The original purpose of a weekly newspaper was to make public items that seemed important to locals, but were irrelevant to non-locals.
These papers covered local governments, but more widely they emphasized ‘who went where and when? items neighbors wanted to read. Weeklies had country correspondents who wrote these 4-Ws at named crossroads and real small towns.
Weeklies became THE source for news before telegraph, telephone and Pony Express.
They proliferated. It was almost like, if a person had a printing press and a few fonts of type, they’d start a newspaper.
And, so it was in Oxford, Michigan in April, 1879. Two weekly newspapers were started in this town of about 1,000 that month. They competed against two weekly newspapers that were already established.
Not only that, but two years later another newspaper was started in Oxford.
Well, you can see that something other than local goings-on had to fill these pages. After all, there’s only so much Club news, school, Council and church news to print.
Along came the Oakland County Standard to fight the Weekly Journal, The Bee and The Oxford Intruder.
And, Standard publisher-editor Stephen A. Fitzpatrick had a better idea. He thought (there I go assuming, something newspaper people aren’t supposed to do).
The Standard was half-tab in size, 8 1/2 x 11, three columns in width. The front page of the very first issue had a column of ads on each side and a news strip in the middle. The news strip was filled with scandal, innuendo and editorializing.
The first item read: ‘A Clarkston man pays about $200 a year in support of a Pontiac woman not a lady. He has a nice wife at home.?
Next: ‘We saw an Oxford man, who stands high in society, coming out of a house, not a church, at Pontiac a few days since. He requested us to keep dark.?
And: ‘Temperance people should teach their children the Lord’s Prayer, Ten Commandments and Apostles? creed, and then you will have no difficulty in trying to reform them.?
The column ends with these editorial observations: ‘Boys, there’s a great difference in the waltzing of females. A Rochester girl crooks her arm in the middle like a door-hinge, takes her fellow by the shoulders, and makes him miserable by trying to hop and step without treading on her No. 9 shoes.
‘A Commerce girl throws her hair back, jumps up, cracks her heels together and carries off her fellow as though a whirlwind had struck him.
‘An Oxford girl takes her partner gently by the left hand and right shoulder and jumps up and down like an Orion girl.
‘A Pontiac girl–yum, yum–She creeps closely and sweetly with her bright, black eyes up to her fellow, as if she would like to get into his vest pocket, and fairly melts away in Charley’s arms, she is so sweet.
‘But the Holly girl, with bright blue eyes and two coats of paint, throws both arms around a fellow’s neck, rolls up her eyes, and as she floats away is heard to remark: ‘Oh, hug me tight, Jenkins.?
Some probably believe newspaper reporting hasn’t gotten better in the last 127 years.
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Trevor pleases grandpa, uncle, cousin
Teachers of our 7-year-old twin grandchildren sent discipline folders home with their students after the first four days of school.
Haley’s teacher’s comment was, ‘Nice job.?
On Trevor’s second day, his teacher wrote, ‘Goofing off.? The third day comment was, ‘Talking.?
His mother showed me the folders in front of him, and she couldn’t hold back her grins of pride, which may not be the right reaction.
As for me, this proud grandpa couldn’t wait to tell his uncle Jim, cousin Dan and several others whether strangers or friends.
Trevor’s so normal. It’s what guys do, until the vows.