The Republican., 1914-03-12

CouiltSu upon 10 COHIlnue IHe POOu WOTh
| TO the end.
| SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER
And above everything else support
| your local newspaper. " This statement
closed a speech delivered with much
oratorical effect by the editor of a
small daily newspaper in Missouri at a
recent banquet held by newly organiz-
ed commercial club in a neighboring
town. And to further clinch his argu-
ment he repeated the statement over
again several times.
The emphasis he pladed on the word
support" pretty well typifes the
attitude of many publishers of small
town newspapers toward their local
merchants advertising, and it also well
typifes the feeling that many small
town merchants hold toward their local
newspaper.
And this mutual feeling of Support"
is the very thing that combines to make
many small town backward and many
rural community the chief source of
dividends for the mail order house in
the distant city.
It's sorry thing to relate, but a
fact, that the very men in the small
town who is supposed to know the most
about advertising and modern mer-
chandising methods-the newspaper
man-is in too many cases the one
person who knows the least about these
things. A glance at his shop is all that
is necessary to prove the argument.
Many things combine to cause this
but when sifted to the bottom the mer-
chants themselves usually are the real
cause. They know full well that by
pltting the two rival printing Offices
| there are always two in every town.
against each other it is possible 10 get
printing and advertising below cost.
Now it's fine thing to pluck the
local editor, but it has much the same
effect that results from the small town
property owner purchasing his mer-
chandise from the mail order house. He
saves little money on the goods, but he
decreases the value of his property by
killing his town.
But we can't excuse the local editor
for not having sufficient backbone TO
better his own condition.
The whole trouble is lack of under
standing on the part of both publisher
and merchants. Simmered down, their
problems are one. 1t is a pretty well
known fact that it's difficult thing for
town to extend its retail trade limits
farther than the circulation of the news
paper in that town, The publisher
needs an extensive circulation of his
paper in the community in order to live
and grow, and the merchants in that
same community need his circulation as
an economical method of increasing
their business.
A better understanding of this
problem on the part of merchant and
publisher will soon show an improve
ment in any rural community. When
the country editor gets the idea of
support" out of his head and meets
his merchants on this common ground
of modern business, he will see the
standing cards" leave his news
paper columns and in their place live
advertisements of store news that will
not only help his circulation but will
help MS town.
Fortunately there are several mod
ern influences at work that are bound
to bring about much betterment in the
next few years. The country merchant
need not think he is alone in studying
better merchandising methods. If he
will glance into the dingy newspaper
office some night he Will find Editor
Jones poring over lot of blanks labeled
Cost Sheets" Mr. Editor is discover
| ing how he has been the goat" for so
long that he has less money now than
he started with a dozen years before.
! Another element perhaps of more
vital influence than all the others is
that the newspaper business, as well
as merchandising, is soon to be pro-
fessionalized-litted from the ranks of
trade to par with banking, the
practice of medicine, law, engineering,
agriculture, if you please.
Coordinate with the schools of COM
merce where the future merchant is to
be trained, has grown up in the modern
university the school of journalism.
The practical farmer has long ceas-
ed laughing at the ''book farmer. -
Likewise will the practical merchant
and newspaper men soon cease ridi-
culing the university trained men IN
their lines. At least a half-dozen
| Ameri can universities are now offering
| instruction in business to a combined
J enrolment of more than two thousand