe that a newspaper-and more especially a recently established onemust roll in the mire in order to become popular; must consider crime the most important thing in the world to gain a large circulation; must disfigure its pages with typographical horrors to be attractive to the great people of a great country, and must howl demagoguery that it may be considered a teacher of the masses.

"One item of information is worth ten comments," wonderful old wonderful old De Blowitz used to say. So one vital example is worth a thousand theories and ten thousand sermons. One newspaper that stakes its success on the emphasizing of the world's good news instead of its evil-and wins-has carried the day for journalistic righteousness without quibble or fear of contradiction. That paper exists; it is "The Christian Science Monitor," of Boston, and, incidentally, of the world.

When about a year ago the characteristically quiet announcement was made that a daily newspaper was soon to be issued from the Christian Science publication headquarters, at Falmouth and St. Paul streets, veteran journalists wagged their heads sagely and settled the matter in short order. The paper would "go"-yes, yes, there was no doubt about that-it would "go" because of the strength of the denomination and the numbers of its adherents. But it could not be a newspaper from the very nature of the case; it must be a proselyting sheet of little interest except to those to whom it made its distinctively ethical appeal. Thus they said, and doubtless believed.

But they failed to take into consideration two things: first, the uncon

querable energy of the energy of the Christian Science folk and, second, their ineradicable habit of having the best in whatever direction they undertake to go. At the suggestion of Mrs. Eddy the trustees of the publishing society entered upon the work of establishing a daily paper, and a genuine newspaper they produced in every sense of the word-except some of the senses that could well be spared from the customary conception of the term.

From the very beginning the story of "The Christian Science Monitor" is remarkable. Seemingly, it required but a hint to those in charge of the already elaborate publishing plant in Boston, and the thing was accomplished. It has been told many times with what astonishing rapidity the newspaper was brought into existence. And yet there is in the recital a deal of instruction and suggestion, especially to the practical newspaper man, who knows that the bringing to pass of such things takes time, and who now can see and appreciate the highly creditable results of the undertaking.

The days of the beginning were typical. It was in August, 1908, that the first practical steps were taken toward the establishing of the Monitor. Nothing was left to chance-nothing was permitted just to happen. At once, a thoroughly trained and able newspaper man was asked to come to Boston to take the helm of this newest journalistic bark. On the day he arrived in town a consultation was held, plans were discussed and it was then and there decided that to furnish a home for the newspaper an addition to the existing building was necessary. It was determined, also, to issue the first number of the paper on November 24th,

the day before Thanksgiving. The outlook would not have been highly satisfactory to a less sanguine and energetic body of men. Four apartment Four apartment houses stood on the land that was to furnish space for the new building. Very well, then, they must go, and at once their demolition was begun. Less than three months remained for the completion of the home for the Monitor, but by September 16th work on its erection was begun. Presses were ordered, linotype machines contracted for, and all the expensive paraphernalia

offices on Falmouth Street how the great engines of the disseminating of news and knowledge were in their places in the press room before the protecting walls of the building were even in existence, and how the linotype machines above were actually open to the sun and stars for several days before they were finally housed.

Then came the gathering together of the staff, made up almost without exception of men owing allegiance to the faith that had called them to the service. It was an exceedingly good

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of a newspaper office was purchased long in advance of its actual use.

At times the incompleteness of things must have appalled even the ever-confident trustees and editors. There was the matter of the presses, for instance; the company furnishing them had other orders far in advance of this demand from Boston, but by paying cash down the Monitor people were enabled to get the great advantage of prompt delivery. And the delivery was prompt, for it is still told with pride in the

staff. That a man was a Christian Scientist primarily was not enough to insure him a position upon the Monitor. He must, in addition, be a newspaper man of proven worth and known ability. It was by adhering to this principle that no trace of amateurishness, no evidence of groping for a policy, has ever been discovered in the conduct of the Monitor. In just that very point the paper put to naught the prophecies of the onlooking wiseacres; it was from its birth, and is

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and women is here insisted upon and illustrated to the fullest degree. It is safe to say that in no newspaper home in North America, at least, is there so much of actual beauty, combined with a long-thought-of plan of convenience. This devotion to sightliness is carried out even in the composing room, press room and stereotyping room, and in no one of them is that heat, gloom or squalor that so often marks the ordinary quarters for the mechanical production of a newspaper.

