The Green Forest tribune., 1908-01-03
THE IDEAL SUBSCRIBER Described by The ribune and
 the Other Kind Mentioned HE WHO PAYS IN ADVANCE
Is the Salt of the Earth in the
 Country Editors Estimation

time felt that ic ought in some manner to give an expression of it's appreciation of the ideal patron of a newspaper.
 He is man who AS general rule keeps his paper paid for in advance. And we wish to ex- plain right now that the word "he" is used in the broad sense, meaning either male or female. He not infrequently calls on the publishers in his office and lends him some words of encourage ment by giving an item or two of news and expressing approval, or possibly disapproval, of some matter that has been published. Not'infrequently he brings in '.sample copy" of somethin he has produced, not necessarily to gSk notorety, but because i!ttis a pleasure to him to show sol Rething of what he is doing and to manifest a becoming sociable disposition.
 The ideal newspaper patron is by no means confined to the "good livers" of the country. Some of them are in very mo der ate circumstances. As matter of eonvienience he may pay his subscription in wood or other commodity, but he sees that it is paid, and paid according to agreement.
 The ideal subscriber is not nec- essalrly confined to the farming class, out as about four fifths of our patrons are farmers, he comes in best for an example.
 To be ranked as an ideal sub- scriber ddesn't necessarily mean that you must call and jolly the editor. AM other acts of cmis sion and commission are promptly forgiven when you are raced as a prompt payer.
 Newspap2r. patrons may be given the usual classfications of good, bad and indifferent. The good we have already described. They represent the smallest half of the general make-up of the list and to include that many would necessitate rating some as low as 20 per cent below the ideal standard.
 The bad is just the opposite of the ideal. If he ever pays at all he has to be forced to do it. De- casionally one of them adds in- suit to injury by dropping his paper back in the office refused"
 after taking it for long while
 without ever paying cent. It is
 needless to say that newspaper
 men have a very great contempt
 for this sort of patronage. We
 would all rather never have any
 dealings with such people, but a
 very large number of such find
 their way on to the lists, one way
 and another.
 The indifferent fellow is just
 what his name indicates. He pays, ard he don't Hay. He is
 never available whent you need
 money most, but whe1 pay day
 comes it counts up. About the
 time you have conElpded that j you vill have to lose In him, he may eome across, andl he may not. As a rule the indifferent subscribers are of but Ne value. But the times is rapidly ap- } preaching when all subscribers } are going to s'look alike," in one sense at least. The department } has already promulgated an order } looking to the enforcement of } the payment of all newspaper subscriptions in advance. The Tribune will welcome the order, } and it ought to please every } newspaper and every honest patron. It puts the newspaper business on a cash bas }, and while lists will perhaps < be } cut down for a time, the loss