Such slogans make me think that this is what's wrong with the world today-that people pay too much attention to appearances and not enough to more important, substantive matters. After all, you can't judge a book by its cover.
But how about a magazine? Here at Kentucky Living we're devoting more and more time and attention to making our covers especially appealing. I'm even writing fewer words in this column these days so it can be dressed up with enticing artwork, and so that you won't be put off from reading it because it looks like it has too many words.

  Is my use of fewer words and more pictures helping you quickly find the information you need in today's busy world? Or am I contributing to the problem of emphasizing surface over substance? I seem to be on the horns of a dilemma. 

  Actually, the emphasis on appearances is not uniquely modern. After all, there's nothing new under the sun. Attention to image is hardly a new idea in America. Kentuckian Abe Lincoln was born in a log cabin, he did split rails, and he was honest, especially when it suited his political and policy goals. But in my reading about Lincoln, he was very aware of the value of the images of his humble and hard-working beginnings, and he didn't object to people wanting to use them to his benefit.
There's another time-tested saying that may 
cover all these questions: the more things change, 
the more they stay the same.