The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-08-15

~ viz t''l"4oeioh VI luc COuuLTS LncV
have only one-thirteenth of the num-
Der of books in American libraries.
10 develop love of good literature
ought to be regarded as one of the
most important duties of the teacher.
Yet it has not been SO considered, and
heretofore thousands of children in
this State have known nothing of lit
crature beyond the intolerable monot-
ony of dry text books, which too
often make the child regard reading
as drugery instead of u luxury.
Among people trained up in this man
ner, journalism does not flourish. On
the other hand, our business will re-
ceive much benefit from the rural
school libraries, teaching the child
something Of the beauties of litera-
t"re as they will and early develop
ing the reading habit. And, in pass
ing. let credit be given the North
Carolina Literary and Historical AS
sociation for securing the passage of
the law making this possible.
The last of the three movements to
which | have asked your attention is
The delivery of our papers is mat
ter Of no small Importance. We may
print papers until doomsday without
effect unless they are put into the
hands of readers. And the more
promptly the papers are delivered,
the greater the profit OF publication.
These things being true, and it being
1-n hat 1,
agricultural State, only IS per cent.
of our people living in incorporated
towns or cities, the apathy of the
North Carolina press with regard to
rural free delivery is astonishing.
The growth of the system is phenom-
enai. The first Congressional ap-
preparation for the work was $4,000
in 1897. This has grown to $750,O0O
in 1900, while the appropriation for
the fiscal year beginning with the
first day Of this month is So, 500, 900.
But, as rule, our newspapers and
our Congressman have not properly
agitated this subject. So while
routes are established when ever they
are properly petitioned for, only
eleven have yet been put in operation
in North Carolina-only eleven, while
South Carolina has II, Georgia 93,
and Tennessee 142. These are the
official figures given me in letter
from Superintendent A. w. Machen,
under date of July 3rd, 1901 Inspec-
tors are now investigating other pro-
posed North Carolina routes, it is
true, and believe that within a year
we shall have fifty routes in actual
pears pitifullv small compared with
the Ala routes in Illinois and Ohio's
312.
But will the extension OF this sys-
TEN really benefit North Carolina
journalism? This question | can best
answer by citing an instance that has
come under my own observation.
Routes leading out from Raleigh were
established last summer. The results
are shown by the fact that the num-
ber of letters and newspapers handled
along these routes last August, the
first full month of the service, was
only 1878, while last month June,
1901 9,047 were collected or deliver
ed. One Raleigh paper sent out an
agent and secured along these three
routes 1O3 subscribers, when before
it had only half dozen readers.
Wishing to learn all the facts, | in
terviewed the three Raleigh carriers a
few days ago. The carrier on Route
No. ! has served only five months,
but reports that in that period the
number of newspapers read has in
creased 100 per cent. The carrier on
route No. 2 says that when rural free
delivery was established only "a farm
ers along his route took weekly
papers; now so weeklies are read.
Then only IA dailies were taken; now
80 families are subscribers for dailies.
On Route No. 3 there has been an in
crease of 100 per cent. in number of
weeklies subscribed for, while Sc
farmers are now taking dailies, where
before only one daily was read.
l have not the gift of eloquence,
but these cold facts, il seems to me,
should stir you to action, to earnest
work in behalf of rural free delivery.
1t will vastly increase the circulation
of our papers, and the neighborhood
with it is fully 25 years in advance of
the neighborhood that must depend
upon the average back woods post
Office as the medium of communica-
ton with the outside world. In the
general discussion this morning, |
hope that something will be said to
start systematic agitation for the
extension of the system in North Car
olina.
Pardon now recapulation of what
| have said. In substance it is this:
That it may be set down as an indis-
putable fact that for the proper sue
cess of the newspapers of any State
first, the people must be able to read
second, they must appreciate good
literature: third, they must be in
reach of the publishers of this good
literature.
And now mark how nicely these
wants are supplied by the three move
ments we are considering:
l. Good schools mean an educated
people.
?. Good schools with good school
libraries mean an educated people
with a taste for literature.
5. Good schools, good school libra
ries and rural free delivery mean an
educated people with taste for liter
aturs. who can easily be reached by
the publishers of that literature.
AS parting word let me carry the
matter home to you. Do you not be-
lieve. brother editor. that by little
| persistent, earnest work You could
induce your people to demand one OF
more free delivery routes for your
county? That by your efforts some
of your public schools could be i'm,
proved?
Our boasted power of the press
is a fraud and sham if you do not
believe thus: if you do believe it
try it.
Thanking you for the attention yor