A visitor to these model newspaper offices-and there are very many of them in the course of every working day-steps at once into a cool, long corridor, marble floored. Upon his left are the quarters of the advertising and circulation departments, resembling those of a high-grade bank. On the right begins that long series of what might well be called "linear conveniences," for here is the beautiful room of the Managing Editor, and from it in lines, now straight, now radiating somewhat, proceed all the other activities of the newspaper in regular sequence. It is a wonderful system that somebody has evolved for the most expeditious and easy-running operation of a newspaper, and through it all there is no noisy confusion, no creaking of unoiled wheels, no shouting, no incense of tobacco, no profanity-nothing but the orderly running of a newspaper by a company of men whose lives are as well ordered as their surroundings.

A tour through the handsome offices of the editors of various grades and sorts is a liberal education as to the way in which the Christian Science folk conduct any enterprise that requires energy and ability. Spite of the beautiful quarters in which a large part of the working force of the Monitor perform their daily labors, there is a keen, tingling something in the air that speaks of unremitting diligence in the making of the paper. There is no lolling in easy chairs, no waste of time in performing long and needless journeys from one department to the other. Someone's ingenious mind has planned a newspaper office where the work

proceeds from one portion of the staff to another in a wonderfully rapid and convenient way. Labor and time-saving devices abound, and the investigator who might choose to follow a piece of "copy" from typewriter to printed impression would see scarcely a break in the whole process, so admirably is each department dovetailed into the other. It is needless to say, of course, that the newest and best mechanical appliances obtainable in the world are used in the making of this newspaper.

So much for the beautiful and commodious home whence comes this daily visitor to so many thousand of other homes all over the world. Visually the paper itself is as attractive as the place where it is made. It is typographically artistic and striking without being in the least overdone in black-faced emphasis. It is made up with care and a decent regard for proportion. Its illustrations are always well executed, and its body type is clear and readable. It seems to have struck the happy medium between an appearance of sleepy respectability and wild-eyed sensationalism. It stimulates curiosity without hitting the public in the eye. with screaming atrocities of printers' ink.

Where is the field for such a paper as this, with its four editions each day, apart perhaps from that offered by the great denomination of which it is in a certain sense a representative? The question is natural enough, and yet no one who asks it could talk for ten minutes with the responsible editors of the Monitor without being impressed with the thought that there is such a field and it is being cultivated skilfully and with true journalistic instinct.

There were many papers in the world before the advent of this one, and they seemed, at least, to cover every phase of human activity. But the people in charge of "The Christian Science Monitor" believed that there were still highly important and highly interesting matters to be exploited, and it is only fair to say that they have found them. No newspaper man of any perception whatever can study a few is

sues of the Monitor without feeling at once that while it contains all the news that is essential enough to be chronicled, it also has the faculty of "digging out," in newspaper parlance, many fresh features and important happenings. It covers numerous interesting topics and affairs overlooked or neglected by other journals.

Back of every newspaper there is and must be a prevailing motive. In the case of "The Christian Science Monitor" stands the intent and determination to produce a newspaper that may be accepted without fear or apology by the most careful and refined home and that shall yet have something of interest and profit for every member of the family and shall further tell it all it needs to know about the great affairs of the great world. It is as if the command had gone forth one year ago: "Make a good newspaper; make a clean newspaper; make a handsome newspaper; make an instructive newspaper-but make a live newspaper." And, lo, that thing was done. Many papers, started with the idea of effecting reforms, have been antagonistic in their methods; they have sought

to tear down, instead of trying to build up. Here is where the Monitor is different. It is not destructive, but constructive; it seeks to supplant existing evils with vital good. It is not combative, but is energetic in advancing all those things which make for the betterment of mankind. The following out of this policy has created no enemies, but has won thousands of friends for the Monitor and the principles which it represents.

The Monitor has developed one or two rather interesting rules of conduct, somewhat novel in the making up of a newspaper. Naturally it is the intent to make a first page of pleasure to the eye and the artistic sense. Now it is well known that the great mass of newspapers permit their second page to be a general dumping ground for the tag ends of articles run over from the first. In fact, so long as the outside of the paper is attractive, the customary rule is to let the "stuffing" take care of itself.

The Monitor has changed all that. It insists that its second page be as pleasing in appearance as the first, and it makes up its remarkably full and able

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