Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-06-28
WHY THE LOCAL PAPER PAYS,
Advertisers Can't Do Much without
1t, Thinks This Bostonian, and
He Shows Why. Too.

1t, IhtnkS THIS B0st0nfan, and
He Shows Why, Too.
The suburbanite seizes local news
with avidity-families who are known
to be peaceable and law-abiding will
frequently skirmish with edged tools
for the first reading of the weekly
paper, says Henry E. Snow, in the
NGtiomnl AdvsrtiSer. And don't for
a moment believe, reader, but what
the paper is well thumbed after the
last member of the family has alb
sorbed the local news. But that is
not all--tbe paper is fled for future
referencel Even the cook is interested,
and you won't find her using the
local newspaper to kindle the kitchen
fire with-she wants to read it also.
The gossip of the town, once re-
tailed around the old iron stove at
the corner grocery, is just as inter-
esting to-day as it was then-human
nature hasn't changed much in the
last hundred years, and human
nature won't change much in the
years to come. The local newspaper
spreads the local happenings of the
town for the day or the week in less
time than a single item of news
travelled by word of mouth years
ago. The local newspaper exists
because it is a necessity-it will con-
time to exist because it will continue
to be a necessity for all time.
The writer lives in a suburban
town and knows whereof he speaks
when he states most emphatically
that the value of the local newspaper
to an advertiser consists largely in
the eagerness with which the paper
is read from beginning to end
from the top left-hand column on
the first page, to the bottom right
hand column on the last page. More
over, after the first outburst of energy
has subslded over the local happen
ings, the reader falls naturally into
the habit of reading whatever else
the pages contain.
Advertisers do not use the local pa
per enough, and if they use it at all
they figure its advertising space so
low that it scarcely pays for the
work Of the compositor who sets the
advertisement.
The local paper goes into the home
please remember that. There is
no waste circulation to it because
there can't be--nine-tenths of the
people who read it are subscribers who
pay their subscription by the year.
The local paper is not generally sold
in the railroad train or on the electric
cars or at the news-stands-you must
subscribe for it if you want to get it,
and when you get it you are in your
own home. If you leave it around
it is still in your home-if you can'i
find it when you want it or don't
get it when you expect it, there's
trouble right away.
There's the club and the church
and the town meeting-there's the
new family that has just moved in
That corner lot has been sold and the
paper says, "The finest house in town
is going up on it." This all makes
mighty interesting reading for the
suburbanite-so interesting that he
is not going to miss it if he car
raise enough money to pay for &
yearly subscription to the local paper
and there are few suburbanites who
can't do that.
The local paper doesn't suffer from
competition because there is no com.
petition to suffer from.
There comes a time in the life o1
every suburbanite when he wants tc
see his name in the paper. Perhaps
he claims he doesn't, but way down
deep in his heart there is an inborr
desire to have it there.
And so the reasons grow, why the