The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1899-03-24
Thrlemnrrat-S Star
THE AVERAGE CITIZEN AND
THE NEWSPAPER.
Forest Register.

Forest Register.
1t is most amusing to see the man
ner IN which the average citizen looks
upon newspapers. IL selecting his
newspaper, he takes the n which
pleases his fancy most and usually the
one which he thinks gives him the
most news, at least the most news OF
the character he would like to read,
and would be most interested in.
II he gets married, has a child born
into the family, If he goes abroad, or
does some commendable public act; il
he makes an Improvement to his prop
erty, or does anything which pleases
him, he wants to see il magnihed as
much as possible and appear in the
newspaper he has graciously and con-
descendingly bestowed his patronage
on. II a child or relative get married
he wants to see it gorgeously written
up: il some Of his relatives gain dis
tinction in any Of the walks of life he
proudly brings it to the newspaper for
comment, no matter whether anyone
else in the community knows or is in
terested in the relative or not; he is,
and that is sufficient. Ii the afore-
said relative is sick or dies, or il IA
member of the local subscribers fam
lily is called hence the newspaper is
expected to cXtol the merits OF the de-
departed in glowing terms. All this
and much more is expected OF the av.
erage citizens favorite newspaper.
So long as the favorite newspaper is
doing all the average subscriber de-
sircs, it is the best paper on earth and
the editor Il great man, and the sub
scrber swears by it. But let the
table turn-lct an item which may in
any way be construed to be a reflec-
tiOn upon the subscriber or any men,
Der of his family, or relative, or dear
small or unintentionally it may be
get into the newspaper displeasing
the average subscriber, and he at once
forgets all the kindness and beautiful
thing the newspaper has said OF him
and his during years OF service, and
at once calls on the editor and indig-
nantly repudiates him and his sheet
as meddlcsome and ungrateful, and al
ways ready to give the aforesaid sub
scriber and his 1.-THE worst Of it," He
wreaks his vengeance on the editor by
stopping his paper and influencing
everyone else lie possibly can do it
likewise.
The poor, dcluded individual sup
poses that when his patronage is with
drawn from the newspaper, and that
of the relatives and friends he a in
tlucnce, the paper will be unable to
sustain the irreparable loss Of patron
aye and that it must succumb, and
that its doors will be closed and pub
LEGATION suspended.
The poor fellow does not realize the
fact that he is not ''the only pebble on
the beach," that his patronage is only
small atom of the great whole which
makes up the business OF ii successful
newspaper, and that the item which
displcascd him and his, pleased as
many Others, heretofore not patrons
Of the paper, possibly, and that the
place OF his name and those Of his in
terested friends is at once filed by
others, and hcis hardly missed.
lie ''bites off his nose to spite his
face" He likes the paper; has taken
it so long it has become as a member
OF the family; his children have grown
up on it as they have other home Pc
culiaritics, and its absence is like the
death of a dear friend. lie tries some
other paper, but it will not fll the
bill. After his pet is over, he sees
what a fool he has been, and if his
pride will not prevent, he orders his
favorite paper again, or sprOngcS his
reading of it from some ncighbor, ra-
Their than acknowledge what a fool
he has been, as he cannot get along
without reading the old family news
paper, which has become a part OF his
daily lite.
1t is amusing to the makers of news
papers to thus note the tickleness OF
human nature in dealing with news
papers. The smaller the field of the
newspaper, the more noticeable it
is.