(Well, actually, I mean tomorrow, but who knows when this will be read?) It's a sad thing that's happening to newspapers these days. They are not only becoming fewer in number, they are getting smaller. The headlines are getting larger, and if the Danbury News-Times prints the word "SUNDAY" any larger, I'll have to cover my ears. I know that all my complaints are based on cost-cutting measures, but times haven't always been this bad, they've been worse, but the papers were much larger. Case in point:
Click on it to get the full effect. There are 7 (count'em) 7 columns of news. I know that in the 40's newspapers' only competition is radio, or the town crier, and TV is just a world's fair exhibition attraction-contraption. What struck me about this paper was the lack of urgency I thought existed right after December 7th. This is clearly the first edition out since the attack.
The middle column down the front center is essentially an editorial report but it lacks the banner explosion that is meant to lift the paper out of the newsstand and into the hands of hungry readers, Even if there was an "Extra!" edition printed on the 7th or 8th, I still get the feeling that the news hasn't sunk in yet. Christmas sales are in full swing:
I like newspapers from the past, no matter how yellowed or fragile they are, the ridiculous difference in prices for everyday items and their value makes them an interesting read. Was a dime really harder to come by? Is it true that electricity was so inexpensive?
This paper was found at an estate sale several years ago near the Boardman bridge in New Milford. I am afraid that the person living there must have been a "hoarder" of sorts as there were many papers of this type strewn around one room. I bought a couple that either had significant headlines or just gave an interesting snapshot of what it was like to live back then.
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