The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1897-09-17
Jtle Nerall aua Welvs.
+, II. hULL, EDITOR.
AN IsXCELLENT PAPER.

aud proprietor Of the Dalton, Ga, Ar
gus, who will be remembered In New
berry as printer and reporter on the
Observer some ten or twelve years ago,
has kindly sont us IN address he deliv-
cred before the Georgia Press Associa-
ton at u recent meeting. 1t was in re-
sponse to the sentiment The Press, but
is altogether different from most
speeches on such occasions. 1t is
plain, practical, business talk on the
business OF printing and editing ncws-
paper and is drawn from the practical
experience of man who has made a
success of the business. 1t is no secret
that Mr.. Shaver has made a fnancial
success OF tho business and every week
when we open his paper we wonder
where he gets all the local matter that
he prints. 1t is not, pudding either,
but real live local happenings and do
lngs of people. I1c prints one of the
best and clcancs; newspapers that como
to this Office. The entire address would
make good reading and profitable read.
lnE TO the newspaper men.
1t was sent for our personal pcrusal
and not for publication and we have
read it two or three times and with
profit. Without permission we will
snatch few sentences from it. for the
pcrusal Of our editorial brethren in
South Carolina.
"Aost of us arc simply agents of the
big dnilics, reprints of their sensations,
and me toos' of their ideas.
1--WE bow too much to the politic-
lans, and give them far too much free
space that should be paid for.
1--WE give too much space to magu-
zine ana newspaper ads, and to reprint
and plates, space that could be devoted
to foreign ads that would yield neat
profit.
1--WE credit too much, and carry sub
srribcrs too long, and many of us are
thus forced to get too much credit our
selves, and eventually bccomc cmbur-
a"srd: our usefulness crippled.
ave swap and barter advcrtizinw
space, and pay our employees in 'ordcrs,'
giving MS Il general reputation for hard
upncss; and nothing fails to succeed
like apparent failure"
Then he discusses the remedies for
these evils. We all must admit that
we full into these mistakes and our pa-
irons and friends will admit they are
mistakes. We undcrvamc our advcr-
tising space and get the people to be-
licving that we should not DC puid for
1T, and they think after awhile that wo
really consider IL IL favor to have an a(-
vcrtlscmcnt at almost any price because
we need something with which to fiji
up. When as II matter OF fuct it is us
much our merchandise us the goods on
Il merchant shelf. The newspapers are
expected to do all their wG-I free dur
ing campaigns and boom and advertise
the candidates and they do not even re-
ceive "thanky." We know some
newspapers that are taking ADVERTISE
mcntS 1T such rates that if every inch
OF space in their papers was taken at
the same rate they would not receive
much more than enough to pay for the
white paper. We arc to blame our
selves for this sort Of thing.
But then there are lust lots of people
who feel perfectly competent to run II
newspaper. In fact there are some
who believe that tho wisdom of the
ages is ccntcrcu in them.
After discussing the statements above
laid down Bro. Shaver remarks: "Dou't
he carried away with the idea that YOU
are the smartcst man in town, and the
biggest man in the State.
"Whcn WAS IL reporter, just leaving
my teens, remember used to think
mat everybody | passed was thinking,
'Thcrc goes that bright young fellow
who writes those smart articles in the
WINDY Buglcr.' now know better.
Few OF them thought Of me ut all, still
fewer Of them ever read my soph0m0-
rlc plalitudcs and booky paradcs OF
the little knowledge | had acquired
ut college: some few Of them did think
of them with wonder, at my nerve
in printing such stun, and others
thought Of them in gentle compass
sion FOR my idiotic vanity and feeble
powers of thought and cxpression.'
"Thc world generally sizes up an cd
itor pretty correctly on an average.
"Don't imagine that all the world is
looking up to yon rs IN oracle; more of
them look upon you rs II donkey"
The tronblc with many of us is that
we do not lay aside our foolish notions
rs we leave our teens but continue to
that we arc the smartcst man
IN town and that every body is looking
up TO us as an oracle. Wisdom and
common sense come to some people
with years and experience while To
others it comes not. 1t is the wise man
who learns and realizes that he knows
nothing and that there are other pco
plo VINO are as smart rs he is.