Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-05-11
Country Newspaper.

q. '" TietcHtf, lOflncrlV FOREMAN OF the
News Department of this office, has Just com.
menced the publication of a spirited Repub.
lican paper in Sparta Randolph Co., Ill. In
the first number we find the following letter
to the Editor from Horace Greeley as to what
country newspapers should be:
New YORK, April 3, 1860.
FRIEND FLETCHER-I have line from YOU
informing me that you are about starting a
paper at Sparta, and limiting that line from
me would be acceptable. Allow Inc, then, as
one who spent most of his hopeful and OBJ.
servant years in country printing Office
and who sincerely believes that the art of con.
Quoting country Tor city, newspaper has
not yet obtained its ultimate perfection. to
set before you few hints on making up an
interesting gazette for a rural district, like
yours
l. Begin with clear conception that the
subject of depeest interest to an average hui
man being is himself; next to that he is
most concerned about his neighbors. Asia
and the Tonga Islands along way after these
in his regard. Ii does seem to me that most
country journals ere oblivious as to these vi
tai truths. IT, you will, as soon as may be,
secure wide-awake, judicious correspondent
in each village and township in your county
some young lawyer, doctor, clerk in a store,
or assistant in postofiice, who will prompt
ly send you whatever may occur of moment
in his vicinity, and will at least make up
half your journal of local matter thus collect
cd, nobody in the country can long do with
out it. DO not let a new church be organiz-
ed, or new members be added to one already
existing, a farm sold, house be raised. q
mill be set in motion, store rcopened, nor
anything of interest to dozen families occur,
without having the fact duly though briefly
chronclcd in your journal. If farmer cuts
a big tree or grows mamoth beet, or har-
vest a bounteous yield of wheat or corn, set
forth the fact as concisely and unexccption-
ably as possible. In due time, obtain and
print brief historical and statistical account
Of each township. who first settled in it, who
have been its prominent citizens, who attain
ed advanced years,therein, &c.-Record eve.
ry BIRTH as well ms every marriage and death
In short make your paper a mirror of every
thing done in your county that its citizens
ought to know; and, whenever farm is
sold, try to ascertain what it brought at pre-
vious sales, and how il has been managed
meantime One year of this, faithfully fol-
lowed up, will fix the value Of each farm in
the county, and render il as easily determin-
ed as that of Il bushel Of corn. ....
2. Take an active if not leading part in
the advancement of home industry. Do
your utmost not only for an annual County
Fair but Town Fairs as well. Persuade each
farmer and mechanic to send s0methinq To
such Fairs, though it be one or two well made
pairs of shoes from the one or n good car OF
corn from the other. If any one undertakes
a new branch of industry in the county, cs-
pecally if it be n manufacture, do not wait to
be solicited, but hasten to give him helping
hand Ask the people to buy his flour, OF
starch or woolcns, or boots, or whatever
may be his products, if it be good, in prefer.
ence to any other that may be brought into
the county to compete with him. Encourage
and aid him to the best of your ability. BY
persevering in this course a few years you
will largely increase the population Of youl
county and the value of every inch Of your
soil .. s..et- --s
3. Don't let the politicians and asprants
of the county own you. They may be cleye,
fellows, as they often are: but keep you,
eyes open, you will see some things that they
are blind to, and must speak ont accordingly
DO your best tokeep the number of public
trusts, the amount of official enolumcnts, anC
the consequent state Of taxation other thar
for common schools, as may be. Remember
that--in addition to the radical righteousness
of the thing-the taxpayers take many more
papers than tax-consumers.
would like to say more, but am busiet
excessively. That you may deserve ant
achieve success is the earnest prayer of
Yours truly
HORACE GREELEY.