Not only were these headings unemphatic typographically but they made no particular effort, apparently, for emphasis or action in their wording. The label, actionless heading, brought over with other journalistic traditions, from England, was deeply rooted in American practice, and it took two or three wars to raise excitement over news of the day to the point where screaming action appeared to be demanded.
Of recent years, indeed, the Hearst papers and some others in America, having noticed an apparent over-dependence on verbs by American headwriters, have gone part-way back to the British label style; but they are trying to get strong labels. Forceful nouns and just the right adjectives have to be selected, and it is remarkable how well most stories can get along without verbs in the headlines if the right nouns are chosen.
One noticeable point in the 19th century heads is the emphasis on the way the news was obtained. The telegraph was young, and there was the same interest in anything obtained over the wire at that time that later attached to tuning in on Mexico or Paris, regardless of how commonplace the matter carried on the radio. This phase passed, for both wire and radio.
The New York Herald began writing them bigger and blacker. Behold a 17-deck head covering the news budget brought in by the steamship Africa from Europe (these vessel arrivals were always played up big, but Europe was just completing one of its big wars, and it took 17 decks (sections) to do all this world news justice).
Under the sprightly leadership of C. S. Jackson and John F. Carroll the Oregon Journal in 1903 went into the bright red on its headlines in order to get into the black in the bookkeeper's report. Phrasing was in harmony with the coloring. The vogue never took hold in Portland and after a few years was abandoned.
