The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1914-07-16

One of the best addresses of the
Press meeting was that given by M.
I. Folkner of the Langdon Republican.
Lack of space does not permit com.
plete reproduction of Mr.. Folkners
address, but the following is a selec-
ton Of some of the best paragraphs:
Any newspaper helps a community
to the same degree that it's editor
helps himself. In the same measure
that the shiftless editor, with only a
makeshift Of a newspaper, is a hind
rance to the development of any COM
mUnity; the thrifty editor, with a
neWsy, Wei arranged and well balanc-
ed paper, puts his town on the map,
and contributes as much, it no more,
directly and indirectly, to his COM
munity, as any other agency. The
world loves patriotism, morality and
thrift-it hates disloyalty, degeneracy
and shiftlessness. 1t will be influence
ed by the newspapers that stands for
one, and will scorn and neglect the
newspaper that stands for the other
There are two classes of successful
editors,-those who win by their per-
sonality, and those who win by good
hard work. Whatever success I my
self have attained in the short per-
iod that | have been in tn newspaper
business, must be attributed, you
will agree, to my classification with
the working editors and not with the
winners" but l don't care and you
don't care, whether we are workers.
or winners" just SO we set there.
regardless Of which class the success
editor belongs to, he is one more sue
cessful business man in the commun-
ity; his influence is toward the gen.
eral stimulus of business, he is an
other Give one" to help give the lazy
man bunch, and one more Give one"
in the brigade that you always see in
a live town, pushing that same town
to the front and giving it more con-
spicuous place on the map.
There are also two classes of I'M
successful editors-the "ne'er do
wells" and the never works." Either
of these classes holds town back
just as much, or perhaps little more
than any other one dead business man
and contributes one more straw of
inertia and sbiftlessness to break the
backbone Of his town. We have but
a very few of this kind of editors in
North Dakota. We have the prosper
GUS kind of editors, who are studying
working, hus1ling, attending the press
meetings and making every one of
their towns a little metropolis. Their
effect on the community need. no
contrast with the other kind. Every
business man knows that the pros
r2rous newspaper and the prosperous
editor are great asset to any town,
and it is only the average editors
susceptibility to fattery that keeps
the people of the town from telling
the editor what a great help he is.
This might sound better coming from
one of the laymen but we editors
advocate all classes of good advertis-
ing, so We have taken occasion here
to toot OUR own horn a little, without
the customary border and underscor-
ing.
And now or the moral side Pros
perlty seldom comes to one without
friendships. These same friends may
be betrayed sometimes, after the for
tune has been made, but as a rule the
thrifty business man owes success to
his friends. TO have these friends
one must try to do right, and try
to be right. Now we all know that it
is the influence of those who try to do
right, and try to be right, that counts
for most in the world, and it is right
here that the prosperity of any news
paper-which prosperity must have
come through its exercise of right in
huences-is evidence that such news
paper is benefitting the community.
Show me an editor who continues to
prosper year after year, and I will
show You man who is using his per-
sonal influence and his newspaper in
the cause of right and of humanity;
toward the moral uplife of the COM
munity; and setting a wholesome ex-
ample for the rising generation.
Major Edwards of Fargo whose
memory we all cherish, once said
that he priced at its highest worth
the friendship of the boys and girls
of Fargo, and wanted the influence of
his paper upon their lives to be such
that in after years there would Ne
no cause for reproach. Such policy