Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-07-28
COUNTRY AND CITY DITORs.

IF country papers are DOT what they
ought to be it is not for want of advice
from city papers. We have been told
by city papers for the last ten years,
perhaps twenty, that if we would make
good country paper We must publish
all the local n:,os that if we would
make paper very readable and attract
i've, the local neacs must form the main
feature that if we would give our pa
per character and credit abroad, all the
loca! neaoS must be collected and sent
out. The last large instalment of that
kind of advice comes from the late In
diana Editorial Convention, in the
shape Of an address delivered by city
editor and handed over to US by the
city papers. And in that article as in
most others of the kind, the inference
is made too plain to be mistaken, that
country editors should leave all the
more important matters to the wiser
heads that are found connected with
the city papers. Putting this inference
into plain English it would read as fol-
lowi The business of the country pa
pers is only to furnish the local news
and that of the city papers is to treat Of
State and national matters, political
economy, education. agriculture, and
all the great laws Of physical and NOR
al life-so each family IN the circle of
the local paper will take the local pa
per for It's local news, and the city pa
per for other important matters that
they must have.
Now he must he a very dolt Of coun
try editor who does not know, without
being told, that it is his business to
furnish all important local news, just
as it is the business Of the city editor
to furnish such news and that if he
neglects such matters his paper will suf-
fer accordingly. 1t is not, then, to the
body of such advice that we object, but
to its spirit. If country papers are to
be the vehicles of local news only, then
any boy or ckhead, who can write
out the fact that Peter Sniffles has
broke his little toe, or Nancy Numb
scull has bought new dress, is fit for
country editor while all who think
themselves of mighty editorial caliber
will hasten to the cities for situations.
And we submit to country and city ed
ltors if this is not somewhat the ten
1epcy Of the times. a country editor
may write and publish thorough, deep
and logical article, on some subject
important to his readers and others,
and it will not be copied by city or
country papers but let the city editor
write and publish tie same thing and
it will be copied far and wide. Why?
Because there is such prevalent idea
that nothing smart can come from
country editors that such articles are
not even read by others to see whether
they are smart or not.
So far as we are personally concern
ed we have no fault to find with all this
But when the country papers become
degraded to a mere local news circular,
the tendency will be, as far as the in
fiueuce goes, to degrade the whole
community with them. And at the
present time there is hardly any other
influence which does so much either to
elevate or degrade mankind as the
country press. It is general idea,
and correct one, that everv family
shoald have its local paper and hand
reds of families within the circle ofev-
cry country paper have no othcr. And
we claim that the weekly papers have
a greater influence oyes. families than
dailies. The daily paper Is taken NEST,
~ by business men, at their place OF
business, hurriedly read and LAID aside.
The country weekly goes into the
families Of the farmers and mechanics,
where, among large share, there is pot
great amount of periodical reading
matter. During the week it is all read,
not only by the head of the family, but
oy all the children who are old enough
to read; and before the year is ont the
character of the family-imperceptiblv
to themselves peihaps--is verv mncI
nodded to- the character of the naner
In large number Of these families no
city paper comes: What then should
be the character of the country paper
that goes there +? =
We have no room at this time to
show, except in general, why the coun-
try paper should not only contain local
nems hui Averuthinn which nnns 10