Keeping it all in the family.

PERIODICALLY THE NCEW Group-serv (for an explanation of that term, see the President's Letter on page 38) carries conversation about the dealings of editors with cartoonists.

"This edition of your magazine makes the conversation more immediate, with comments from cartoonists about what they see as key issues affecting the profession.

I say "the profession" rather than "their profession" because they and we are in the same business: We both comment on public affairs institutionally or otherwise, for consumers of the news. Editorial page people and cartoonists are members of the same extended family, and it's good to have this modest opportunity for a reunion.

Masthead readers have Jeff Koterba to thank for this. Jeff, who has been otherwise leaned on disproportionately by the editor for Masthead covers and illustrations these past two years, developed the idea for this symposium, lined up participants, and helped coordinate the artwork as well as writing the intro.

To one such as the Masthead editor, who draws at a second-grade level, Rex Babin's piece on the basics of cartooning is instructive. This collection of essays should also accommodate broader interests. Mike Keefe, in a forward-looking piece, brings new meaning to the idea of "animated commentary." And readers who are drawn to discussions of the liberal/conservative fault lines in our midst shouldn't miss Henry Payne's provocative remarks on the life and times of a conservative cartoonist.

The closeness of our two crafts comes into even sharper focus if one considers the similarity between the concerns expressed by these cartoonists and the subjects regularly aired by writers and editors of editorials: We both worry about keeping up with a changing world, maintaining the attention of our audiences amid the clamor of 21st-century life, and making sure that technology remains our servant instead of becoming our master.

Moreover, cartoonists have much to teach us about the art of simplifying the expression without trivializing the message--a constant challenge for the writers of opinion.

So, cousin cartoonists, welcome to the pages of The Masthead. And thanks for the perspectives you bring.

One of the highlights of the Chicago convention was a historical impersonator, Bill Chrystal, who depicts a thoroughly convincing John Adams.

This kind of impersonation isn't just a parlor game. The Chautauqua program, in which Chrystal has participated since 1993, calls on the scholar/ practitioners to dig deeply into the stories of their characters, going beyond the history books into the layers of decision-making that went into the accomplishments of those characters.

Digging into history, going beyond the books? It sounds sort of like editorial writing. Except that for an impersonator, the subject doesn't talk back.