The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-07-10
A Story With
a Moral.

believe in newspapers. He read his
paper every morning and evening,
kept up with the stock market, with
national politics, and was even more
or less in touch with international af-
fairs. But he read these as q mat
ter of business. He had large in
terests and he was interested in large
issues. But he had no interest in the
newspapers, outside Of the special
lines that appealed TO him, through
the money market.
AS for his local paper, he glanced
carelessIy over its columns, read the
telegraphic dispatches, and swore
whenever it mentioned the name of
himself or his family. As his wife
and daughters were prominent So
cialIy as he was commercially, he
swore almost every time he picked
up his home paper.
His objection to his fa1nily's being
noticed, was, Of course, q pose with
him, as it is with most people. He
cursed the local papers. IN season and
out Of season, and if anyone had sug-
gested to him that the newspapers
had any part in making his successful
career he would have laughed to
scorn such a suggestion.
Yet, day in and day out, the news
papers were working for the upbuild-
ing of the town in which this man
made his home. Year in and year out,
the newspapers were giving columns
of space to public Enterprises which
made for the betterment Of this mans
home city; these newspapers were
working for movements which fur
thered the growth Of the town; they
were working for . cleaner city, bet
ter schools, better sanitation, better
laws; for everything that made tbs
town more desirable place in which
to live.
The newspapers we're not getting
paid for these columns they were
publishing in furtherance of the pub
lie good; they did not expect an!
pay, other than to help the town Il
grow in the right direction, and Il
grow with it.
The town grew and prospered, ant
its prosperity was reflected in TIL
newspaper, which had helped to max
It. And as the town grew and pros
pered and drew to It many citizen
from other towns, 10 becorne a par
Of the civic life, the man who "di'
not believe in the power of the press
grew with the town, which, had
not been for the newspapers, wouI
still have been village Of FEY
thousand inhabitants.
As the man prospered he beeam
more and more arrogant and he mad
q point Of venting great deal of thi
arrogance on newspaper reporters
He always treated them discourteous
" when they went to him for story
and seemed to consider that he ha
done them a great favor when he per
mitted them to use MS name. An
he continued to swear whenever the
published the names Of his wife an
daughter.
Then one day the big man met
newspaper man who told him tn
truth about himself. The newspape
man pointed out to him, IN languag
as curt as the Big Mans bad Away
been, that the paper in season an
out Of season, was working for tn
towns prosperity-that the news
paper, more than any other factor
had made that prosperity, that tn
newspaper expected to keep on work
ing for it, and expected TO keep O
putting the Big Man and his farnil
in the paper.
When the newspaper man got thi
for the Big Man interrupted him, b
bringing his fist down on the tabl
with an oath. This was his usus
way Of expressing his disapprova
But he was expressing It This tim,
in the wrong way to the wrong mar
The newspaper man told tire Big Ma
to 60 there himself, and then he shoe