The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1908-09-09
THE COUNTRY EDITOR,
lie Needs no Sympathy From His
City Brother.

Every once in while there is a de-
lugc OF articles on the country editor,
says the Washington Qowa) Democrat
The big papers are always discussing
the country editor. They handle them
with gloves on, as if they were some
pest that had to be handled gingerly or
that might be catching, like measles or
smallpox. Or they might be liable to
break out in new place, like wild
Indians.
What is the use? Who asks the big
papers for any patronage or for any
encouragement, or for any odds for
that matter? Surely, we do not. We
say we get tired of it.
The country editor is as indcpcndent
as hog on ice, compared to the big
city editor. OF course, he dcfers to
his biggest advertiser. When his big
gcst advertisers daughter gets married
he swears by the long horn spoon that
she is fairy nymph when ten to one
her feet don't track and her hat is on
crooked. He defers to his "oldest sub
scriber," who pays for a dozen copies
to send to kin, and when he comes to
town he speaks of ''our prominent cit
izcn, Mr.. Doodab," and writes nice
pieces about the team he drives and
about how liberal he is at the church
and in charity, when he knows doggonc
well that he pays the preacher in scab-
by potatoes and talks low to save wear
and tear on his vocal chords and makes
his wife go barefoot in summer to save
shoe leather. However, aside from
that the country editor is as ndepend-
ent as we said he was.
But he asks no odds from his city
brother, and, dad bump his pictures, he
doesn't ask for any nice pieces to be
written about him. He eats three
square meals if he can get them, and if
not, he writes nice pieces about land
that flows with milk and honey and
swears, "by gum" that his party is
entitled to the credit
Ask favors from our city brothers?
Not on your chin whiskcrs. The
country editor brcathcs the pure, free
air Of liberty, and you get more patr-
otism in the average country paper in a
week than you get in the big city daily
in coon's age. The country editor
thinks he believes what he writes, while
half the city editors we mean the po-
litical and regligous writer's write
what they are paid to write. Thus
many Democrat is boosting for the
Republican party while the Rcpubl-
can editor writes nice pieces about
Bryan. In the country, bless your life
we live near to nature and near to our
critics, who find us out before we find
out ourselves. If we renig on any
proposition, before sundown half
dozen offended subscribers are in the
Office trying to stop their vile paper.
Tell us the country editor has hard
lot? May be has, but he is at least on
the square. He believes what he says,
unless it is his big advertiser who be-
licves it for him. But you come a good
deal nearer to the facts than you do in
the city paper, where the work is done
by scores Of writer's, and nobody is
actually responsible, because nobody
knows who the guilty party may be.
The country editor bless you, he
secs just as many funny things and
laughs up his sleeve at them just the
same as you big city editors. He sees
Shams and prctcnsc and the new rich
and the men who work religion and
those who try to work the lodge and
those who are bosses and those who
only think they are, but he just laughs.
AS James Whitcomb Riley says Of Old
Jap Miller, ole just chawcd on. " SO
we just chaw on.
Never mind writing nice pieces about
the country editors. You may feel
sorry for them, but don't let them find
it out, or YOU might find yourself in
contact with a stuffed club. 1t is all
right to feel sorry for them, but you
had better not say anything about 1t.
Many Of them are where they are from
choice There are country editors who
could command more conspicuous posi-
tions, but they prefer their life of ease
and luxury and anluencc and high living
and independence and independent
thinking to any of your mcasly, little,
coopcd-up, narrow, hack-writing city
cdlorships. Now, is that clear? f 50,
then pass the pie.
Card OF Thanks.
To thr Editor Advert iSpr