The Newspaper: The Printed Word on Real Paper

Though I do get news from the internet, I like the presence of a human being delivering the news for the following reasons. Immediate gratification and a chance to argue with the screen and sometimes the radio without response or argument. The days of ink on paper with actual words requiring the eyes to see and the brain to acknowledge the presence of words and thus recognize and understand the message are long gone. In this current age of satisfy me, I want it now, frequently visited by the youth of the world and baby boomers, people have little patience for anything requiring time and effort. Many people have the attention span of a knat and want to be spoonfed information without taking the initiative to really use their braincells. I should know, I sometimes, fall into this category as well. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of purchasing words written on paper in any form let me tell you what it is truly like. There is a scent of ink on paper of glue and binding unmatched by any other thing. Whether new or old each has a unique odor. If you have ever purchased or received a wonderfully bound book you will know what I mean. Some paper is shiny, glossy and smooth. Other paper is rough-hewn with traces of wood pulp still visable to the naked eye it is scratchy and makes your blood run cold when handled but it's scent envisions a walk through the forrest.I began reading early in my life. Reading for knowledge and interest began when I was 8 years old. I remember as a child reading the bible for the first time. I was awed by the magnitude of the writtings which were better than any story ever written. At the age of 13, I read Leon Uris' Exodus from cover to cover. I was enthralled by James A. Michener's Alaska. Edgar Allen Poe's works almost drove me to a fearful obsession. I would read by flashlight till almost morning. I loved novels, devouring them as one would a box of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. My mother could not understand my fascination with fiction. She would constantly point to my need to read the newspaper. "You need to read the news to know what is going on in the world"! she would exclaim. We were a newspaper household. My father subscribed to the Philadelphia Inquirer and Bulletin during the week he would purchase the Daily News. My older brothers coveted the New York Times as the be all to writtten information and commentary. It wasn't until later that I preferred the Wall Street Journal. My Mom and Dad had a newspaper ritual that consisted of reading the newspaper from cover to cover every night while sipping coffee. They were careful to treat the newspaper with the reverance befitting any oracle of information. Sections, when completed, were to be restored to their original pagiation and order. Only when the daily newspaper was thoroughly absorbed, by the parental units did it become fodder for other applications ie; the bottom of the bird cage, litter pan, dog area, spills, painting, crafts. The household uses were endless. If the newspaper would cease to be printed today, folks would be hardpressed to find another way to line the litter box. Perhaps they could use computer paper from the recycled bin. Perhaps a cottage industry of unprinted paper for household use would be established. What has become of the newspaper? Is it truly extinct? Maybe. One day I predict just as retro clothing, furnishings, collectables and cars have re-emerged from time to time; do might the newspaper. How do you get your news.