Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-08-27
THE BORROWING CURSE.

Habitual borrowing, although con-
sidered by some as a form Of CO.
operation, is one of the worst curses
society has to contend with. The
housewife of country and city, the
farmer of the country and the gar
dener of the city, the business AMI
professional elements, the newspaper
shop included, have to submit to be-
ing victims of this malediction from
day to day because of a more or less
traditional custom.
The progressive farmer who keeps
a shelter for his tools when not in
uGe, is frequently visited by the neigh
Dor. who can hardly cultivate row
OF corn without borrowing tools. BUS
|, mess principles seldom prompt the
borrower to return the goods with
which he has been favored, but instead
he permits their abuse at frequent in
tervals. Certain forms of borrowing
when the habit. does mot become
chronic, constitutes one of the best
forms of cooperation, but the man
Tho is blessed with goods to loan
usually gets the worst end of the bar
gain.
The following newspaper talk along
this line regarding the habit of Dor
rowing newspapers, if carefully read,
will no doubt be an excellent prescrip-
ton for some OF the neighbors of reg
ular subscribers of the Democrat. We
have sufficient evidence to say that
many a person reads the Democrat
. who refuses to pay the price Of sub
scription, preferring to impose upon
the good nature of his neighbor.
Swallow the following dose from the
Gastonia Gazette and see if you don't
!, think it a good one for the nabitual
borrower, especially of something so
valuable but costing so little as a
weekly newspaper:
White paper space is the newspa-
rer's stock in trade. 1t is just as es-
sentialIy that, Mr.. Farmer, as your
cotton and corn is yours, or Mr.. Mer-
! chant as your groceries, dry goods or
shoes, or Mr.. Business Man, as your
stocks and bonds, real estate, etc.
That being the case it is the privileg
OF the newspaper to exploit it's trade
as much as possible and to see that
it's rights are respected. This para
graph is purely preliminary to little
shop talk between The Salisbury Post,
he Cleveland Star and The Gazette.
Says The Post:
ga good friend of the Post had his
! paper discontinued today for the rea-
son that his neighbors were so eager
to get his copy that he could not him
self get to read it. and the injustice
! o. the thing, so far as the publisher is
! concerned, is that this is not the only
case, for there are no doubt very many
such, and this is the experience of all
other papers, as well as this one.
When paper costs so little it looks
like every one might take it, certain
/ every one who wants to read it,
and does read it. 1t costs us more
: than three hundred dollars a week to
keep the POST going, not to speak of
/ original investment of more than
! twenty thousand dollars.
If every one who reads the POST
were to pay for it every month and
every year, we could reduce the price
instead OF increase it. We could also
add new features and spend more
money on it, money to improve and
make it better and a stronger factor
+, in the building up of this community.
Eut folks in so many cases do not
icok upon the paper as a business
:, proposition. They refuse ia regard
the printing of NEWSPAPERS man
ufacturing business, just Ike sing
cotton cloth and other articles nc com