"We're on the way to scuffling in the gutter with the 'yellow journals' for
the pennies of the mob," he was saying sarcastically to Mr. King, one
afternoon just as Howard joined them.
Howard laughed. "Not on the way to the gutter, Mr. Vroom. Actually in the
gutter, actually scuffling."
"Well, I'm frank to say that I don't like it. A newspaper ought to appeal
to the intelligent."
"To intelligence, yes; to the intelligent, no. At least in my opinion, that
is the right theory. We want people to read us because we're intelligent
enough to know how to please them, not because they're intelligent enough
to overcome the difficulties we put in their way. But let's go out to
dinner this evening and talk it over."
They dined together at Mouquin's every night for a week. At the end of that
time Vroom, still sarcastic and grumbling, was a convert. And a great
accession Howard found him. He had sound judgment as to the value of
news-items--what demanded first page, the "show-window," because it would
interest everybody; what was worth a line on an inside page because it
would interest only a few thousands. He was the most skillful of the
_News-Record's_ many good writers of headlines, a master of that, for
the newspaper, art of arts--condensed and interesting statement, alluring
the glancing reader to read on.
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