The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-09-26
Sustain Your County Paper.
From the Nashville Danner.1

From the Nashville Danner.l
Perhaps no other State in the Union,
not excepting those Of populous ana
intelligent New England, can boast a
better class of county weekly newspa'
pers than Tennessee. Her State press
has always rapked in ability and enter
Prise with the first class weekly news
papers Of other States, and, as far as
our observation and experience permits
of a comparison, the Tennessee coun-
ty papers have generally been more
'newsy"N and original. But they are by
no mcan rs good us they might be if
the encouragement to 'cach was as sub
stanton as IL ought to be. The citi-
zcns in every community which is now
supplied with II newspaper, should in.
terest themselves u little more in this
matter, and our State press will then
be materially benefited, and its sphere
Of usefulness greatly enlarged AMI the
interests, %pecuniary, social and educa-
tional Of It's constituency be materially
enhanced. One hundred new paying
subscribers to county paper would en-
able its publishers to employ addition
al editorial assistance, perhaps, or en-
able him to present his paper in a hand
some new suit oftype, and in any event,
inspire the valuable little enterprise
with new hope, courage, energy and
spirit, and, in time, so inspiring and in
vigorating the community in which it
thrivcs and lourishcs, and advertising
to the great big world outside, the cul-
turc, refinement and progress Of lis
immediate locality.
The advantages of the local ncwspa
per are incalculablc, There is no est
mating how much good it accomplish
es in a quiet and oltcntimes imperccpt-
ible sort of way, for it is always SOW
ing good seed in the most trequcnteo
as in the most out Of the-way places
The county newspaper has been tn,
school and college Of many poor
mans child, who has, in after life, at.
tanned distinction in the world. The
best illustration Of the efficiency of the
newspaper as an instructor. perhaps, is
afforded in the fact that 50 many Of on
great men have begun their career in {
printing Office. The daily and hourly
reading Of the types has plante,
thoughts and ideas in the mind Of til,
youthful compositor, which. in after
years, produced abundant fruit. Nc
constant reader Of Il newspaper can be
otherwise than benefited and instruct.
ed, and the eager love of reading and
the desire for the acquisition Of knowl-
edge, peculiar to great scholars and
men Of genius, has often received its
original inspiration from the unpretcn.
ding little family newspaper. A good
newspaper should be in every family,
OF, as Artemus Ward would tacctious-
ly frame it-"no family should be with
out it," 1t presents the most attract
i've kind OF reading in the most inviting
shape, and is constantly placing itself
as it were, in the way Of your children,
who learn to search its columns for
matters Of interest and amusement, or
from curiosity, and 50 acquire u habit
Of reading, which is point gained il
no other good is the result. We al
ways think well Of the man who takes
his W county paper, and we are in the
habit Of accepting the presence of the
local paper rs an evidence OF the re
s%pectability Of the household wherever
we see it in our travels.
But leaving out Of sight the cduca-
tional advantages of the little family
visitor and teacher, It's importance to
the trade Of communities is beyond
question. 1t is the leading commercial
feature Of every place where merchants
most do congregatc, whether il be the
merchant in country produce or the
established retailer Of dry goods and
groceries, or the chairmakcr and black,
smith. The county always hourishes,
in u word, that supports u live county
newspaper, and the county that hasn't
one, or having it, does not support it,
does not deserve to prosper. We hold
that it is not ever second in impOr-
lance to the village church or the
country collegc-indced, we have the
haldihood to express our opinion that
it is even more beneficial and does more
good than either, from the reason that
its audiences are larger, and its inlu
enccs more widespread and general
We should like to sec our Tennessee
exchanges prosper. We should like
to STE them all coming out with bright
new faces, wrcathed about with smiles
of good humorcd plenty, and sparkling
with wit and originality. There is no
lack of talent in the country press-bul
there is u lack of industry so far as
gathering the local Jews is concerned.
But in this respect, a hearty support
from the communities where they cir
culatc would slim Llatc the energies OF
their conductors, and this much a%cliiev-
ed. the country press would be an Or
nament to the State, attracting cap tai
and enterprise within her borders. We
would not be considered, in these re-
marks, as assuming l patronizing atti-
tudc towards the Press of our State, as
the sclf-constituted lecturer to our co.
te%mporaries. We have been influenced
to suggest the ideas here crudely
thrown out, from an honest and sincere
conviction that the country press is not
sustained us it should be that n liber
al support to it by each community |
would vastly advance the interests of
the commonwealth, and chiefly from the
desire to see the State Of Tennessee Il
reading community.