The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-01-24
THE REFoRMER BRATTLEBoRo w. FRIDAY. e. 1885,
The Country Newspaper.

me country NcW sP"P"'
T. Gov Woodbury. in his address be-
y fore the Press banquet at burlington
recently expressed the opinion tha'
the editorial page in many OF the state
I papers needed bracing. He said that
he believed paper should have oplh'
ions and ideas and have sand enough to
express them land hcinsinuated that II
an editor had not sufficient mental cal
iber to write an editorial occasionally
with an idea in tho had better abandon
the quill for the shovel. This is some
what in the line of remarks with a local
application of several gentleman ut the
banquet of the Brattleboro Republi
can clubs a few years ago. But Meth
er the governor nor the local speakers
were entirely just. The Vermont
press contains its due proportion of
weakiings, OF course. and it is subject
in some degree to the same influences
Of self interest and lack of moral courage
that warp the conduct of all humanity.
even politicians But after all this is
said, it may truly be asserted that the
Vermont press, in point OF editorial
vigor. character and moral standard
will average very well i'll comparison
with the country press OF any other
state. In fact as regards the point the
governor makes, about the cdi
torial page, the Vermont papers will
show a considerable superiority over
those published in places of equal size
elsewhere.
Still there is room for improvement
and the next few years will witness it.
The development of the local news
feature in the last 30 years has un
doubtedly had tendency to dwarf all
other departments of the country
paper. because the editorial energy has
been concentrated on the local col
umns. There can be no diminution in
the local department, but rather a
further and a constant development, |
for it is what the reader demands |
above all else and il serves useful |
purpose, even what seems the most I
trivial of it, in economizing and facil
itating modern life, in keeping the
local public informed of those matters
OF business, social and personal life
and movement that otherwise would
require great waste Of time and effort
to learn when il becomes necessary
that they should be learned. But this
service must be supplemented by some
thing more solid to answer the de
mands of an intelligent constituency,
for the day of the city weeklies that
have hitherto furnished the general
news. information and discussion, is fast
passing. as is shown by the discon
tinuance of the weekly editions Of the
Boston Globe. New York Herald and
so many of the great papers 1t has
long been the understanding in the ,
newspaper world that even the Boston {
Journal has this step under consdera !
ton. 1t is steadily narrowing down to /
The daily paper and the local weekly. S
md the family that cannot afford "a ]
iaily and finds nothing but local" in ',
is home paper, is getting into AN in l.
narrowness, knowing naught 4
If the interesting, instructive and in |
piring events and movements with :
which this great world is a
HE'D in this most won "
lerful of all ages that must prove d
ntolerablc. The country paper must u y
Ill the gap. 1t must besides detailing
he local happenings, little and great, !,
iscuss the things of local interest II
candidly. with outspoken II
delity to its convictions. for such is p
be course the public respects, even v
here II disagrees in opinion. But y,
must also at the same time broaden W
IS horizon and with a due sense of OF
roportioD, treat of the events of the a.
ate the nation and the world, in h;
Il its multifarious activities. so that ST
y its weekly visits il may help its al
,ader to become an all round well in a. a.
'rmed citizen.
This means of course more invest :.
ent. more equipment, more employ ia
ent of brains as well as hands 1t if
cans that the local paper of the or
turo cannot he run as the mere adj Co. 9"
net of a Job printing office. But the la.
ity aud the opportunity must be- met wi
ha
~, thu