Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1900-04-13
THE COUNTRY
WEEKLY PAPER
MOuldS the Sentiment of
the Republic.
the METROPOLITAN DAILY

1 y
ly is Read Carefully by the
Whole Family.
The country newspaper men Of
today really mould the sentiment of
the republic and have done so for
the last fifty years The metropeli-
tan paper cannot successfully cham
pion any proposition that meets with
the united opposition of the country.
Great movements either succeed or
fail in propotion as they are advo-
Gated or opposed by the people who
live in small towns and farms
because the evenings of such people
are devoted TO reading and reflection
or to old fashioned visiting, which
means an exchange OF views and
frequent discussion, In moulding
these views, the icosntry editor is
the chief instrument; and after they
are nodded, he is their chief exponent,
and thus verdicts for history are
mode
The metropolitan daily comes to
the small towns or To the farms. nd
and is so large that il is merely
scanned-read mostly from the head
lines. The husband aud father
persuses it, losses it aside, and it is
snatcned up by the daughter, who is
through with it as soor as she glancss
over the fashion column. loook at ghs
pictures, or read. the few paragraphs
on etiquette.
''This is what / want" says tho
head OF the house, as he takes up
the county weekly. He looks over
his spectacles aud saws; "rhis homo
paper is just like a letter, aud then
he settles down and reads it ever bit
He not only reads, but also 2ras ps
the meaning of 1t all; aud il there are
three or four men who write for the
paper, he can tell by the stamp of
indivuality who wrote this article,
and who wrote that. The people in
the country, where there are no
large towns, are simply large
family. and every item in the local
paper is of interest; and, as the father
reads, he comments "Henry
Arnold has disposed of his lower
eighty" and "Phil Leslie's aldest
hoy has married and has moved to
Wilson's place. and Jones has been
given judgement in that horse case
and There's festival at Zion church
Saturday night" and so on and so
forth. Then his wife repIoves him
with:"W ell there won't be thing
in that paper of in esest co me, if
you keep ON.
And thus it is that the paper
issue d once every week by country
editor is read in the evening in the
home, ard item after item dis
cussed and the editorial comments
make an indelihie impression. Tbs
country newspaper man edits 1t
from the standpoint Cf his own hpme
and fireside, and consequently edits
1t honestly, in accordance with
: conscience and judgment. Too
many metropolitan papers are edited
by the business manager; the fact is
too many editorial writer's for
metropolitan papers are merely
clerks detailed from the counting
room, and knoledge of this fact dis
count in advance the editorial ex-
I preston of the city press. The
, country editor lives in an environ
5 men: where there Is little temptation
to make merchandise of his editorial
l opinion, and where if bis reputation
for integrity we're successfully
assalled, he would be compelled to
dispose of his paper,
The country newspaper man
interesting. as be does, each week
through the medium OF his paper
from one to two thousand homes i,
easily the most influential in the
country. If he is level hooded and
honest, his power for good is beyond
estimate; il he is unscrupulous. he
can do incalculable injury, b. cause
the reader OF his paper are slow t.
attribute questionable le motives t.
Their home adItnrand IL a :.