The frequency of publication of newspapers, as well as their ephemeral
character, leads, in many instances, to the choice of comparatively
trivial topics for some articles. Merely to give readers entertaining
matter with which to occupy their leisure at the end of a day's work or
on Sunday, some papers print special feature stories on topics of little
or no importance, often written in a light vein. Articles with no more
serious purpose than that of helping readers to while away a few spare
moments are obviously better adapted to newspapers, which are read
rapidly and immediately cast aside, than to periodicals.

The sensationalism that characterizes the policy of some newspapers
affects alike their news columns and their magazine sections. Gossip,
scandal, and crime lend themselves to melodramatic treatment as readily
in special feature articles as in news stories. On the other hand, the
relatively few magazines that undertake to attract readers by
sensationalism, usually do so by means of short stories and serials
rather than by special articles.

All newspapers, in short, use special feature stories on local topics,
some papers print trivial ones, and others "play up" sensational
material; whereas practically no magazine publishes articles of these
types.

SUNDAY MAGAZINE SECTIONS. The character and scope of special articles
for the Sunday magazine section of newspapers have been well summarized
by two well-known editors of such sections. Mr. John O'Hara Cosgrove,
editor of the _New York Sunday World Magazine_, and formerly editor of
_Everybody's Magazine_, gives this as his conception of the ideal Sunday
magazine section: