Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-07-24
alistellaneul1s 8eading.
"TO The NEWSPAPERS"

"TO THE NEWSPAPERS"
Some Advice Upon a Professional Ques-
ton Of Moment.
The News and Courier.
About a month ago The News and
Courier received a highly gratifying
communication from nj mber OF gen.
tlemen in this city Who arc interested
in educational work, thanking it for
"the generous manner in which you
manifest your interest in the general
education of the youth of the state. "
Yesterday we received a letter from
the president of one of the most -four
ishing colleges in the state enclosing
an advertisement of the college and a
check for So to pay for it. The adver.
tisement was long and the check short.
In addition to the publication of the
advertisement, as many times as we
could afford for the money, request
was made for such a notice in the
reading columns of the paper us we
could prepare. 1t is only fair to say
that the president expressed regret
that the appropriation for advertising
was 80 small that he could not expend
more than the amount transmitted
for the purpose. But we should like
to know why the appropriation for
advertising the colleges and schools is
always so small Z? The newspapers in
South Carolina are remarkably gener-
GUS in their treatment of the colleges
and schools. In no other state of the
Union, we dare say, do the newspapers
6ll 80 much of their space with free
advertising of the schools. In no other
state, we dare say again, do the colleges
and schools spend less for newspaper
advertising. As to the college which
we now have in mind, the newspapers
have within the last few years, or since
its establishment, given it thousands
of dollars worth of advertising, and
given it gladly, and from sense OF
public duty, and without the hope or
expectation of reward. We doubt
that it could have succeeded without
their certainly it would not
have made its way to the public heart
80 quickly without the approving
words of the press. But when it
comes to "business," the college is sim
gularly contracted in it's view as to the
value of advertising. 1t has been will
ing to accept all that could be said OF
it and for it in the news columns OF
the papers, but it cuts the appropria-
ton for advertising to the bone when
it comes to doing business in a busi-
ness way. And as long as the news
papers accept what it chooses to offer
for their services they will never get
paid. The president of the college in
view doubtless proceeds upon the the
ory that "a bird in the hand is worth
two in the bush," and that check,
however small in amount, will often
pay for work really worth two or three
times as much as the amount offered.
This is trading, however, and not
business.
While we are on this subject we
should like to suggest to our Columbia
contemporaries and to other newspa-
pers in the state that there is a great
deal of what is called "oficial adver-
Using" that should be paid for, but is
done for nothing. Possibly there is
some "news" in almost every official
statement, but the "news" could be
covered in few lines while the full
statement would fill half a column or
perhaps several columns. Why waste
space on proclamations and orders and
declarations and statements of a pub
lie nature that are worth so much to
the newspapers as "news" but would
be worth good deal more as adver-
Using? The present experiment in
campaign reporting has given so gen.
eral satisfaction to the newspapers and
the public that we have thought it
might be extended in the direction we
have indicated. The Baltimore Sun
is very rich newspaper, and it has
made pile of money out of the poll
ticians who have statements to make.
We have been told that in active cam
paign years the income OF The Sun
from this source amounts TO as much
or more than $4,000. A little conden.
sation in the "news" reports would
doubtless have a good effect on the ad-
vertising business. An associated press
for newsgathering is good thing-an
associated press for business purposes
might not be bad thing.
DOLLY MADISON'S BRAVE DEED.