The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-07-05
s'Solid Reading Matter

We have been very much interest
ed recently in the "shop talk" in
which seme of our contemporaries in
this and adjoining States have
been engaged The Charlotte Oh.
server. the Columbia State, the
Book Hill Herald. and several others
of our immediate journalistic family,
have been expressing their opinions
with more or less freedom, and with
occasional personal suggestions, as to
the best way iu which to build up
towns and communities It is not
to be expected, the course that news
papers in the South should be able
to do much more than act in a largely
advisory capacity, so much of their
strength being exhausted in charity
work that they are not very flush in
this worlds goods II the communi
ties which they imediately serve
should prosper, it is to be expected,
of course that the newspapers will
prosper, but this work is as unselfsh
as that done by any body of profes.
sional Samaritans to be found in the
world They work day and light,
early and late, summer aud winter,
without rest, for the public good
They work, moreover, oftentimes in
the face of opposition, or chilling
indifference. which would take the
heart out Of any but the stoutest ad
vocates Now and then, here and
there, there is a rift in the clouds,
an oasis in the desert, bright spot
on the convas; as, for example, the
following which We received q day
or two ago:
To the Editor Of The News and
Courier: Please accept assurances of
of my grateful appreciation of your
kindness in giving space for full
report of our commencement exer-
cises in The News AID Courier.
Very truly yours.
We refrain from printing the name
of this most appreciative College
President. lest it embarrass him his
letter not having been written for
publication We find upon examina
ton of our columns that the "full
report of our commencement exer
cises," for which our friend is so
grateful, occupied only about one
column and a half The reports of
the commencement exercises in sew
eral other colleges in the State occu-
pied four or FIVE times as much space
Of course. the presidents OF these
institutions were pleased enough in a
way to have so much said in sppre.
citation of their work F; that is to say
they would rather have had some
thing said about their collegee than
that the commencement exercises
should have been passed without
comment.
We suppose they were pleased by
the attention given their colleges.
but we could not swear to il the
letter we have printed being the only
sign we have had that the work Of
this newspaper was regarded with
favor by those who should have been
especially interested in it.
Last year, when one of the colleges
in this State-about which the News
and Courier has printed. we should
say, first and last, not less than three
hundred columns. or enough to fill
volume as big as the Revised Statutes
Of South Carolina-we received the
copy of an advertisement for publica
ton in the News and Courier an.
rouncing that this college would
resume its scholastic exercises on
such and such day, etc, ETC., and
along with the copy a postofice
money order or check for the sum
of SIS, with q statement that the
appropriation for advertising pur-
poses would not permit the expendi-
ture of larger amout OF money than
the sum enclosed We have no
doubt our friends in Columbia and
Rock Hill and Charlotte and through.
out the State have had very much
the same experience, and we submit
to them that if an agreement could
be made at the approaching annual
meeting OF the State Press Associa.
sion at Harris Springs. by which the
newspapers should exercise judi
cious reserve in the space devoted 10
college exercises, perhaps the appro-
priations for advertising might be
somewhat increased. We should not
think for moment Of suggesting any
sort of a combination among the
newspapers touching this or any
other purely business matter, but a
discussion of the general subject of
free advertising would be very inter
estiDe. we have no donht. not onlv