Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-02-12

rent stops the day 1 am buried"
Beecher on Weekly Newspapers.
Despite his erratic political views,
his ignorance of the Chinese ques-
tion and his cranky theological opin-
ions. Henry Ward Beecher's cranium
is perfectly level on the subject of
weekly newspapers. The hero of
the "paroxysimal kiss" recently
gave expression on the question of
periodicals issued weekly, the gist of
which shows that some good can
como out of such a Nazareth. We
believe that all of our esteemed
contemporaries of the once-a.week
order, whatever their shade of polit-
ical, financial, or religious faith, will
accept Mr.. Beecher's views on the
subject handled as er cathedra.
Says the gentleman:
"There is nothing equal to a good
weekly newspaper. Not half those
who live in the cities know the lux
ury of reading a good weekly. Re-
move far out into the country, to
some point where the mails come but
twice or thrice weeE; where few
strangers break in, ard where the
few neighbors live in primeval SIM
plicity. Now, let the day come
round for the weekly newspaper.
That day is reserved for errands, and
the father is always at the store
when the mail arrives. He takes
the weekly paper. fresh and moist
from the bundle, and hastens home
with his treasure. All in the house
know that the paper has come. AZ
ter supper all gather round the fire.
The father puts on his spectacles
and reads the news, and some of the
amusing items, stopping to join the
march of events to last weeks knowl-
edge. Questions are put, para
graphs are re-read. Calculations
are made. Domestic or industrial
questions are discussed. The whole
family are alive. New thoughts stir
them. But the best part of the pa
per is saved till Tomorrow There
is but one service in the country
church. After that and after dinner,
the paper comes forth again. and
the Sunday reading is gone through
with. The whole of it attracts the
grown folks, und half of it the chill
dren. Its enough sight better than
the catechism, says rollicking boy
whose constitution does not seem to
have suffered from too much cate
chism. But dull or spritely, every
word Of it 10 listened 10. On
Monday the advertisements are read
and before the next paper comes
around every line and letter has
been read, and many of them several
times. Every day the topics come
up at meal.time. The conversation
goes on in the shop. in the dairy.
1t enlivens the whole week. And
so, when city folks in Summer go
into the pleasant village, they find
the people know more about city
life than they themselves do. They
are surprised by questions about
concerts, lectures, public men, con-
ventions and literary transactions,
which they cannot answer. All
over the land there are intelligent
families with good newspapers, who
know more about the goings-on in
the world than they do who live
among the events recorded. And so
it has passed to a proverb-' You
must 60 into the country to find out
what has happened in the city,"
Advertisers should take note of
these remarks of Mr.. Beecher. The
dailies are skinned through and the
advertisements neglected, while
"every line and letter" of the weekly
is read "and many of them several
times"