The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-09-09
THE COUNTY NEWSPAPER
IT'S BENEFIcENT INFLUENCE UPON THE
READER.
Prize Essay Written for the Press
and Banner by Mr.. Foster Speer,
of I,OwnflesyiIIe. 8. G..

Here Is my county newspaper. consider
II q model one, SO examine it closely. You
will find no Haunting head lines, no startling
captions, no indecent police court reports,
Decorous responsibility is leglbly stamped be
tween every line on its closely printed pages
Here, on this first page, you will find "Ihe
Sunday Hour,',-no Igoody goody, namby
pamby trash here, but pure, hlgh-loned
thoughts from some Of the worlds nobeSt
minds. Many man who would not read Il
religious paper reads this part Of his county
newspaper.
articles constantly, and unconSciouSly TO him
self-maybc against his will-hc Is influenced
for good, mis- spiritual nature is elevated, the
GOOD which lays dormant rises to meet the
good Of which he reads. We are the better
for every pure thought, every noble impulse,
every grand aspiration. How many are call
ed forth by some pathetic incident, some
touching passage read in a county newspa-
per? How many boys and girls have been in
cited TO nobler effort, to higher ambition, by
its stories Of the worlds heroes:
MY paper contains letters from all parts OF
the county. am we'll informed on all county
affairs when I have read them. may stay
closely at home for three months, yet be no
Rip Van Wrinkle when go among my fellow
men. Here is the State news, political and
otherwise. Here an entire page given up 10
News Summary,'-yeS, much OF 1t is stale,
no doubt, but for that very reason more like.
" to be true-lt has had time to be verified.
Our county paper wanderS through the
vast labyrinth called "ncws," extending over
our entire land, and, cleaning the good from
the bad the true from the false, places before
YOU. in condensed space and simple language,
an authentic and comprehensive resume OF
the worlds "happeninss" for II week.
They tell US the map of the world is chang
ing every day. Does any book try to keep
pace with such rapid changes? But our little
county paper comes very near accomplishing &
such a record. No education Is complete un-
less rounded off by knowledge Of current
events, of cotcmporaneous history. Now,
my neighbor's boy talks learnedly of cubes,
surds, roots, HaverSian canals, yet yesterday
when some of us were discussing the Chilian
trouble, he looked like fool and acted like
one, when, to excuse his ignorance Of the sub.
ject he said he only had opportunity to read
the county papers. "rhose are all we ever
see my friend,' said to him. You owe it to
yourself-to your country-to know what is
going on around you-in your town, your
State, your county, and the opportunity 10
know is here presented, IN attractive form, at
powerful i'll its influence, so thorough in its
work, rs good county newspaper Statis-
tics show us that those pupils who are accus-
the most tractable, the most abSOrbtive in the
school room. That this is Il fact is shown by
the interest which teachers are taking in the
newspaper as an educator. In hundreds of
schools 1t has taken the place OF the Old lime
reading books. and know OF many in which
1t Is often used as Il textbook in the study OF
DO You believe that advertisements in II
county paper are seldom read? Just try Il
"Want," a Lost" or a"Found' Hopeless
indeed Is the appeal TO which no response
comes. AS an agent for bringing together
buyer and seller, producer and consumer, our
country paper is unrlvulled, and so is an ev-
cry day necessity in every home and Office.
A glance through its advertising columns will
prove that city merchants and manufacturers
recognize this. no less than the small farmer
and cross roads blacksmith. Like the patent
medicine almanac, 1t is printed for the law
yer the doctor, farmer, merchant, manuiac-
turer, mechanic and tradcSman, but its bigger
heart gives its long arms a wider sweep. and
1t even folds to its broad bosom the politician
and the tramp.
The county paper is power In church, IN
society, in State. BE it said, to lis everlasting
credit, no power, save that OF the church is so
often found on the side of truth and right.
Shoulder TO shoulder it stands with its BROTH
ers, and does battle for their cause, Valiant
battle 1t is and how often do we sec victory's
eagles perched in its banner!
All honor 10 you, little county paper!
May your shadow never grow less