Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 January 1903 — THE “SCARE HEAD" WRITER. [ARTICLE]

THE “SCARE HEAD" WRITER.

The public which glances hurriedly over Its paper every day, gathering the gist of the news from the headlines, does not always realize the difficult problems whjch come to the writer of head-lines. He must not only announce as much as possible, but must do It In words which contain tmlx a glv«B »uetbee-ef letters, ln ©r~der that the heading may just fit the width of the column. The Sunny South prints a story, very true to life, which shows how professional writers of headlines carry their troubles home with them. The young man with a tired look sat In the rear end of the car, staring at an advertisement “English beauty shoes,” he mumbled to his companion. “That’s what It says.” “Yes,” said the other, “but that’s too short.” “H’m, h’m!” the tired man replied. “Beautiful shoes from England ” “That won’t fit; It’s too long,” was the reply. “Well, then, ‘Beautiful English shoes—’ ” * “That’s only three words. You’ve got to have four, you know.” “That’s so, that’s so. Ah. I have It!” he cried, so loud that all the other passengers In the car gave a Jump. “ ‘English shoes of beauty’—twentythree letters and spaees. At last, at last!” A compassionate old man looked up from his newspaper. “What the matter with your friend?” he asked. “Is the poor fellow crazy ?” “Oh, no,” the other man replied, assuringly. “You see, he’s Just got through , with his night’s work on a morning newspaper. He is a headline writer, and after a fellotv has scribbled off head lines for eight hours steady, he contracts the habit, and can’t get over it. Every advertisement or bit es writing that he sees for several hours afterward until his mind gets rested —well, he begins to count the letters and spaces, and turn the wording Into a head-line that will fit. It isn’t exactly insanity; It’s habit.”