I'm afraid that's rather too
much of an innovation."
"No innovation at all. In fact, it's adapted plagiarism."
"From what?"
"Harper's Monthly of the seventy's. I used to have some odd volumes in
my little library. There was a department of funny anecdote; and the
point of every joke, lest some obtuse reader should overlook it, was
printed in italics. That," chuckled Banneker, "was in the days when we
used to twit the English with lacking a sense of humor. However, the
method has its advantages. It's fool-proof. Therefore I helped myself to
it."
"Then you're aiming at the weak-minded?"
"At anybody who can assimilate simple ideas plainly expressed," declared
the other positively. "There ought to be four million of 'em within
reaching distance of The Patriot's presses."
"Your proposition--though you haven't made any as yet--is that we lead
our editorial page daily with matter such as this. Am I correct?"
"No. Make a clean sweep of the present editorials. Substitute mine. One
a day will be quite enough for their minds to work on."
"But that won't fill the page," objected the proprietor.
"Cartoon. Column of light comment. Letters from readers. That will,"
returned Banneker with severe brevity.
"It might be worth trying," mused Marrineal.
Pages:
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487