Page:History of Oregon Newspapers.pdf/485

476 "Will Receive Today.—Mrs. John Crau will receive her friends today at 331 West Park, assisted by Mrs. David Tuthill, Miss Helen Teal, Miss Shelby, Miss Walker, and Miss Egbert, ja 1 1t."

Perhaps it is unnecessary to explain that the ja 1 1t in the Portland Northwest News is an advertising guide-line signifying that this is an ad which the printer is to take out after the one insertion, according to directions from the advertiser. An ad like that today would get 'em talking. But that was 1883.

By 1899 the society writing had become pretty thoroughly conventionalized, but there were still some oddities as compared with prevailing practice today. Total space in the special Sunday section (the daily society department had not yet arrived) was about ten columns, two-thirds of which was devoted to the social and personal news of Oregon and Washington communities as far away as Pendle ton, La Grande, and Walla Walla.

The department had a three-column engraved heading "Society," and usually one layout of pictures printed from zinc etchings—the halftone process though invented more than twenty years, was not yet common in the newspapers. This time the "art" was made up of three pictures of "three ladies who will help to make the Irish Fair a success."

The papers were still mixing "reader" ads unmarked among their short news notes and personals to catch the reader who was not bent on perusing advertising, so we see in the Sunday Oregonian of January 1, 1899, several little ads, separated by a tiny "jim" dash from the "Society Personals," one of which ads directs attention to the "greatest clearance sale of them all . . . miniatures, bronzes, pictures, etc. . . . See the prices. Bernstein's, 307 Washington." The custom of society editors' failing to mention one's business connection in society notes was not highly regarded in those days, for another item under the "Society Personals" reads:

"Mr. J. W. Wilson, of the firm of Meyer, Wilson & Co., will leave the latter part of this month for New York, where he will reside permanently."

The change in society news-handling since those days has involved the adoption of more colorful, objective writing, greater space allotment, development of the halftone picture layout. Makeup, with greater and more attractive "art" layouts, and ads removed from the first page of the section, and more display headings, is much improved.

Edith Knight Hill, "Marian Miller" of the Oregonian, who as Edith Knight Holmes, went to work on the Oregonian in December, 1912, succeeding Gertrude P. Corbett on the society desk, who in turn had succeeded Leila Shelby, was the first editor of daily society in Portland. Heretofore it had run but once a week, of more recent years on Sunday.