The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-02-01
THE FOURTH ESTATE.


ing brings to Topeka q more highly
appreciated collection Of Kansas peo-
pie. than does the state Editorial as
ISOLATION. The men and women who
write the paragraph or editorial coll
umns OF the smaller papers through
out the state have q remarkable influ-
ence upon the morals, politics and
prosperity Of the state, and their in
fluen,e 10 due largely to the personnel
Of the editors. Taken as a group. they
assay about the highest per cent OF
brains and patriotism II any closely
identified group m the state. and their
efforts are toward the be.terment. not
only of the small territory encom-
passed by their weekly circulation,
but the entire commonwealth.
Kansas editors. with few exceptions.
are "point-with-p The view
with-alarmers' are in a hopeless mi
nority. It il this optimistic pride in
the state that makes them great.
Anyone can knock all the tiE--. 1t
takes brains to knock when q knock
il due and boost the rest of the time.
and this brain gu lily is common to
the Kansas editors.
The small paper editors are singled
out, at this time. because they are in
the majority and can do things that
the daily Of wide circulation cannot
do. The daily fills q want. and few
progressive citizens can get along
without it, but the weekly. 3 home. in
g.. ution, gets to the grass roots. The
editor knows everyone in his COM
mun.ty. II he is q fair man, who re-
spects the Golden Rule-and most
Kansas editors are people Of that
class, he becomes q community oracle
and guide. II -.e says lit might be
WORSE" his friends and subscribers
get into the habit Of taking his word
for it. In times of short crops or
other local disasters, they accept his
philosophy Of TIE cloud with a silver
lining, I'D instead of leaving the
country with no farewell but hearty
curse, they stick to it and become
prominent and prosperous citizens.
One close student Of Kansas human
nature is responsible for the assertion
that, had it not been for the optimis-
tic little newspaper Of the west half
Of the state there would have been
but few farmers left in that section
to reap the benefits of the last phe-
nomenal wheat crop, and he may be
right at that. They had become dis
gusted, after crop reverses, and an
exodus might have occurred had 1t
not been for the cheerful words of the
country editor who. although he
might have to pawn his Sunday suit
to get his ready print out OF the ex-
press office, continued to write the
CHEEKY forecast of good days to come.
Another thing the Kansas Editorial
association meeting does for the state:
1t brings out thc brightest women Of
the state and puts them on exhibit
ton. The stars of the convention just
past were the Misses and Mattresses
of the Fourth Estate, and others re-
NAMED at. home to attend the BUSH
ness so th-t FrieEd Husband or Fa-
Their might come up and mingfe with
the "boys." These women are not
only a credit to this men whom they
have helped to make a success of the
newspaper business, but they are a
credit to The state. They have a
cleansing influence upon the printed
word. The newspapers Of Kansas
are remarkably clean At present, but
they will improve as more women get
into the active work of publication.
Increased facilities for the distribu-
ton of mail and the increased de-
mand tor current news has widened
the scope Of the daily press, but 1t is
a long, long way to the time when the
country town weekly shall cease to be
a necessity. The intimate news of the
neighborhood, the editorial sugges-
lions of the man who knows the con-
di Ions and needs of his clientele and
the kindly philosophy of optimism
that cannot find space among the
market re 1rts, war news and ma
tional political strife spread upon the
pages of the big daily, is what every
one needs and sho, Id secure through