Grinnell Journalism:

by Brent Schondelmeyer

(Ed. note—-lntormation tor this article was
compiled trorn Grinnell College, written by
the College’s late iormer President John
Nolien. Charmayne Wilke (‘52) was the aut-
hor oi the chapter trom which most oi this
material was taken).

Two columns in the Grinnell Herald on
August 23, 1871 marked the beginning at
student publications on campus, A ioint
ettort ol President Magoun, members or
the faculty, and students, the News Letter,
as it was called, discussed matters of

theology, science, and philosophy.

Two years later with tacuity permission,
News Letter became a separate paper pa-
per published at the beginning or each
month consisting of four, three columns
pages, As news oi, and on, the college grew,
the News Letter went to a birweekly pub-
lication in September 1889

The spring 011889 marked the emergence
ot a new Journallstic endeavor called Pulse,
which promised to “pulsate fortnightly dur-
ing the college year.” The second issue 01
the paper was late as the editors ex,

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday

'9:

piained, “Our Chicago photo—engravers
missed connections,"

Though the pulse and the News Letter
were being published at the same time,
there were never any publication wars tour
ght between the two lnstead, Pulse was
published on one Saturday and News Letter
the toilowing Saturday, offering the student
body a wekly supply or newsprint

Although Pulse contained advertising at It)
cents a line iinanciai necessities brought
about a mutual merger between the Pulse
and the News Letter in September, 1890
In their tirst regular edition oi the Unit
the editors stressed this point

Two things we wish to emphasize The
Unit is one paper It is not a combin-
ation of two papers uith conﬂicting "tr
terests and divided leadership. The old
papers are gone, not buried hut transr
termed, unitied. anotherlakesiheirplace.
a Unit, undivided, indivislble. Let it be
understood once [or all that the UH“ is
neitller News Letter "or Pulse nor apiece
of each

At the beginning or the school year in
1m. the Unit decided to become a weekly,
The editors assured the students that “the

LONIA

Comfortable Seats A

Another Swanson Surprisei
Serenaders Orchestra Sunday

SPECIAL
e D D *1 D ATTRACTION,

STAN LAUREL

“West Of
Hot Dog”

SERENADERS ORCHESTRA SUNDAY

EAVE it to

Gloria topic"
surprises
roles.

.intl u hat .

surprise Til lx‘

Eatuse us fur not tell

iog

Come and
hr connotitlll

The Screcn's Grtatesr
And Highest Paid

Female star.

ALLAN DWAN

(Production

“iii/docs m
Virtue”

Always Changing,
Never Dies

policy oi the management [or this year will
be very similar to that pursued by the Unit
as a semismonthlyeeconservatlve," The

Unit’s stated ambition was “to Shed a
newsy luster ot pleasure over the lonely
hours that sometimes comes to students
and alumni away from home,"

Under the direction of some ambitious
editors, in the tall or 11394 a semirweekly
paper, the Scarlet and Black appeared.
Once again because of the financial diffir
culties a change was undergone the [ole
lowing yearntlie Unit became a literary
journal and the Scarlet and Black became
“truly a students‘ paperi”

Originally the paper was bought by sub»
scription, In a 1926 editorial the editors
remarked that because only one-fourth of
the student body bought the paper, it must
be that the other three—fourths were reading
their neighbor's. In recent years the cost
or the newspaper has been figured into the
student activity fee.

The college in the past has had many
literary magazines. Beginning with the Unit
in 1907. It was io1lowed by the Grinnell
Magazine which was issued live times a
year, In 1921 Verse and Fiction took over
the literary spotlight with its monthly pubs
lication by the English department Two
similar publications were the tour issues
oi Junto during 1924725 and Tanager, a lltr
erary quarterly lasting irom 1925 to 1948.
The Arena began publication in 1950 as
the “magazine of ideas” combining both
literary and humorous articles
Selt~proclaimed “Judge oi the MiereS-
tern Wit", the Malteaser has been the
most Successiul of any humorous magar
zines It was first published in 1919 by
the Sigma Delta Chi and ran out of jokes
by 1936 1947 found 21 new humor mag:—
zine, Zephyr, going to press in 1948 it
took over the literary Iunctions oi the Tans
meet: but after the editorial stall Changed
hands twice ill the {all of 1949, the magar
zine ceased publication in 1950.

The college's first annual appeared in
1839 and was Called the Cyclone. 1n the
editor’s greeting they mLide note of the
nlllne

rei haps volt thintthat theCyclonc is Ims~
named For its blnett IS not to destroy
but to build But remember, kinti tolks,
that once hetoie a cyclone struck you,
and in a moment all was destrurtion and
sorrow, but out ot those ruins oiscven
years ago our college rose to new Itlc
oi usoldlness and honor, until today
we leel that It is stronger tor having
passed through the storm. So ltmv it
not be that any idols ol yours which
are shaken tw rude blasts may be also
ponsed with and newer and better ones
take their plnccs7

The yeurhonk has gone through a tow
storms ot its own in recent years, being
threatened with a lawsuit in 1957 trom the
college on the grounds that it contain po-
tentially libelous material,

The case is to this date undecided.

 

