The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-07-31
THE OLD HOME PAPER

one OF the charms or the ola nome
paper is the way it has of ~condensing
the news. II the advertising patron
age is good so that the paper is crowd
ed for space, or if one of the printers
is away on a vacation-there are two
printers, as a rule, and an apprentice
who is just learning the trade, called
the devil" in the office of the old
home paper-then it becomes neces-
sary to tell much and to cover many
different subjects in one little news
item.
For instance, if you noticed in last
weeks issue of the old horne paper
that one Of your old friends was sick,
very naturally you look over the items
carefully this week to see what pro-
gress he is making. Maybe you will
find it in a separate item, rs you expect
to do. But the chances are hat you
will find all about it in some item Of
this character:
John Jones arrived on the noon
train from the north last Saturday
and will remain a week or ten days.
John is an old resident of this city.
He graduated from our high school
about twenty years ago, in the same
class with Henry Mack and Harley
Simmons and some of our other boys
who have become prominent citizens
since then. He went out west eigh-
teen years ago and is now a success
full machinist and has a good position
with some western railroad, and it is
said that he gets a salary of 81 a day.
Good for John. He was called here by
the serious illness of his cousin,
Samuel Scott, who is some better at
this writing. His friends hope for a
speedy recovery"
are interested in. So there you have it.
You know now that he is improving,
but you had to read every item in the
paper in order TO find out about it.
Here is an item from the old home
paper of the past week. OF course
everybody is interested in knowing
about 1.-The crops" in the old home
county, because the old home town de-
ponds upon good crops in the commun-
ity for it's happiness and prosperity.
SO you take up the old home paper
every week to note the progress of
the agricultural interests. You are
sure to find it somewhere, for the old
home paper knows you are interested.
But you do not know until you have
read it carefully, just where you will
find it.. Well, then, you get it from
this item:
Mrs. l.. NJ. Curry and children re-
turned home Saturday after an over
land trip in their carriage to Black
Jack, Fairview, Kensington and other
places. They were gone twelve days
and had a splendid time visiting rela-
tives. At Black Jack about fifty old
friends and neighbors gave a picnic
in Cy Corning's grove and they served
a most bountiful and delicious picnic
dinner. Mrs. Curry says they certain
ly had a good time and appreciate the
kindness shown by her friends. She
reports crops in good shape"
There is exactly the information you
were looking for. You know that in
the communities around Black Jack
and Fairview and Kensington the big
agricultural section of the county is
located. You know Mrs. Curry, too,
and you know that she was brought
up" on n of the farms of that part
Of the country, and you would rather
have her opinion of the condition of
crops than the expert opinion of all
the professors of the agricultural COL
lege. -
she reports crops in good shape"
That satisfies you.
But Of course that does not conclude
the news item. The crop report is only
in the middle of it. If you should hap
pen to be interested in Mr.. Curry, for
instance, you would have to read on
to get this interesting news, overlook
ed at the time it happened, of course,
for the old home paper frequently
omits some good news items until a
week or two after they occur. So you
would read at the bottom of this story
about the trip into the country and
about the crops, the following:
"Mr. Curry remained at home to
look after the chickens and other home
affairs. One evening while the family
was gone there was a heavy rain and
electrical storm. He went out to at
tend the little chickens and lightning
struck a tree near by, stunning him,
but not hurting him seriously, though
he lay on the ground some time. 1t
was a narrow escape"
1t Is all there in the old home paper.
II you look for it you will find 1t, con-
frming the advertisement that fire.
quently appears in its columns when