Thomas County cat., 1886-08-05
THE LOCAL PAPER.
Tho Valuable and Frequently Unappre-
ciated Services 1t Renders to the Com
munity In Which It Is Published


ciated Services 1t Renders to the Com
nunity In Which 1t Is Published.
The benefits conferred by well con-
Quoted local paper are seldom appre-
ciated by the people who enjoy them.
Whether we consider it as a promoter
of business prosperity, or as moral
and educational institution. its real
value is much greater than that usually
attributed to it by those who ought to
value it higher. No other business es-
tablishment contributes as much toward
the upbuilding of town, and no other
business man is called upon to do as
much gratuitous work in the interest of
his neighbors and the public as its
editor. The amount of free advertising
done in the local paper in the course of
year is simply enormous. Every
church festival, every school exhibition.
the meetings of the sewing circles, mite
societies, masonic and other lodges,
village officials, church and school
boards. and promiscuous gatherings of
all kinds are duly announced without
charge. If such announcements were
paid for, even at half rates, the pub
lisher's income would be materially in
creased. But these are nothing as COM
pared with the free advertising in be-
half of projected railroads, turnpikes,
and public Improvements in general.
Few men, it seems, are capable of
correctly estimating the obligations of
the community to the local paper and
its editor. The masses accept the bene-
fits and the services as matters of
course. When he has paid the SUBJ
scription price the average subscriber
appears to think the account balanced.
Indeed, there are those who appear to
think they are doing an extremely gen.
crous thing to pay for their paper at
all. They seem to think the editor
ought to be grateful for his proper
dues. They regard the paying of their
subscription AS the doing of a charitable
deed, and this, like other charities, is
generally performed very grudgingly.
They do not think of the beneficial eff
fects upon the business interests of the
place, in which every member of the
community share. produced by the
publication of the local paper. They
do not stop to consider what would
be the effect if its publication were
stopped.
A very little thought is. however,
sufficient to convince any sensible per-
son that the support of the local paper
is, from a purely business standpoint,
most profitable investment for the
community at large. Compare, for
instance, the amount of capital invest
ed in he mercantile business of town
with that invested in the local papers,
and note how inconsiderable the latter
is; the ratio is perhaps one hundred to
one. Then compare the amount an
nually spent at. the stores with that
paid to support the local papers and
again note the insignificance of the
latter amount; the terms of the proper
ton are even more diverse. Who will
say that the comparison is unfavorable
to the newspapers?
The comparison does not fail, either,
when applied TO moral and education
al Institutions. A community that
supports two or three papers is gener-
ally found supporting perhaps hun
dred churches and schools. Compare
the cost of maintaining all these insti-
tutions, including the salaries of
preachers and teachers, with the cost
of supporting the local papers. Then
compare the moral and educational re-
salts, one side with the other, and il is
pretty safe to say that the result will
not be unfavorable to the properly
conducted paper. (And, right here, it
is proper to say that fair and just
comparison must exclude all immoral
publications. A paper, the moral
tone of which is low, is no more
worthy of liberation or encourage
ment in community or in home
than any other institution or individual
tainted with moral leprosy.)
Every man engaged in business, OF
in any way interested in the material
prosperity of his town and vicinity, or
in the educational affairs of his COM
munity, or in the moral purity of So
ciety in his neighborhood. is under
great obligations to his local paper,
and should give it liberal support,
not as charity, but as a duty to him.
self, to his family and to his neighbors,
and as a wise investment of his money.