The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-02-04
THE COUNTRY
EDITOR TURNS

Editorial in The New York Evening
Post: Quite appropriately the voice
of protest comes from Missouri. The
executive committee of the Press as
ISOLATION of hat state q formulated
a lonF-standing grievance in the fol-,
lowing resolution:
"The press Of the cities would
render a great service and en-
nance the standing of, country
publishers as constructive forces
in community affairs by devoting
more space to items which adver-
tise the progress being made over
the state. and less attention to
grammatical errors or local mat
tiers which tend to bring ridicule
upon the country press in particu-
lar and the rural districts in gen.
eral."
The complaint may be justified or
not, according as we interpret one
phrase in the preceding resolution. If
the city newspapers, by printing the
the rural papers, are supposed to in
tend to bring ridicule upon the coun-
try press, a case might he made out.
If the city papers are accused Of en-
courags1g > practice which tends" to
bring ridicule upon the rural inhabit-
'cnt and his newspaper, the charge will
not held. Actually, we believe there
should be an acquittaI OF both counts
The exchange editors ON the metro
politan newspapers are not as q rule
malicious, and it is pretty certain that
they do nc harm.
Three favorite topics of rural Jour
nalism are quoted by urban exchange
editors with prediction: % Poetry
whose distinguishing feature. as COM
pared with magazine poetry, is that
rural verse usually means something
and doesn't scan, whereas magazine
poetry usually scans and infrequently
means anything; ca accounts Of we'd
ding ceremonies which begin like
Swinburne and conclude with the
statement that the bridegroom wore
the conventional black; CD minor o
cal Paragraphs, which usually run as
follows:'
Mr.. and Mrs. James Thompson
of Kiowa visited on Sunday at the
home Of their son, Walt Thomp-
son, of Hayden Corners.
A merry party assembled at the.
house Of Mr.. and Mrs. James
Thompson Friday night. Among
the guests were Walt Thompson
and wife Of Hayden Corners;
Henry Thompson, Mr.. and Mrs.
William Thompson and Glenn
Thompson. Glenn was accompan-
led by Miss Susan Drake of Wat
kins, whom, we hear. will not be
Miss Drake before many weeks.
| Preparations for the church ba-
Ear are moving on fast. Among
those who are giving their time to
the bazaar are Mr.. and MES. Will
liam Thompson. Mrs. James
Thompson, Mrs. Henry Thompson,
and Miss Susan Drake.
Over this group of paragraphs the
urban exchange editor usually puts
some such caption as The Pace of
Life in Kiowa, or How About the Ba-
Ear, Glenn? Thus the ~trivialities that
make I'D life at Kiowa are brought
home to the readers OF a metropolis
which insists hat its own newspapers
shall print only such vital news as
the following:
HE1I PAID CARFHARE.
GERMAN JURY ACQUTTS MAN OF
SNEEzING IN PUBLIC.
PEERS DAUGHTER LOOPS THE
LOOP.
BOYS BEST AT 10 A. M.
CHEW YOUR FOOD If YOU WANT
TO GO TO HEAVEN.
Possibly the contrast tends to throw
ridicule on the rural press in particu-
lar and country life in general. But it
might be a good venture for the rura
press associations if, instead of pass
ing deprecatory resolutions addressed
to the city papers. they organized a
syndicate for the distribution to coun-
try newspapers or vital items from the
metropolitan papers about hens that
pay their carfare and Peers daughters
that loop the loop in an aeroplane.
The rural conscience would perhaps
recover from it's oppressive sense of
humiliation.
But there is really no need Of get
ting back at the city press. The ex-
change editor will have his little joke.
But deep in the heart Of this hardened
and cynical member Of a hardened and
cynical profession, there are soft STIR