The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-10-16
"a r0ri0I Comment.
Lauds the Country Press.

The editor or the Atlanta news, IN
contributing his regular Saturday even.
ing column to that paper, recently paid
the following glowing tribute to the
country newspapers:
Sitting here with the debris of a
weekly toll about us-scattered clip
pings, crumpled copy and a pair Of
yawning shears piled high above mass
of Georgia papers-the pen of Saturday
evening is filled with a sentiment of ten
derness for the country newspapers.
Quiet, unhonored, sometimes desper-
ately obscure, many times engaged in a
hand to hand combat with direct poverty,
and the chances ten TO one against them,
it is just simply superb to see them come
up to the scratch of each succeeding
issue, dauntless, CHEEKY, Micawber- like
as before.
1--WE have often thought that nothing
but the strange fascination of seeing
ones thoughts on paper, on fair black
and white, could ever explain the sub
lime pertinacity with which some editors
do stick to their thankless calling, but
we do honestly believe now that there
are many of them who appreciate the
deep Importance and responsibility of
their rank and stick to it for the love of
the thing and where such a one does
exist, true to the instincts of his craft in
its highest plane, imbued with the de-
sire to elevate, enlighten, instruct, de
fend and represent the people of whom
he is the political organic center, hold
ing his honor dear and the good name of
his people precious, pandering to no
false sensations and poisonous sweets of
scandals that would please but debase,
keeping a white example of political
faith and public morality and political
honor in the organ through which he
speaks the sentiment of his fellow citi-
zens-when such one can be found we
dof our hats in professional respect to
the most valuable and inestimable citi-
zen of the republic.
The Importance of the country news
paper is rarely considered. 1t is to the
body journalistic what agriculture is to
the body politic-the feeder of the big
metropolitan journals whose thunderous
roar is but the concrete sound of the
busy voices of the rural press.
The country papers are the thousand
small streams that flow into the mael-
strom of the metropolis, the various
couriers which go swift winged with
their tidings to the great arteries that
throb out our states to the world.
And again we say that the editor
who, in the full light of his realized re-
sponsibilty, tulflls to the extent of the
man what are to him the high, graphing
duties of his station, is citizen who
ought to wear the laurel.
Brave little sheet that it is, wrapped
in its history thousand heartaches and
cramped ambitions, of bitter sacrifices
heroically made, without blot upon its
record of faith, purity and not foul,
scandalous line to mar the symmetry of
its truth and constancy.
in the fellowship of journalism it is
the quiet, golden-hearted gentleman,
stainless and pure as the white soul of
him who guides its cruise over the deeps
and shadows of this stormy age of jour
nalism. From the city to the country,
from the throbbing pavement to the
waving fields, we send to-day the highest
greetings of the craft"