The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1891-09-23


The following extracts are from a
capital article under that heading
in the September Century Magazine,
by E. w. Howe:
The one thing about country news
papers that seems To be always true
is that they are never satisfactory
70 the people who support them.
Yet there is nothing so hard 10 kill
as a country newspaper, however
unpopular it may be. A paper that
really does not amount To much or
dinarily may amount To a good deal
If an intruder comes into its field /,
and gentlemen looking for locations
should be careful ofstarting new pa
pers in towns for no other reason
than that the people encourage
them.
An ordinary business is rated a
failure if it does not pay. There
are plenty of country papers that
have not made dollar in twenty
years, but the publishers hold on
with foolish stubbornness, though
they might succeed in some other
calling. g....I have heard many
men SAY they were certain they
could not succeed as doctor, lawyer,
merchant, dentist, or what not, but
/ have never heard one say he could
not succeed as an editor, particular
~ asa country editor. Really good
newspaper men are scarce ia the
country, for a business man and 4
writer must be combined To insure
success; but there is no lack OF news
papers, and rs halfthr people seem
a. be waiting to give the business a
trial. | feel certain that the supply
will always be considerably greater
than the demand.
Although as a nation we are sup
posed To have unusual confidence in
newspapers. | shall always believe
that there is strong undercurrent
Of opposition to them among our
liberty-loving people. II all the
papers in town unite i'm favoring
a measure. a large proportion OF the
people are sure 10 oppose il. The
three papers of certain small city
once united in opposing a candidate
for an important office, but the peo-
pie elected the candidate by the
largest majority ever heard Of in
that region. The candidate was
elected to fill an unexpired term,
and when he came up for the same
office a year later the papers all
agreed not 10 mention his name, and
the Objectionable candidate was de-
feated. l have known so many ed
itors to fail in forcing the people in
to a particular way ofthinking, that
am inclined to believe il is safest
modestly to follow the best public
sentiment.
Country editors quarrel with one
another too much too many of
them imagine that they are buzz
saws, and long for an opportunity
to prove it. The people are not in
terested in these quarrels, and as
rule do not like them. a tilt be-
tween editors may be occasionally
interesting, but only when the par
ties to it are exceptionally clever.
In a newspaper controversy an ed
itor cannot defend himself modes
ty will not permit it; he can only
attack the other editor. so that while
both are besmirched, neither is
championed.
There is one name that
should be kept out of a news.
paper, wherever published. and
that is the name of the editor. A
really good editors name is seldom
seen in print in the town where he
lives, for he cannot print it himself,
and the other papers will not, ex-
cept in a caricature. In a political
controversy one paper attacks cam
didate, and the other defends him,
so that the character of the canGi-
date is left in the end where it was
in the first place, but when editors
pummel one another they simply
debase themselves in the eyes of the
community. Lawyers are the most
sensible class of men in the matter
Of quarreling the reason probably
is that their business throws them
together a great deal, while other
men nurse their professional hatreds
in private.
There are many comfortably rich
men in the country, but few ofthem
are editors. There are many luxu-
rious homes in the country, but few
of them are occupied by editors.
The fact is, thcse Is little money in