The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-10-03
THE NEWSPAPER DEAD-BEAT.
An Interesting Analysis of the Char
acter of This Too Numerous Animal.

acter of This Too Numerous Animal.
The dead head is the bane of coun-
try newspaperdom. Watch as you
will he will get on your subscription
lists like moths in clothes laid away
or like barnacles on the hull of a ship.
And when they once get on your list
they generally stay there and every
birthday of country paper reminds
you of and accetuates the fact (amid
the pleasurable sentiments with which
the average editor always felicitates
himself upon such memorable occa-
sions) that the delinquent, like the
poor, you have with you always.
The dead beat is such a delusive
animal. He goes in for everything in
sight. Let store open in a COM
munity-lct the initial number of a
new paper appear-and this type of
man appears on the scene to congrat
ulate the new conner and to assure him
he has been sadly needed in the com
munity for long time. While ex-
tending his compliments he never neg
lects to work his credit, and the poor
grocery man or newspaper fellow,
swelling as he is with pride and hope,
IS rendered an unsuspecting prey. The
delinquent once on your book, is hard
to get rid of. He is plausible, art
full scoundrel. OF course it is always
a year before you realize his true char
acter. Then he has you in his power
This is especially true with regard to
the newspaper man in his dealings
with this monstrosity. The tempta
ton then is to carry him still longer.
The editor ..hates5to lose what he has
already earned, which he knows he will
if he sewers his relations with the delin-
Quent In the mean time the delin-
quent is such an agreeable fellow. He
generally endorses what the paper
says and finds glimpses Of genius now
and then in the merest medioCrities of
the editorial column. If he kicks at
all it is generally in such way as to
convince the editor that he is con-
cerned about the papers welfare. He
makes himself such seductive Cuss
that the editor generally hates to cut
him off, Consolng himself with the
hope that sometime in the future he
may secure from the delinquent at
least lick and promise, instead of
I promise alone. And SO it goes and
SO it is that the dead head, as surely
as the sirens have lured the sailors on
the rocks, has dragged many worthy
man down into the perdtion of failure.
-Reidsvilie Re0ic70.
The Statesville Landmark writes
about the same dead-beat but from
another point of view. Our observa-
ton and experience have been such as
to tell US the Landmark is right-that
it has sized the newspaper dead bea t
up pretty accurately. 1t says:
That is an interesting and we'll
written article fro :, the Reldsville Re
gieay, about the dead-beat subscriber.
1t will touch responsive chord in the
breast of every newspaper man in the
State, as well as some in other lines of
business. But the LanaWayk's ex-
perience is different from that of he
Reuit1o in one important particular.
Our experience is that the dead beat,
instead of Complimen'ing the paper,
is generally very exacting individual,
infinitely more SO than the best cash
paying subscriber on the book. 1t is
difficult to get the paper up to the
standard OF excellence that he requires
of it, and he is generally free with his
criticism S. After time when you be-
gin to press him for cash, he is free to
say that the paper is no account and
that he only takes ltas an acCommoda-
ton to you-feeiing it his duty to en-
courage editors by subscribing for
their paper-even If he never pays for
them. And if you should become
hard-hearted enough to shut off his
free reading matter entirely, he will
be outraged; he will be your enemy
for life. He will make it his business
to put in word against you or your
paper on all occasions; he will tell
how it has deteriorated, he will wonder
why people take your sheet at all; and
he will point out the excellencies OF
the rival newspaper. And all this be-
cause you allowed him TO read the
paper two are three years without pay
and then tried to collect out of the
internal scoundrel what was honestly
your due.
Many of the citizens of Rainsvtlle. Ind-